NMIX Capstone Fall 2011 Presents...

Trent Lyle • Savannah Highsmith • Eric Sutton • Kennan Wood

Project ReportGardenBuzz

GardenBuzz

About GardenBuzz

Wouldn’t it be cool if next time you visited the Atlanta Botanical Garden, you could learn more about the plants around you, the pollinators that help them to grow and bloom, and the importance of these pollina-tors in the world around us? What if you could then take this information home with you and plant your own pollinator garden with the same or related plants that you learn about in the Botanical Garden? Well, NOW YOU CAN.

With the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s new mobile app, GardenBuzz, users have the opportunity to enhance their experience in the Garden and the ability to apply it at home.

While at the Garden…

Scan QR codes placed on certain plant signage to:

• Learn more information about that plant (scien-tific names, when it grows, how it grows, when it blooms, etc.)

• Learn more about the specific insects and birds that pollinate the plant

At home…

Refer to the app to:

• Continue to read information about the plants and pollinators in the Garden• Get tips on how to plant and care for the plants at home• Learn how to attract certain pollinators to your own pollinator garden

GardenBuzz and the Importance of Pollinators

The pollination of plants by animals and insects plays an extremely important role in the successful repro-duction of plants and their production of fruit and seeds. Over 75% of flowering plants and nearly 75% of crops are pollinated by hummingbirds, bats, beetles, bees, butterflies, and flies. Approximately 1,000 plants that are grown for human consumption and medicine worldwide require animal pollination. Each year in the U.S., $40 billion worth of products come from plants pollinated by insects, and approximately $15 billion worth of crops in the U.S. is pollinated by honey bees alone.

Pollinator species around the world are not thriving as they should. Many are endangered by chemicals

I. What it is

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and loss of habitat as a result of human behavior. Organizations like the Pollinator Partnership work to encourage the protection of pollinators and the promotion of their benefits.

The Atlanta Botanical Garden is working with the The Greater Atlanta Pollinator Partnership to promote the importance of pollinator conservation within the greater Atlanta area. For this reason, GardenBuzz will grow to encourage knowledge of pollinators and their benefits, and will promote users to become involved in preserving pollinators by growing their own pollinator gardens.

*Information gathered from www.pollinator.org and http://www.fws.gov/pollinators/

Target Markets: The Gardening Mom, Students, and Educators

GardenBuzz’s target user for its beginning stages is the tech-savvy, gardening mother. When bringing her children to the Garden, or even making a trip for some quiet time, she finds elevated interest in the plants around her and how she can improve her own garden. As the app grows, the target market will broaden to educators and students. Field trips will be greatly enhanced through the students’ use of the app, no matter the age.

II. How it WorksA Look Inside GardenBuzz: Detailed App Features

GardenBuzz2

GardenBuzz’s built-in QR code scanner allows users to interact with the plant signs that display QR codes. QR codes have become an extremely popular information vehicle. They are displayed on plant signs within the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s “Conservation Garden” as an opportunity for visitors to learn more than the plant sign can offer.

The GardenBuzz plant directory provides additional information about each plant and tips for planting them at home. Users can either scan the QR code displayed on a plant sign, or they can simply scroll through the app’s plant directory to learn more about each plant. Facts include scientific name and make-up, bloom time, lifespan, and tips on growing that plant or one of its more available relatives. Direc-tory pages also include information on different birds and insects that pollinate each plant. The directory is accessible anywhere and is a great reference tool for home gardeners.

GardenBuzz provides two outlets for users to learn more about the different pollinators in the garden and the plants that host and nurture them. Pollinator information is available within the plant directory so that users can learn about the pollinators specific to the plant about which they are learning. A pollinator directory is also available for the user to refer to. The directory contains useful information on the sci-ence and behaviors of different pollinators and their importance to different plant species.

GardenBuzz3

Pollinator Information

Plant Directory

QR Code Scanner

Map of the Gardens

A map feature allows users to locate themselves within the Garden as well as locate where GardenBuzz can be utilized. No need for a paper map only to be thrown away after a visit. Users can find their location within the Garden on GardenBuzz’s map, as well as locate the Conservation Garden where they will be able to use the app.

III. Who we areThe Team Behind GardenBuzz

Trent Lyle Project Manager

Trent is a 5th year from Macon, Georgia majoring in Advertising. He is the team leader and project manager for GardenBuzz. He is in contact with the client on the team’s behalf and keeps everyone on track, while working hard himself on gathering the content for the app.

GardenBuzz4

Savannah HighsmithProject Designer

Savannah is a senior from Chattanooga, Tennessee and is study-ing Pubilc Relations with a Communications Studies minor. She is a designer for the app and is in charge of the layout and design of the app’s promotional materials.

GardenBuzz

Eric SuttonProject Programmer

Eric is a senior from Kennesaw, Georgia studying Marketing. He is the pro-grammer for the team and is the hand behind the production of the app.

Kennan WoodProject Designer

Kennan is a senior from Memphis, Tennessee studying Advertising with a Spanish minor. She is in charge of the GardenBuzz website and content for the final report and presentation.

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GardenBuzzIV. What we didAction

GENERAL

Field Trip to the Atlanta Botanical Garden

App Production

Client Contact

Website/Blog

APP CONTENT

Research

Images

Map

QR Codes

FINAL REPORT

Content

Layout

FINAL PRESENTATION

Poster

Brochure

Presentation Keynote

Team Member(s) Responsible

All

Eric

Trent

Kennan

Trent, with help of Kennan and Savannah

Trent, with help of Kennan and Savannah

Trent

Trent

Kennan

Savannah

Savannah

Savannah

All

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