Team
Senior pRODUCT DESIGNER
lead product designer(me)
lead user researcher
2 user researchers
3 product managers
Languages
English
Hindi
tamil
telugu
kannada
marathi
Designing a digital product for rural Indian farmers meant building trust, clarity, and usability from the ground up — in environments shaped by oral advice, low-end phones, and deeply human farming practices.
We weren’t just designing an interface. We were designing confidence — for people making critical decisions under pressure, often with little digital familiarity and no safety net.
Digital tools assumed tech fluency, strong literacy, and fast internet — none of which matched the realities on the ground.
Existing apps were cluttered, text-heavy, and hard to navigate
Literal translations made interfaces more confusing, not clearer
Most users had never used an app beyond YouTube or WhatsApp
For smallholder farmers, poor input timing or pest misdiagnosis could lead to major crop failure.
Losses of 20–30% in yield were common due to preventable issues
Farmers lacked timely, reliable guidance at the moment of need
There was no fallback — mistakes meant real financial loss
Our users worked in fields, often with shared or old phones, 2G speeds, and power cuts.
Most phones had <2GB RAM and little storage
Slow networks made heavy apps unusable
Phones often ran out of charge by mid-day
Advice came from neighbors, shopkeepers, or agri officers — not from digital systems.
Word-of-mouth networks were strong and deeply ingrained
Farmers valued familiarity and tone over interface polish
Apps were seen as faceless and risky unless “recommended by someone”
Information was fragmented across YouTube videos, WhatsApp groups, and informal advice chains.
Most content was unverified, outdated, or irrelevant to the crop stage
Farmers had to guess, ask around, or hope for the best
There was no digital product that felt complete, trustworthy, and easy to act on
Understanding Real Farmers, Not Just Users
What we did
Captured routines, language use, mental models, and challenges with existing tools.
Understood real-world contexts like crop cycles, field conditions, and mobile usage patterns.
Validated early ideas using sketch flows and interactive card sorting.
Explored what farmers recognize quickly: color, crop imagery, voice cues.
Ran low-fidelity and interactive tests with real users in field environments.
Where We Went
What emerged after listening deeply, observing patiently, and designing with—not just for—India’s farmers.
From our research, four key themes emerged…
Regional tone and pronunciation increased clarity
Older users relied exclusively on hearing, not reading
Voice felt more “human” — like advice from someone they knew
Visual cues reduced confusion in multilingual contexts
Crop images replaced the need for translated names
Color-coded health states helped farmers act quickly
Human-like prompts created a sense of familiarity
Overly polished designs were perceived as alien or corporate
Known agri-brand logos and local cues boosted confidence
1–2 taps to complete a task was ideal
Pre-filled or default recommendations got higher usage
Farmers wanted guided help, not choice overload
Voices from the Field
What farmers actually said — in their language, from their lived experience.
Ramu Garu
54, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh
“Nenu chadavalem, kaani vinte ardham avtundi.” I can’t read, but I understand when I hear it.
Murugan Anna
58, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu
“Ketta udan puriyum. Padikka mudiyala.” When I hear it, I understand. But I can’t read.
Basavaraj
45, Haveri, Karnataka
“Hesaru gottagalla, aadre chitra nodidre artha agutte.” I don’t know the name, but when I see the picture, I get it.
Pandurang Bhau
60, Jalgaon, Maharashtra
“Naav lakshat rahat nahi, pan photo baghitle ki samajta.” I can’t remember names, but I understand from the photo.
Lakshmamma
62, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh
“Baga english lo matladite, mem nammu lemu.”
If it speaks in too much English, we don’t trust it.
Selvi Akka
49, Erode, Tamil Nadu
“Romba stylish-a irundha, namma maadhiri theriyadhu.” If it looks too fancy, it doesn’t feel like it’s for people like us.
Mahadevappa
52, Tumkur, Karnataka
“Nanna bisi ide. Yenu madbeku anta heelu, aythu.” I’m busy. Just tell me what to do and that’s enough.
Sunanda Tai
55, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra
“Kaay karaycha te saang, fakta kaam vhayla hava.” Just tell me what to do — the work should get done.
These voices guided our design from the ground up.
How field research directly shaped our design decisions
Based on this, we defined the following as our core UX principles:
Every element was tested in the field — ensuring clarity, trust, and usability across the diverse realities of rural India.
Sketching & Mapping the Problem
Wireframing & Field Testing
Crafting a Visual Language
We selected earthy, agriculture-rooted colors—greens for growth, yellows for sunlight and harvest, and browns for soil—to evoke trust, cultural relevance, and high visibility in outdoor rural settings, ensuring both emotional resonance and functional clarity.
Built to guide farmers — visually, simply, and in real time.
Behavioral Shift
Farmers who had never used apps before began checking Outgrow daily — for prices, weather, crop insights, and expert help.
Inclusive by Design
Audio-first, icon-driven UX enabled even low-literate users to access features independently.
System-Level Localization
Our type system and visual patterns scaled consistently across 6 Indian languages — no flow redesign needed.
Research-Driven Outcomes
Ethnographic research directly shaped visual flows, onboarding, and trust cues — turning insights into measurable engagement.
Product Stickiness
Outgrow became a trusted tool — not just for advisory, but for action — reinforcing itself as a go-to utility across farmer workflows.
Recognition of UX Quality
Awarded Best Mobile App (AgriTech) for design excellence, validating the product’s usability in high-friction environments.
Curious to dive deeper?
