Lotusque bouquet preview app

What Lotusque sets out to do

Understanding the user

I conducted multiple user interviews to identify the challenges people face when purchasing flowers and their pain points with existing solutions. The research uncovered four consistent pain points across all participants.

Who we're designing for

Two people, two very different reasons to reach for flowers, and two different paths through the app.

Lily

The creative sourcer · Fashion designer, 25

"Fresh flowers aren't just props, they're part of how I design. I just can't lose hours hunting for them."

Age25 RoleFashion Designer HomeMontreal, QC FamilyPartner & their dog EducationFine Arts, B.Sc.

Goals

• Easily order fresh flowers for her designs and photoshoots
• Find unique, exotic flowers her local shop doesn't carry
• Start her own business

Frustrations

• A busy schedule leaves no time for trips to a flower shop
• Can't find the unusual flowers her work needs
• Some florists lack knowledge about the flowers themselves

About

Lily is a young fashion designer who treats flowers as an essential element of beauty. She experiments with arrangements as props for her contemporary, boldly patterned designs and photoshoots, and loves working color and texture into her work in unexpected ways. Fresh flowers around her home and studio keep her feeling calm and inspired, though her schedule rarely allows the shop visits her craft depends on.

Mark

The time-pressed gifter · Entrepreneur, 48

"I want to surprise my family with flowers, I just don't have time to stand in a shop to do it."

Age48 RoleEntrepreneur HomeNew York, NY FamilyWife & two daughters EducationMBA

Goals

• Spend more time with family
• Grow his business
• Throw a big party for their 25th wedding anniversary

Frustrations

• Many florists still operate traditionally, with no online ordering
• Spending time going to a physical shop is a drain
• Not being able to order bouquets in advance complicates things

About

Mark is an ambitious entrepreneur running a young startup on a demanding schedule that often keeps him working late. Family matters deeply to him, and he loves surprising them with flowers and gifts whenever he can. His assistant used to handle ordering, but since she left for maternity leave he's been managing it himself, and struggling to find the time these tasks demand.

User journey maps

Mark and Lily reach for flowers for different reasons, so I mapped each journey separately, and their pain points land in different places.

Defining the design direction

I analysed both direct and indirect competitors to identify their strengths and weaknesses, using the findings to inform key design decisions.

The user flow maps the end-to-end journey from app launch to successful order placement, keeping the path as direct as possible.

From sketch to screen

Starting on paper allowed for rapid exploration of multiple layout ideas before committing to any digital direction.

Early paper sketches exploring layout and navigation patterns

Moving into Figma, I built the core user flows, focusing on the back-navigation system and the bouquet customisation experience.

Home: hamburger menu for persistent access and the bouquet customisation entry point.

Occasion selection: a persistent back button for returning to previous screens.

I created a clickable lo-fi prototype in Figma to test the core flow before investing time in visual design.

Lo-fidelity prototype: full user flow mapped in Figma

Testing & iteration

After building the clickable prototype, I ran user testing and identified several challenges participants were facing. The study directly informed the final design iterations.

Each round of testing drove concrete changes. These before-and-after screens show how the checkout and scheduling flows evolved.

Round 1

Problem

Before the usability study, the design lacked a page where users could confirm their information before being sent to the final "order received" screen.

Solution

I added a confirmation page where users can verify their details before completing checkout.

Round 2

Problem

Users couldn't see the days of the week on the calendar and had no way to leave instructions for the florist.

Solution

I added weekday labels above the calendar and a field for delivery instructions.

Further refinements

Problem

There was no way to save card details for future orders, the colour scheme felt flat, and the font size was too small.

Solution

I added saved cards for future orders, refreshed the colour scheme, and increased the font sizes for readability.

The final design

After two rounds of usability testing and iteration, I moved into high-fidelity design, applying the visual language to all screens with careful attention to typography, colour, and spacing.

Visual design system: colour, typography, and component library.

High-fidelity prototype: final screens ready for development handoff.

What I learned

This project challenged many of my initial assumptions, most importantly around how users actually prefer to buy flowers. The research made it clear that convenience consistently wins over tradition.