Huertapp
HuertAPP is a mobile application aimed at revolutionizing the way local farmers and eco-conscious consumers connect and trade. The platform empowers farmers to sell fresh, chemical-free produce directly to nearby buyers, eliminating middlemen and ensuring fair prices.
The concept stems from a personal insight — having grown up in a farming family, I’ve witnessed the systemic disadvantages small producers face. With this project, I wanted to merge technology and empathy to build a practical, accessible solution that supports sustainable agriculture and healthier lifestyles.
The iterative Process:
1
Empathise
2
Define
3
Ideate
4
Prototype
5
Test
1. Project Overview
Project Duration
January 2021 – February 2021
The Product
HuertAPP is a mobile platform that connects local farmers with environmentally conscious consumers, enabling direct sales of locally grown, chemical-free produce without intermediaries. The goal is to empower small producers and support healthy consumption habits.
The Problem
Farmers are often underpaid due to intermediary chains and lack direct access to customers. Additionally, consumers lack accessible ways to buy healthy and local food directly from producers.
The Goal
Design a mobile application that facilitates direct communication and transactions between farmers and buyers, ensuring fair prices and local economic empowerment.
My Role
UX/UI Designer leading the entire process from research to high-fidelity prototype.
Responsibilities
Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, and iterating on designs
2. Understanding the User
User Research: summary
I conducted 10 user interviews (5 farmers and 5 eco-conscious buyers) and distributed complementary surveys to understand motivations, needs, and blockers. Farmers were mainly concerned with having more control over pricing, reducing dependence on middlemen, and reaching new buyers without tech barriers.
Buyers, on the other hand, were motivated by access to trustworthy, chemical-free food sources, grown locally and offered at reasonable prices. Many felt frustration with the lack of a simple way to find and connect with farmers in their own area.
This dual perspective validated the need for a mobile platform like HuertAPP, provided it remained simple, intuitive, and flexible for both user types.
User Research: pain points
1
Limited Access to Direct Sales
Small farmers have very limited opportunities to sell directly to end consumers. They depend on intermediaries and have almost no digital presence.
2
Low Profit Margins
The high dependence on distributors and retailers leads to very low profit margins for producers.
3
Lack of Visibility
Consumers do not know where to find farmers or eco-friendly local products near them. They have little trust in product origin and quality.
4
Logistics Challenges
Farmers face challenges with transportation and distribution. Many cannot manage deliveries, which limits their reach.
User Research: Personas
PERSONA: FRANCISCO
Problem statement:
Francisco is a 52-year-old farmer who wants to sell his products directly to customers because he is tired of relying on intermediaries that pay him unfair prices.
He needs an easy-to-use mobile solution that allows him to reach local buyers without technological barriers, so he can increase his profits and have more control over his production and sales.
PERSONA: DAVID
Problem statement:
Sara is a 28-year-old environmentalist who cares about eating healthy and supporting sustainable agriculture.
She needs a convenient way to find and buy local, organic products directly from farmers at fair prices because she is frustrated with industrialized, chemically treated food and wants to support local producers.
User Journey Map
PERSONA: PACO
Goal: Sell his fresh produce directly to local buyers using a simple app.
PERSONA: SARA
Goal: Buy fresh, eco-friendly local produce from responsible farmers using an easy-to-use app.
3. Starting the design
Big Picture Storyboard
Sara’s journey to find and buy healthy, ecological, locally grown products through the app, supporting small farmers and the environment.
Close-up Storyboard
This storyboard shows how the app actually works
Ideation and Sketching
In the initial phase of the project, we focused on defining the app's core structure through research, ideation, and sketching. We analyzed user needs, competitors, and key features to outline how the app would function. Sketching proved to be a quick and effective method to visualize and communicate ideas both individually and as a team.
A major early challenge was deciding whether to create separate sign-up flows for buyers and sellers or combine them into a single, unified form. After exploring both approaches through sketches and benchmarking industry standards, we chose the single sign-up form. This solution offered greater simplicity for users, more flexibility for dual-role functionality, and aligned with current UX conventions, allowing users to buy and sell within the same profile.
