Simplifying Inventory Management
Streamlined inventory and recipe management tool for floral businesses, helping florists track stock levels and log arrangements with ease - enabling better planning, reduced waste, and more consistent customer experiences
Research, Product design, Visual design, Usability testing
Challenge
Florists aren’t just managing inventory. They’re transforming raw materials into crafted arrangements. Existing inventory management tools aren't built for this kind of creative workflow, so I set out to design a tool that could track both perishable materials and accomodate for the dynamic flexible process of turning them into new products.
Results
Through iterative research, testing, and prototyping, I designed Petally: a customizable, user-friendly inventory tracking app tailored specifically for floral professionals and hobbyists. Key outcomes included a simplified navigation system, color-coded wayfinding, and workflows that reflect real florist habits. The final prototype was well-received in usability testing and set a strong foundation for future development.
Kickoff
Research & Strategy
I began with a competitive audit to understand the landscape of existing inventory tools and identify gaps, particularly for floral professionals. This helped me define a strategic position for Petally. focusing not just on tracking stock, but on creative transformation workflows unique to florists.
I then conducted initial user interviews to uncover how florists currently manage their inventory. From these conversations, I developed two key personas that reflected different business models and pain points.
Begining the Design Process
Early Ideation: To explore ideas quickly, I created paper wireframes that connected key features to specific user needs. This phase helped shape the layout, flow, and feature prioritization, grounded in both user behavior and research insights.
Prototype & Test: I translated the early designs into a low-fidelity prototype, then ran a usability study with five participants. Each user was given a list of tasks, and I observed their behavior, noted pain points, and gathered qualitative feedback on how intuitive the app felt to them.
Refining the Design
Iterate: Using insights from testing, I refined the app’s navigation, language, and visual hierarchy. I focused on improving clarity between the Inventory and Projects sides, making navigation more accessible, and embedding branding elements to create a more cohesive and delightful user experience.
Improve the visual heirarchy
Improve tap target for accessibility
Using visual cues for wayfinding
Iterating on shortcuts based on user workflow
Conclusion
By the end of the project, I had delivered a high-fidelity prototype that addressed key user needs and clarified the unique demands of the floral inventory workflow. The final design balanced structure and flexibility, allowing users to manage both raw materials and creative output with ease. Navigation was restructured for better wayfinding, language was refined for clarity, and branding was thoughtfully integrated throughout. While Petally remains a conceptual project, the research and design foundations create a strong platform for continued iteration and real-world application.
Using color for wayfinding
Main screen revisions
CUJ: adding a new item
CUJ: edit recipe
Key Takeaways
Prioritizing Scope with Purpose
In the early stages, I was tempted to build a tool that could do everything. But through user interviews and research, I realized that clarity and simplicity were more valuable. I mapped features along a spectrum of user necessity and technical complexity, which helped me focus the design on core functionalities that truly support users' workflows—rather than overloading the interface.
Language as a UX Tool
Working with florists revealed how ambiguous terminology can cause confusion, especially when words like “Order” or “Stock” could apply to multiple parts of their process. To address this, I paired clearer labels like “Inventory” and “Projects” with visual cues and contextual onboarding, creating more intuitive distinctions that help users navigate confidently.
