Pocket Forest
A smart terrarium companion app designed to help users grow miniature indoor ecosystems while monitoring environmental conditions.
Role: UX Design, Branding
Project Type: Group Project
Overview
Pocket Forest is a concept project designed to encourage users to interact with nature digitally by growing their own virtual forest. The experience focuses on calm interactions, simple UI, and rewarding environmental engagement.
The Problem
Many people living in urban environments have limited opportunities to engage with nature daily. Pocket Forest explores how a digital experience can encourage environmental awareness and provide a calming interaction through a simple interface.
Research
During the research phase, we explored UI components and visual styles that would make the Pocket Forest app simple and engaging for its users. The interface was designed to present environmental data such as temperature and humidity in a clear and child-friendly way, allowing users to easily monitor their terrarium ecosystems.
The color palette was inspired by natural environments, using soft greens and earthy tones to reflect the product’s connection to plants and indoor ecosystems. This approach helped create a calm and approachable interface while maintaining clarity and usability across mobile devices.
Design Process
The design process began with low-fidelity wireframes that explored the core layout and functionality of the Pocket Forest mobile application. These early concepts focused on organizing key information such as temperature, humidity, and lighting controls in a clear and accessible way. The goal at this stage was to quickly experiment with different layouts and navigation structures before refining the interface.
As the design evolved, the initial wireframes were refined into more polished interface layouts. The final version introduces clearer visual hierarchy, improved spacing, and a more cohesive visual identity that aligns with the Pocket Forest branding. UI components such as data indicators, control panels, and navigation elements were simplified to make the experience intuitive for both children and adults.
The comparison between the early wireframes and the final designs highlights how the interface developed from simple structural layouts into a more refined and visually engaging mobile experience.
Outcome
The final Pocket Forest interface combines a clean visual design with intuitive controls for monitoring and managing terrarium environments. The application presents environmental data such as temperature and humidity in a clear and accessible format, allowing users to easily understand the conditions of their terrariums.
By combining simple data visualization, natural color tones, and straightforward navigation, the design creates an experience that is approachable for both children and adults. The final interface demonstrates how thoughtful UX and branding decisions can make environmental technology more engaging and accessible.