Sitemap
Once I had defined the main idea and basic flow of the app, I moved on to organizing all the key screens, features, and user paths into a clear sitemap. This allowed me to better understand the structure of the product and how users would navigate through it.
To build this sitemap, I used Illustrator and applied color coding to visually group the main functionalities: onboarding, user profile, product listings, search and filter, and messaging. This step was crucial to align the app structure with the user needs identified during the research phase.
Paper Wireframes
Before moving to digital, I sketched the key screens and flows of the app on paper. This helped me quickly explore ideas, define the core structure, and prioritize usability for both farmers and buyers.
The sketches allowed me to validate key decisions early on — like using a single sign-up flow and a geolocated search system — while focusing on clarity and simplicity for users less familiar with technology.
Digital Wireframes
Location-based browsing and interactive maps were designed to visually connect consumers with local farmers, enhancing trust and transparency while supporting short supply chains.
As the design progressed, we identified that building trust between farmers and buyers was essential, so we focused on creating detailed, transparent profiles for each producer.
Usability Study: findings
I conducted two rounds of usability studies for Huertapp. Insights from the first study guided the transition from low-fidelity sketches to digital wireframes, ensuring the app addressed the core needs of both farmers and consumers. The second round tested a high-fidelity prototype and revealed refinements required to improve the overall experience.
Round 1 findings:
1
Users wanted a faster way to browse nearby farmers (map view was preferred).
2
Some users needed clearer onboarding to understand how to buy and sell.
3
Users asked for filters (distance, category, price) to simplify search.
Round 2 findings:
1
Add confirmation before publishing a product listing.
2
Navigation icons needed to be more intuitive.
3
Improve visual hierarchy in farmer profiles (reviews and products).
4. Refining the design
Mockups
After usability study, I added a map preview and filters (category and distance) in the product listing screen to help users find nearby farmers and products more easily.
Mockups
After usability study, I redesigned the farmer profile to make it more actionable. I added the farmer’s contact details and a direct “Contact Farmer” button, along with a clear section for products for sale, improving usability and quick access to key information.
Mood Board
The first step to create the UI design of the app, was to define the mood board since it is a great way to set out the look and feel of a new UI design project. In this stage, I defined the colors, fonts, and overall style of the app to be consistent.
Patern Library
A pattern library is a collection of user interface design elements that appear multiple times on the app. We created it carefully in order to define clearly how they behave and what they look like before starting with the design of the high fidelity prototype.
High Fidelity Prototype
The final stage was creating the high-fidelity prototype, which was done entirely using Figma. I chose this tool because it is cloud-based, highly collaborative, and allows real-time teamwork with developers and designers. Its versatility, powerful design features, and seamless sharing options made the creative process smoother, faster, and more efficient.
5. Going Forward
Takeaways
Impact:
Huertapp simplifies the process of connecting farmers with consumers who are looking for fresh, local, and eco-friendly products. The app gives users the feeling that it truly understands their needs: buying directly from local growers, saving time, and supporting sustainable agriculture.
One quote from peer feedback:
“The app really helps me discover nearby farmers. It makes buying healthy food easier and more transparent.”
What I learned:
While designing Huertapp, I learned that the first wireframes were just the beginning. Through usability studies and peer feedback, I realized the importance of making navigation intuitive, highlighting the value of proximity, and ensuring that users could quickly contact farmers. Each iteration improved the clarity and overall user experience of the app.
Next Steps
1
Conduct another round of usability studies to validate that the navigation improvements (filters, map, and farmer profiles) have effectively reduced confusion.
2
Expand user research to identify additional needs, such as delivery preferences, payment methods, or sustainability information.
3
Keep iterating and polishing the design with new features, ensuring Huertapp continues to evolve as a reliable solution for both farmers and consumers.