Agwise Internship
Design system for agriculture startup

In the summer of 2024, I worked at a technology agriculture company. I created a design system for our digital products—web, mobile, and desktop. This system helped keep our products consistent and made them easier to update. It was used for all products, including the platform, the CI Score tool, and the company’s website. I also performed a full UX audit and redesign of both the B2B and B2C platforms. These changes greatly improved user engagement and satisfaction.

ROLES
UX Research
UI Design
Motion Graphic Design

TEAM
UXUI Designer/ Me
CEO/ Sarah Martello
Product Manager/ Kasra Ahmadi
Marketing/ Jennifer Liu
UXUI Designer/ Kiran Chand Yellamelli
Software Engineer/ Sai Sriram Kurapati
Software Engineer/ Sai Krishna Sangeetha

DURATION
2 Months
Internship @ Agwise

00
SNEAK PEEK

Implemented the design system across all products.

01
TIMELINE

Agile design in a fast-paced startup company

Working in a fast-paced smart agriculture company pushed me to adapt to a quick, agile workflow. We had a sprint meeting every Wednesday to set our goals for the next week. Smart agriculture and carbon intensity scores are new areas that only a few companies are working on. The design requirements changed weekly based on stakeholder input and updates to laws. I also did a lot of research on relevant laws and tried to understand different concepts related to carbon intensity and foliar script during the summer.

02
PROBLEM

Poor user experience, lack of consistent UI design system

Previous interface

The startup did not have designers before, so the product manager and the CEO created the interfaces. This led to inconsistency in the product’s design. The company plans to expand its product line to include three tools: CI Score, Haney AI, and Foliar Script, all part of a larger platform. To build the brand and keep visual consistency among the products, it is important to establish a clear design system. Additionally, the original product did not have a clear hierarchy, making it hard for the product manager to find specific functions among many categories.

03
DISCOVER

Stakeholder interview

I interviewed stakeholders, including Agwise CEO Sarah and farming consultant Russell, to gain deeper insights. Their requirements from business, product, and user perspectives guided my design through.

Customer segments

Our primary users are multi-farm owners who manage multiple farms through the platform, overseeing field profitability, soil health, and farm operations. We also collaborate with agricultural testing labs to provide accurate soil analysis data.

Pain points

Solution approaches

04
SOLUTION

Design system based on the Atomic Design principles

Define the typography system, color palette, and iconography as “atoms”.

Establish consistent foundations

Build functional UI components

Build buttons, interactive elements, input fields, and cards as “molecules”.

Structure core UI elements

Design the navigation system, tables, and graphs as “organisms”.

Implement the designed components and elements across various functional pages. The pages below were designed by me and my colleague.

Scalable UI across products

The Agwise platform provides farm owners with integrated tools to efficiently manage their land, livestock, and profits.

The design system ensures a structured and intuitive presentation of information, enhancing usability and consistency across the platform.

Platform dashboard

The CI Score tool helps farm owners calculate tax credits and incentivizes green farming.

The design system seamlessly integrates into CI Score’s design, ensuring key numbers and financial data stand out clearly for better visibility and comprehension.

Carbon intensity score tool

Foliar Script provides farm owners with customized nutrient application recommendations, optimizing the type and amount of nutrients for improved crop health and efficiency.

The interactive sliders and tags leverage the design system to maintain a cohesive brand language, ensuring a consistent and engaging user experience.

Foliar script tool

Before & after comparisons

Grid system & responsiveness

05
IMPACTS

06
REFLECTION

During this internship, I gained hands-on experience building a product from scratch alongside a designer, developers, and a product manager. Working within the agriculture sector was new and challenging, but it pushed me to quickly learn about carbon intensity and related tax regulations and understand the importance of adaptability in product design.

Working in a startup environment, we followed agile methodologies, setting and assessing weekly milestones. We engaged a farming consultant to test the product, refining designs based on his feedback. Since carbon intensity tax is a niche area with complex regulations, I regularly adapted the interface as new information surfaced. I also learned to present my manager with multiple design solutions, ensuring flexibility and faster decision-making.

Adapting to agile development and moving fast

This was my first time building a large, cross-platform design system. It felt challenging at first, but after researching existing frameworks like Material Design and exploring the Figma Community, I collaborated with another designer to complete it. The design system streamlined the process of building interfaces across platforms, saving us significant time.

Design system thinking

Without a senior designer on our team, I sought mentorship outside the company. The Figma Community proved to be a great resource, and I connected with mentors online who offered valuable guidance throughout the project.

Seeking guidance beyond the team