Ocean Farming Hub
A platform to help train and support regenerative ocean farmers
Introduction
Client GreenWave
My Role Product Design Director
Product Launch Spring 2022
GreenWave, a non-profit organization, is dedicated to training and supporting regenerative ocean farmers, addressing climate change through sustainable seaweed farming.
As seaweed farming gains traction in the U.S., GreenWave’s small team became inundated with inquiries from both aspiring and experienced farmers. Without a centralized platform, the team struggled to efficiently provide resources, answer questions, or cultivate a community, limiting their capacity to scale.
In early 2021, I was brought on to lead the design of a platform that would empower both beginner and experienced farmers. The goal: to create a hub of tools, resources, and connections that would enable users to succeed individually and foster growth in the industry as a whole.
Research & Discovery
To build the hub, we needed to understand user needs and align with GreenWave’s mission.
Our research process included:
Industry Research
Studied aquaculture and agriculture for best practices.
User Interviews
Engaged beginners, farmers, and techs to identify challenges.
Stakeholder Input
Collaborated with GreenWave leadership to align on goals.
Competitive Analysis
Reviewed existing platforms to identify gaps and opportunities.
Key Insights
The research revealed a clear market gap—no platform catered to regenerative ocean farmers. Interviews showed strong enthusiasm for GreenWave’s vision, highlighting the hub’s potential to grow the industry.
Defining the Product
To shape the MVP, we focused on the hub's core user groups, aligning with GreenWave’s mission to equip ocean farmers with the tools, training, and community support they need to succeed.
The platform served two primary audiences:
GreenWave Learners
Aspiring farmers and hatchery technicians seeking entry-level guidance.
Active Practitioners
Experienced ocean farmers and hatchery technicians looking to expand their operations and connect with peers.
By mapping user needs to potential features, we prioritized the MVP to include onboarding, dashboards, courses, a community hub, a farm design tool, a help center, account profiles, and settings. These foundational features were designed to provide immediate value to all user segments while supporting future platform growth.
The Design Process
With the MVP features defined, the focus shifted to designing the platform. Leading a team of designers, I took a hands-on approach throughout the process, which unfolded in three key phases: UX design, establishing the design system, and finalizing the platform's visual and interactive elements.
Design Process
UX Design
The UX design focused on meeting the needs of ocean farmers and hatchery technicians through intuitive features like onboarding, courses, and a community hub. Feedback from GreenWave’s experienced team shaped wireframes and ensured designs addressed real-world workflows. Close collaboration with content and development teams refined the UX for a seamless MVP launch, supporting users at all stages.
Design Process
The Design System
Building the design system for the hub started with minimal brand guidelines: a logo, fonts, and a few core colors. To complement these, I focused on creating a clean and neutral visual language. This approach ensured that the interface supported and enhanced the hub's content without overpowering it, providing a seamless user experience tailored to GreenWave's mission.
Design Process
Final Designs
With the design system established and the MVP launch date nearing, the focus shifted to finalizing the UI designs. As content creation was still in progress, the designs were crafted to be flexible and easily adaptable to accommodate evolving content. Below are samples of the MVP designs:
Dashboard
Four tailored dashboards: milestone guides for beginners and seasonal resources for experienced users
Courses
Final course designs included three flexible templates: Library, Overview, and Material, adaptable for future content expansion.
The Community Hub
The MVP featured essential discussion board elements: discussions, topics, and user following.
The MVP Launch
GreenWave celebrated a successful launch of the Ocean Farming Hub, with over 1,000 users signing up in the first few days—a remarkable milestone for this emerging industry.
The hub significantly eased the workload on GreenWave staff, streamlining communication by providing a centralized resource for those eager to learn about regenerative ocean farming. It was also enthusiastically embraced by the ocean farming community, which finally had access to a dedicated online platform.
The launch marked an exciting beginning, fueling anticipation for the hub’s future growth and expansion.
Post-MVP Evolution
From Launch to Hub 2.0
After the MVP launch, the Ocean Farming Hub saw a wave of updates driven by evolving business priorities, user metrics, and feedback. Early enhancements included a new Events Section to showcase GreenWave’s educational offerings and a streamlined Onboarding Process with added tooltips and prompts to encourage profile completion for a more personalized experience.
In late 2023, we conducted a deep dive into the hub’s features, content, and user base to align the platform with its shifting focus on hosting events over expanding course content. An audit revealed untapped potential in the existing courses, particularly for experienced farmers, through resources like how-to videos.
This research informed Hub 2.0, which introduced key structural updates: a centralized Resource Library, a restructured Course Library, a redesigned Homepage highlighting upcoming events, enhanced search capabilities, and streamlined Site Navigation. These changes ensured the platform could better serve its diverse user base while aligning with GreenWave’s strategic goals.
Onboarding
Homepage & Navigation
Events
Course Library
Resource Library