User Flow

Owned by Mikah Pinegar
Jul 15, 2022
4 min read

SPECIES SELECTOR TOOL

The landing page is a static web page giving a brief description of the tools available. It prompts the user to click next to enter the species selector tool. 

Clicking next brings the user to a page where they can choose their farm’s address and either place a pin at the approximate location of the field or draw a more exact polygon around the field. Once the user has selected their field location the plant hardiness zone is automatically selected. If the user already knows their plant hardiness zone they can also enter it. Once completed the user is prompted to click next.

After clicking next the user is shown their location details. The left hand side shows the users selection on a map and the right shows information about that location fetched from the USDA NRCS database. The user has the option to update any of this information if they feel it is incorrect. Once the information is confirmed the user is prompted to click next.

Once the user has clicked next they are prompted to select up to 3 cover cropping goals to narrow the recommended cover crops. The goals are ranked in priority by the order they are chosen (first goal picked has the highest priority). Once they have selected at least one goal they are prompted to click next.

After submitting the search query information the user is brought to a page containing a list of cover crops that fit their desired goals and location. The user can search for a specific crop if needed. There are also crops listed that are grayed out, this is to indicate that they are likely not a good match based on the users goals. These grayed out items can still be selected however. Information about each crop is displayed such as growth traits, planting window, crop type, and species name. By default the crops are sorted by the highest ranking for the first goal chosen in the previous step (for example the most drought resistant plant would be listed first if that was the first goal chosen). The goals and location properties can be changed from this page if needed by the user. The crops can also be sorted in reverse order by clicking the “COVER CROPS” button. In addition to sorting there are many filtering options to help users narrow down their search. The crops can be filtered by planting dates,  properties, type, cost, seeds, seeding methods, growth, roots, termination methods, and weeds. The user can also enter the planting to harvest time of their previous cash crop in order to compare it to the planting window of the current crops.  The user also has the option to see a calendar view containing all of the crops growth windows. After filtering and sorting the crops the user can then add any crops to their cart to be further examined. The list can also be sorted by items currently in the users cart. 

 

COVER CROP EXPLORER

The cover crop explorer shows the user all the cover crops that are able to grow in their plant hardiness zone. It does not recommend any specific crops but rather allows the user to browse crops they might already know about to see information about them. The cover crop explorer tool does not show planting windows or growth traits but rather a brief introduction to the crop similar to the cover crop list tool. The user can search for a specific crop. The crops can still be filtered the same way as in the species selector tool. The user can then add crops to their cart similarly to the species selector tool. 

 

MY COVER CROP LIST

Once the user has selected one or more crops from either the cover crop explorer of the species selector tool they can view a tab called “MY COVER CROP LIST” in the navigation bar. Going to this page shows the user a list of the crops they have selected. From here, the user can view the crop details from each crop selected. The user can manually add a crop from this page if desired. They are also shown a “COMPARISON VIEW” tab on the sidebar.

The comparison tool allows users to compare crops they have selected according to properties such as goals, type, environmental tolerances, seeds, seeding methods, growth, roots, termination methods, and weeds. This shows a ranking inside each crops container so the user can easily compare crops. The user can also add a crop to compare from this page.

 

OTHER FEATURES

On the top navigation bar there are 3 pages, ABOUT, HELP, and FEEDBACK. The about page has information about the history, purpose, data, design process, and the experts that made the tools possible. It also has a “thank you” message to the funders and a contact page. The help section gives an overview of how to use the tools, frequently asked questions, data dictionary, and information sheets. The feedback page is a form that users can complete to help improve the tools.

There is also a widget at the top of the site which gives a weather forecast for the area that the user selected. The current date is also listed beneath the site title.

At the bottom of the page there is a disclaimer and a last updated icon detailing when the site was last updated.

 

SITE MAP