As part of my bachelor thesis at HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd, I co-designed māra—a mobile-first platform that helps urban gardening communities collaborate more inclusively. Working closely with my project partners Diana Hutter and Lukas Brendle, we set out to solve a real-world challenge: how can people with different languages and digital skill levels still garden, plan, and organize—together?
Client
Bachelor Thesis
Deliverables
App Concept, Design System, Prototype
Duration
7 months (2021)
Role
UX/UI Designer
The Challange
Urban gardens are diverse, social, and grassroots by nature—but they often lack the tools to support inclusive collaboration. Many members face barriers around communication: language, digital literacy, or unclear responsibilities. Our mission was to create a platform that’s welcoming, intuitive, and universally understandable—no tech skills or translation needed.
Design Process
We ran co-creation workshops with community members to test interaction ideas and UI principles early. I led the prototyping and interaction design—developing a symbol-first system for navigation, task sharing, and garden updates. We tested and iterated frequently, making sure the interface worked just as well for older non-digital users as it did for smartphone natives.
Results
māra was presented as a final thesis in Interaction Design, showcasing how user-centered thinking can enable real inclusion. The app prototype was fully documented and tested across varied user groups—and remains a proof of how design can break down both language and technological barriers.
