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Field Notes
Streamlining Agronomic Insights
Crop scouting has never been easier
Duration:
2020 – 2024
Problem Statement
How might we simplify and enhance the process of agronomic data capture and collaboration for field notes, ensuring seamless integration into the Blueprint app and catering to the diverse needs of agronomists and field scouts worldwide?
Product Overview
Field Notes enable agronomists and field scouts with the ability to quickly capture, share, and view notes and photos throughout the growing season. In addition to sharing with teams, notes can be sent directly to seed growers and crop consultants. Field Notes replaces the thousands of un-tapped notes that were collected with pen and paper over the past 90 years.
Field Notes are essential to in putting agronomists in the best position to make actionable decisions that influence yield and quality. All while building strong grower relationships.
Responsibility
- Managing Product Family Level Designer
- Design System Manager
- Lead Designer for Web from the start and for Mobile from V3 onward
Tools
- Sketch
- Figma
- Zeplin
- Mural
- Firebase
- Azure DevOps
Goals
- Simple, fast, and intuitive
- Field notes integrated with the digital acres
- Global standard for collecting field notes
- Easily collaborate with seed growers
- Full transition from paper to digital
- Retroactive view to prior growing seasons
Geographies
- North America
- Latin America
- Europe
- Asia Pacific
- South Africa
Adoption Challenges
The Notebook
Digital tools aside, the notebook is still the agronomist tool of choice.
Notes taken here are a mix of whatever data the agronomist deems relevant to that point in the growth stage for that crop. Notes often also include information about the field, weather, and grower.
But overall, the notebook still contains the same data you would find in other systems and is used as a go between from the field to the office.
More and more agronomists are adopting and desiring digital tools. The challenge is to find one that meets unique environmental needs while also helping them accomplish the job to be done.
Lack of Access
Without the support of contractors, scouts and colleagues, agronomists would not be able to keep up with work needed to be done to monitor and protect the yield. But in turn, their lack of access to the same digital tools create additional work for agronomists and prevents quality data analysis.
“When you’re working with eight or nine different contractors and you get a PDF for every field and all of a sudden, that’s a lot of time each day trying to get the value out it all.”
Scouting - Observation
The amount of time an agronomist or scout has to spend in each filed will affect the amount of data it is possible to collect. Hybrid type and growth stage directly inform the type of observation made and the data collected. This data typically takes two different forms:
- Formal and quantifiable agronomic data.
- Informal, and qualitative data such as personal notes and reminders, observations for grower, safety and field quality, and grower notes.
Scouts and agronomists largely collect the same types of data, but scouts may not have a good way to document and share, particularly informal observations that can be easily lost. Tools
• inNotes/SMS/camera/WhatsApp
• Worksheets
• EDGE
Resource Overload
The number of tools an agronomist uses to document, understand, and take action on a field observation is overwhelming.
Agronomists desire to use tools to collect and document more data, so they are more proactive, better understand their results, and in turn, make better decisions. Standing in their way is the challenge of documenting the data not only where required but also in a way that is accessible in the field and can be holistically analyzed.
Currently, data was fractured across many, often non-Corteva tools. These alternative tools are used to fill gaps when an agronomist or plant has a data need that can’t be met by current tools.
Guiding Design Principles
Simplicity
Whether an agronomist has 10 seconds, or 10 minutes. Field notes will offer simplicity to accommodate any timeline for collecting information that’s important.
Integrated
Duplicate entry is a thing of the past. Field Notes will be synced directly between Blueprint web and mobile. Enabling both boots-on-the-ground and agri-desk agronomy.
Enabling
We will unify our Decision Agronomy capabilities into one experience. Enabling every production agronomy team around the world to use the data they’ve collected to make informed decisions.
