Spore
A mushroom cultivation application - case study
The Spore app is the first of it’s kind - think home plant care and gardening apps for fungus. Spore is a Seattle-based company dedicated to bringing education on mycology and mushroom cultivation to the masses.
Challenges
Spore found a hole in the market for gardeners, DIYers, and amateur mycologists. The hole being no app to teach users how to grow gourmet mushrooms. While learning to growing mushrooms is a feat itself, documenting the process though photographs, metrics (temperatures, substrate material, mushroom spores and strains), and personal notes is pertinent to bigger and better future flushes.
Within the DIY growing process for gourmet mushrooms, many people fail on the first few tries. This amount of failure can be cut back significantly if the grower is documenting their progress and finding and identifying issues.
Researching
While learning to grow mushrooms myself, I struggled to find an all-in-one place to log my metrics, find information, and be walked through the growing process. That is because this app did not exist! Searching for an app like this led me to many gardening applications that provided what I was looking for but lacked the necessary facets needed for the mycological aspect. Researching the mushroom growing and cultivating process uncovered many areas that seasoned and amateur growers - myself included - struggle with.
Research Goals
Competitor Analysis
Mushroom Grower by the American Mushroom Institute focuses on large-scale and industrial mushroom farms.
Seed to Spoon has amazing personalization features that help users curate the best growing processes for them.
In Seed to Spoon, users can log all their personal garden information in one centralized location. Many users state they love having a ‘one-stop-shop’ app.
Goal 1
Expand Understanding of Mushroom Cultivation
Learn the processes most suited for beginner mushroom growers to implement in the framework of the app.
Create a list of the most important metrics to prompt users to log in to their grow journals.
Compile a comprehensive supplies list to incorporate in the shop feature of the app.
Goal 2
Reddit Forums Support User Insights
Forum-based social network, Reddit, houses a plethora of information and communities centered on growing mushrooms. These communities, or subreddits, get granular enough to be focused on specific mushroom strains and techniques.
Through these subreddits, users can:
Find scholarly articles on mycology
Troubleshoot with group members
Ask for advice
Share their wins/success
Find community
Spending time in these subreddits allowed me to get insights into the potential users of the Spore app in place of traditional user interviews.
Find & Analyze Common Challenges
Identify any friction or issues users face, including challenges with sticking to routines.
Explore the current channels that growers are using to aid them in the mushroom cultivation process.
Evaluate what features of current channels are beneficial to users and which features hinder their success.
Goal 3
“I tried tubs, blocks, and buckets.
Tubs gave me the worst, as I got very leggy mushrooms. Blocks were next, and buckets seemed to go ok until they started reaching to the sky.”
Demystify Fungus: Spore will offer a complete growing guide and will teach users everything from the basics of mushroom cultivation and terminology, to harvesting their first flush of gourmet mushrooms.
Journaling & Tracking Powerhouse: Within the app, users will be able to track their progress and metrics, take notes on what is working and not working, and compare previous grows.
Objectives
Common Themes Found Through Research
Overall, contamination is the most prevalent issue experienced by seasoned growers and amateur enthusiasts.
The sterilization process must be strictly followed, no exceptions.
Contamination
Many first-time mushroom growers will want to rush each stage of the process.
Not thoroughly completing preparations or not following the technique will result in contamination.
Following the Timeline
Each strain of mushroom is different and will require different growing environments. Air and ground temperatures, humidity, light conditions, and fresh air exchange are some of the critical components. This is a lot to remember!
Grow Environment
When mycelium decomposes organic matter, thermogenesis occurs. This is when the substrate will begin producing its own heat.
Rising temperatures within the substrate can kill the mycelium - even if the temperature of the air in the room is optimal.
Thermogenesis
Many shroomie-newbies lack an understanding of the mushroom life cycle. While you don’t have to be a professional mycologist, learning the basics is pertinent.
First-time growers are often overwhelmed by the new phrases, facts, and information they re trying to learn on top of the already complex growing techniques and processes.
Lack of Life Cycle Knowledge
It is rare for a first-time mushroom grower to see much success - let alone success at all - from their first attempt. Because of this, many people give up.
The failures are often ambiguous and the shroomie-newbies can’t pinpoint the reason(s) for the failure.
Discouragement
The audience was built from scratch since Spore is a new app concept. Detailed user personas were created to ensure the recommendations and features are tailored to and benefit users.
Building Empathy
Maddie Roma - Shroomie-Newbie
“When I attempt to grow mushrooms again, I want it to be fun. I want to enjoy the process and have everything I need to succeed in one easy to access place.”
Recommendations
Mycology and the mushroom growing process can be daunting, and many shroomie-newbies lack critical knowledge needed for success. To mitigate this issues, the app should include a dictionary of commen phrases and terms as well as daily quizzes and flashcards for fun education integration.
The app should provide information on the most popular gourmet mushroom strains and catered processes for each one.
Education
Many shroomie-newbies will be impatient and try to rush through the delicate growing process. The fix this issues, the app should provide daily tasks and reinforce the strict timeline.
Having a daily checklist of tasks will also help users feel productive and successful, even on days where all they need to do is track metrics and take photos.
Daily Tasks & Reminders
The app should be a one-stop-shop for users. They can access information and educational material, journal and track their progress, follow step-by-step instructions, and be linked to approved vendors for materials.
One-Stop-Shop
Using the notes, photos, and metrics, users can compile pieces to build grow plans and processes that work best for their environment, supplies, spores, and schedule.
Grow Planner
To help users cut back on potential failures from the intricate, multi-step process of growing mushrooms, Spore prompts users to take photos, record metrics, and take notes while guided through the predetermined grow process each day.
Using the notes, photos, and metrics, users can compile pieces to build grow plans and processes that work best for their environment, supplies, spores, and schedule.
Journaling
Spore should be a fun and light-hearted app that keeps users engaged and optimistic ahead of the barrage of information they receive.
Micro-animations and gamification will help in this aspect.
Keep it Fun
