Amelia Granata - Hydrogrow

HYDROGROW: AN AUTONOMOUS HYDROPONICS SYSTEM

GRAPHIC DESIGN, CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT, MATERIALS RESEARCH, RENDERING Group Project (4), Spring '17

Ever notice how much produce you waste? Growing your own produce at home is a safe and easy way to save yourself time and money. Hydrogrow is an autonomous at home hydroponics system that streamlines the action of growing your own produce at home.

Opportunity: Food Waste

A ton of food is wasted every single day because produce is either shared improperly, or is not eaten fast enough. How might we design a kitchen appliance that minimizes this issue? Not only would we conserve food, we could help the user conserve money as well.

Solution: Hydroponics

Hydroponics is the process of growing plants in sand, gravel, or liquid with added nutrients but without soil. This method of agriculture is predominantly known for consuming 10 times less water than traditional methods.

In order to design our own Hydroponics system, we wanted to understand how a traditional system works. Water flows through two separate vessels. The main vessel that holds the plant roots, and the drain vessel where water is filtered and pumped back up into the first vessel.

Optimal Conditions

In order for a plant to live a long, healthy life through the method of hydroponics, optimal conditions need to be taken into consideration. Things like PH level, temperature, lighting, etc. all play a part in creating an ideal habitat.

These other at-home hydroponics systems are currently on the market. Studying what is already released to the public helps us identify new design opportunities.

We wanted to develop a product that due to cost and design aesthetic, caters to people between the ages 25 and 40. We felt that due to their busy lives so early in their stages of life, young professionals and young families are often those who may want to reduce food waste and save money.

Personas

We crafted four very different personas that can all benefit from an at home hydroponics system. Whether you are a growing family looking to save, a young professional reducing waste, educators teaching our youth about agriculture, or an aspiring chef that is interested in growing exotic herbs, growing our own produce can help us in exciting ways.

Design Opportunity

After reviewing the customer reviews of other hydroponic systems on the market, we decided we wanted to develop something new and different. We decided to create concepts that include modularity, aromatherapy, audio therapy, and a fresh new design aesthetic.