[Case 1]
Simplifying Home-Grown Nutrition
Health & Lifestyle
Project Description
Project Description
Spiraw is a connected photobioreactor created by Food 4 Future, a Tunisian startup pioneering sustainable food innovation. The device allows individuals to grow fresh spirulina at home in a clean, controlled, and eco-friendly way. As a UX/UI Designer, I was responsible for designing the mobile app and the machine’s onboard interface, ensuring both products delivered a seamless and trustworthy user experience. My mission was to transform a complex biotechnological process into an accessible, intuitive journey for everyday users.
Spiraw is a connected photobioreactor created by Food 4 Future, a Tunisian startup pioneering sustainable food innovation. The device allows individuals to grow fresh spirulina at home in a clean, controlled, and eco-friendly way. As a UX/UI Designer, I was responsible for designing the mobile app and the machine’s onboard interface, ensuring both products delivered a seamless and trustworthy user experience. My mission was to transform a complex biotechnological process into an accessible, intuitive journey for everyday users.
Timeline
Timeline
From early explorations to final designs, the project unfolded over 3 months.
Completed the project from explorations to final designs in 6 weeks.
Key challengers
Key challengers
Food 4 Future’s mission is to make sustainable food production accessible. The challenge was to design an ecosystem that simplifies spirulina cultivation, a complex scientific process into an intuitive, trustworthy experience where users can set up, monitor, and manage their machine with ease.
Food 4 Future’s mission is to make sustainable food production accessible. The challenge was to design an ecosystem that simplifies spirulina cultivation, a complex scientific process into an intuitive, trustworthy experience where users can set up, monitor, and manage their machine with ease.
[Persona 1 ]
[Persona 1 ]
Name: Nadia
Age: 32
Location: Ain Zaghouan Tunisia
Occupation: Health-Conscious Professional
Gender: Female
Goal
Goal
Grow fresh spirulina at home instead of paying for expensive ready-made supplements.
Easily set up and connect her Spiraw machine without technical knowledge.
Monitor growth and harvesting through a simple, reassuring app.
Integrate spirulina into her lifestyle with recipes, tips, and community support.
Frustrations
Ready-made spirulina products are costly and often processed.
Feels overwhelmed by scientific terms and unclear instructions.
Previous health apps felt cluttered and confusing.
Worries about wasting time or money if the machine seems unreliable.
Frustrations
Anxiety and stress about leaving her pet with strangers.
Difficulty finding someone reliable and affordable.
Fear that something bad could happen while she’s away.
Limited budget for traditional pet care services.
[Process]
01.
User Research
The project began with research and benchmarking of global IoT products and health apps. Interviews and analysis revealed the need for simple onboarding, real-time monitoring, and clear guidance, since spirulina cultivation is a technical process for most users.
02.
Define & Ideate
I created user flows for novice and advanced users—from account setup and QR-based machine linking to daily monitoring and harvesting—clarifying pain points and guiding a seamless, reassuring app experience.
03.
Design Solution
I designed a unified system for app and machine, with reusable components, clear feedback flows, and scalable guidelines, ensuring consistency and feasibility through close developer collaboration.
04.
Test & Iterate
I built interactive prototypes and tested them with users, then simplified language, visuals, and navigation to make the experience more intuitive and trustworthy.
[Process]
01.
User Research
The project began with research and benchmarking of global IoT products and health apps. Interviews and analysis revealed the need for simple onboarding, real-time monitoring, and clear guidance, since spirulina cultivation is a technical process for most users.
02.
Define & Ideate
I created user flows for novice and advanced users—from account setup and QR-based machine linking to daily monitoring and harvesting—clarifying pain points and guiding a seamless, reassuring app experience.
03.
Design Solution
I designed a unified system for app and machine, with reusable components, clear feedback flows, and scalable guidelines, ensuring consistency and feasibility through close developer collaboration.
04.
Test & Iterate
I built interactive prototypes and tested them with users, then simplified language, visuals, and navigation to make the experience more intuitive and trustworthy.
[Competitive Analysis]
[Competitive Analysis]
[Userflow]
[Userflow]
[Solution]
[Solution]
The final outcome was a cohesive, multi-platform ecosystem that connects Spiraw’s machine and app into one seamless experience.
The final outcome was a cohesive, multi-platform ecosystem that connects Spiraw’s machine and app into one seamless experience.
Mobile App
Mobile App
Onboarding & QR linking to connect the device instantly.
Real-time dashboard for monitoring spirulina growth, harvesting cycles, and water quality.
Shop integration to buy machines, supplements, or parts directly from the app.
Recipe & lifestyle hub that transforms spirulina from a process into a daily wellness habit.
Notifications & chat-like alerts that keep users on track without overwhelming them.
Onboarding & QR linking to connect the device instantly.
Real-time dashboard for monitoring spirulina growth, harvesting cycles, and water quality.
Shop integration to buy machines, supplements, or parts directly from the app.
Recipe & lifestyle hub that transforms spirulina from a process into a daily wellness habit.
Notifications & chat-like alerts that keep users on track without overwhelming them.
Machine Interface
Machine Interface
Step-by-step setup animations to guide users through harvesting, cleaning, and linking.
Minimalist, icon-driven design that reduces cognitive load.
Clear success/error states to reassure users and prevent errors.
Step-by-step setup animations to guide users through harvesting, cleaning, and linking.
Minimalist, icon-driven design that reduces cognitive load.
Clear success/error states to reassure users and prevent errors.
Design System & Prototyping
Design System & Prototyping
Built a scalable design system with unified typography, iconography, and color palettes.
Delivered interactive prototypes for both app and machine UI, enabling real user testing and stakeholder validation.
Built a scalable design system with unified typography, iconography, and color palettes.
Delivered interactive prototypes for both app and machine UI, enabling real user testing and stakeholder validation.
[Machine’s Interface]
[Machine’s Interface]
[Prototype]
[Prototype]
[Demo]
[Demo]
[Outcome]
[Outcome]
Consistency achieved: Unified design across machine UI and mobile app.
Consistency achieved: Unified design across machine UI and mobile app.
Scalable design system: Ensured future product iterations remain visually and functionally coherent.
Positive feedback: Early testers reported greater confidence in managing the spirulina process.
[Key Learnings]
[Key Learnings]
Design must translate complexity into clarity
good UX makes unfamiliar technology approachable.
Design translate complexity into clarity
Uncovering hidden pain points to guide design.
Visual feedback is reassurance
clear states (success, error, progress) reduce anxiety.
Visual feedback is reassurance
clear states (success, error, progress) reduce anxiety.
User-centered innovation is impact
sustainability projects succeed when design removes barriers.
User-centered innovation is impact
sustainability projects succeed when design removes barriers.
[Mockup]
[Mockup]
[Key Learnings]
Design must translate complexity into clarity
good UX makes unfamiliar technology approachable.
Visual feedback is reassurance
clear states (success, error, progress) reduce anxiety.
User-centered innovation is impact
sustainability projects succeed when design removes barriers.