Application explained
The EasyGarden app is specifically designed to help residents of a care home with gardening in an EasyGarden garden. The app has three main functionalities, which are getting information about your own plants, getting information about new plants, and getting in contact with a gardener for help.
In the app the configuration of your EasyGarden can be seen. In the app, you can select which plants you planted, where you planted them, and when you planted them. The app then gives you information about the status of your plants. This information includes knowledge about the planting and harvesting process, but also notifies you when you need to water your plants. Humidity sensors are located in every EasyGarden planter to measure when the plants need to be watered. The data of the planters is sent to the app through Bluetooth.
It is also possible to find information about plants that are not yet in your garden, but for which the seeds are available to order. In this menu, information about all available seeds can be found, including how to take care of the plant, when to harvest it, and what risks to be aware of.
Of course, there is always an option to call for help. In every screen it is possible to select the question mark icon “?” to go to the help page. Here it is possible to either chat with a gardener or to have a video call with one. At the start of the company, we will have two gardeners or trained call center employees to answer all questions. They will be available during work hours on Monday till Friday. When no employees are available to answer questions, the user will be informed about the unavailability and when they can expect a response.
The app is however not necessary or mandatory to use when gardening with the EasyGarden. The EasyGarden planters also notify the users when they need to water the plants, and the gardeners are still available to call through a regular phone call. Users that have no interest in using the app, or are not capable of using the app, can still enjoy gardening in the EasyGarden.
The purpose of the app is to guide users through the process of gardening, without the help of caretakers in the care home. It is designed with elderly people in mind, to create an app that is obvious in understanding. It is possible to enlarge the text, or to have the text converted to speech. For beginning gardeners the app is an excellent tool to feel confident in gardening and making it a successful and enjoyable experience.
GardenDesigner additional information.
The GardenDesigner software is a provided service when a care home subscribes to EasyGarden. The software is used to design a configuration of planters for the available space in a care home. All different components can be selected and placed at a location. The design that is made can be saved and sent to the care home. The configuration can also be seen in the app. Furthermore, during the installation, the design of the configuration will be used as made in the GardenDesigner software. The software will be operated by one of the employees of EasyGarden, in consultation with the care home.