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Plantwise Studio – User Journey & AI Design Flow
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Seamless Garden Design Flow
Inspiration
With just 36 hours to go, we scrapped everything. The pricing logic was broken, the flow clunky — it wasn’t something we’d be proud to launch. Sometimes starting over isn’t failure — it’s clarity in disguise.
The result? A sharper, more intuitive, and truly useful app — one I believe has real potential to change how people approach garden design. Picture Sarah, a new homeowner staring at her bare backyard, overwhelmed by plant choices and design decisions. Or James, an Airbnb host, wants to create an Instagram-worthy garden space. Plantwise Studio turns that overwhelm into excitement in minutes. Designing a garden shouldn't take a diploma in horticulture or months of trial and error.
Plantwise Studio gives anyone, from beginners to Airbnb hosts, the ability to design a beautiful, functional, pollinator-friendly space in minutes. It's a new kind of garden tool. Powered by AI. Guided by nature. Styled for real humans. Millions of homeowners and property managers struggle to create functional, beautiful gardens without hiring expensive designers or wasting money on the wrong plants.
Plantwise Studio fills that gap by offering AI-powered garden designs in minutes, complete with tailored planting plans, seasonal care tips, and voice-guided assistance from Willow.
What it does
• Gathers your garden's size, sunlight, and style preferences • Recommends plants that thrive in your conditions • Generates downloadable design packs with layouts, guidance & seasonal tips in under 3 minutes • Includes Willow, your personal AI garden assistant — now in chat and voice • Subscription model with gated features for Starter, Pro & Studio tiers
Our freemium model allows users to start for free, then upgrade to paid tiers (Starter, Pro, Studio) for additional features like PDF exports, premium planting packs, and full access to Willow. This structure is built for recurring revenue and easy scaling.
How we built it
• Bolt.ai – No-code build platform • OpenAI GPT-4 – Planting logic, layout ideas, and conversational flow • ElevenLabs – Willow's natural voice • Supabase – Plant database and image storage • jsPDF – Design output generation • Midjourney – Conceptual visuals to inspire
Challenges we ran into
Just 24 hours before the submission deadline, we made the decision to start over. Our original pricing and user flow logic weren’t robust enough, and rather than patch it, we rebuilt the platform from scratch. It was a high-stress pivot, but ultimately the right call. We also hit API quota limits mid-build and had to upgrade plans, refactor models, and manage prompt costs in real-time. Time was our biggest constraint, and integrating two Bolt projects into a unified system (including the Willow assistant) added an extra layer of complexity.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We created a working AI-powered garden design assistant capable of generating tailored planting plans and downloadable PDF exports—all within days. We integrated voice AI via ElevenLabs, personalized onboarding, tiered paywall access, and custom branding throughout the app. Despite the rebuild, we maintained a clear vision and launched a fully functional MVP with a conversational garden assistant. We also crafted a premium brand experience, refined the UI, and established a clear roadmap for commercial use.
What we learned
- Always simplify the flow first. UX trumps complexity.
- Don’t be afraid to start over when something isn’t working.
- Prompt engineering is as much an art as a science.
- Voice assistants require far more backend planning than we initially expected.
- Submitting to a hackathon is as much about storytelling as it is about shipping features.
What's next for Plantwise Studio
We're just getting started.
The next version of Plantwise Studio will include:
Intelligent Spacing & Tiered Planting Structure
Spacing logic based on garden dimensions and plant size to create realistic, layered plans.Climate Zone & Hardiness Filtering
Filtering and recommendations tailored to local growing conditions.Companion Planting Zones
Grouping plants by biodiversity roles (e.g., pollinator strips, edible borders).Calendar-Based Seasonal Tips
Month-by-month advice tied to garden goals and user location.
Voice Agent 2.0:
We plan to upgrade Willow with ElevenLabs’ AI Voice Agent tech, enabling real-time, natural garden conversations. Users will be able to ask Willow for layout tips, seasonal care, or plant swaps by voice, no typing needed.
Why it matters:
For busy, neurodivergent, or older users, talking is easier than forms. A calm voice, smart memory, and hands-free advice make garden planning feel human, not technical.
Next Up: • Stripe integration for seasonal plan packs • AR previews and pro consultation upgrades • Garden memory and voice-triggered layout changes
These upgrades will take Plantwise Studio from MVP to a must-have design tool for every modern gardener. We’re building Plantwise Studio as a commercially viable SaaS product with real revenue potential, not just a demo. The roadmap is clear: launch publicly post-hackathon, continue improving outputs, and grow a paid user base through content-driven acquisition.
Plantwise Studio started as a hackathon pivot, but it’s already proving its potential as a real-world tool for modern gardeners.
Challenge Submissions
Make More Money Challenge Plantwise Studio is built around a freemium revenue model with upgradeable tiers (Starter, Pro, Studio), Stripe integration, and productized downloadable content — designed for recurring income and clear product-market fit.
Voice AI Challenge We integrated ElevenLabs voice for Willow, our garden assistant. The roadmap includes natural conversation, voice-triggered layout changes, and a hands-free planning experience — especially for busy, older, or neurodivergent users.
Deploy Challenge Plantwise Studio is not a prototype — it’s a functioning MVP with Stripe logic, Supabase backend, dynamic plant generation, and real user flows. It’s ready to go live post-hackathon.
Startup Challenge This is a real-world SaaS product, not a one-off demo. We’ve built the branding, revenue model, and roadmap for commercial rollout — including paid seasonal packs, AR add-ons, and intelligent planting logic. Our mission is to help anyone design a garden without the overwhelm.
I am extremely proud of what I built in a week, and I'm even more excited about what comes next.
Thank You.
Stripe Integration Note
Our Stripe payment flow is designed and implemented, but due to a deployment issue on Netlify, it is not currently functional in the live version. We chose to prioritise finalising core design features, AI support, and export functionality for submission. Stripe integration will be reconnected immediately post-hackathon to activate subscription tiers and gated content.
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