Target Audience
- Field Operations Managers
- Agronomists
- Field Technicians
- Field Scouts
- Crop Consultants
The Ins and Outs of a Note
User Research
Initial research was done by a team of UX Researchers and some of the assets in this case study is part of their research. My efforts as the product family UX Manager and later as the Lead Designer were to use this information and expand on the initial research through additional interviews, concept validation, preference test, and strategy.
Common Themes Uncovered
Time
When taking notes and making observations, users need to be able to follow a process flow that optimizes their time and automatically formats data in an actionable way.
“Currently we have too many applications and it takes a lot of time. Time is very important.”
Tool
When in the field taking notes and making observations, users need a process and a tool that aligns with the challenges they face, that is quick and easy to use so they can record data consistently.
“We don’t capture notes well. The season is busy, we don’t have a process or a one stop shop tool
Data
When making decisions, users need tools that will help them quickly surface relevant historical data and trends so they can make the best decision possible quickly.
“Allow me to easily use past data to make the best decision possible.”
Notes Journey Map
Preparation
At home, agronomists will download, take screenshots, print outs, take notes of field data, and most commonly CHI so they can have access to this information even without connection in the field.
Tools
- Excel
- Notebook
- Field Records (SeedPro)
- Digital Field Maps
- (Edge/Blueprint
Scouting Observation
Upon arriving to the field, there is communication with the grower.As the grower is also busy, it maybe difficult to have a face to face conversation. In this case, text messages or phone calls areeasiest.
Tools
- SMS/WhatsApp
- Digital Field Maps (Edge/Blueprint)
Communication
Internal communication occurs within teams and contracted resources to share insights about a field to create a plan. External communication occurs between Agronomist and Growers to execute those plans.
Tools
- Paper Reports
- Notebook
- Blueprint
- Cell phone/Email
- Excel
- PowerPoint
Decision Making
Making quick and informed decisions help protect the yield. For more complex problems, the agronomist may look at historical data for the field or hybrid type.
Tools
- SMS/WhatsApp
- Notebook
- Blueprint
- Excel
Action
Timely action is important for best results, especially when planning around ,weather, and field preparation. The longer a decision takes, the longer action may be delayed.
Tools
- SMS/WhatsApp
- Notebook
- Excel
- SeedPro
Documentation
Agronomists review field data on a daily basis. Data cab come to them in many different forms, and they must decide the best way to consolidate and document this data that balances time spent and analysis value.
“All of these tools makes me feel like I do my work twice. It is double the work. it is not the best feeling.”
Competitive Analysis
While acting as a Product Family Design Leader I worked with a talented design named Jonna Buse that headed up a Product Family wide competitive analysis to keep track of overlapping features. Using this and other internal resources I was able to help guide my Product Owner toward the most advantageous feature sets for our Field Notes tool.
Unique Features
- Flag a note to prioritize task.
- Filter the aggregate view of notes to only show flagged notes
- Instant screenshot of your place in the field when taking a note to help give context.
- Tagging Notes with common issues for easy searching and data analysis.
How Field Notes Enable Collaboration
Broad Visibility
Field Notes are be saved at the field-level, allowing anyone with access to the production location to see what’s been created by all users.
Flag for Follow-Up
Need to draw attention to an immediate problem? Or simply just needa reminder? Use the Flag feature to prioritize notes. Flagging allows for sorting high priority notes across the entire production location.
Direct to the Grower
Quickly share a professional PDF directly in Blueprint of the Field Note you’ve created with your grower or crop consultant via iMessage, Email, WhatsApp, and more.
View Notes with Purpose
Own Your Work
Viewing Notes on the Web
Results
- Increased worldwide use year-over-year.
- Heightened user engagement.
- Improved standardization of scientific data.
- Enhanced production capacity, and yields.
- Boosted workforce efficiency.
- Enabled data mining for improved yield models.
- Inspired other applications to develop their own note features, which are slated for incorporation into the Blueprint product line.
Key Players
If you enjoyed this case study and would like to learn more about some of the talented UXers that made it possible, please consider connecting with them on LinkedIn.
