Pure Illustrations
To display rotating images during the long Image Edit API calls to transform users' messy backyards, I have started to create educational gardening tips. At first, they were purely about the landscape itself, like something out of a gardening textbook.
I made before-and-after images like:
- Lighting vs no lighting
Technically, the images were useful. But something felt missing.
Then I realized: I wasn’t actually showing who the app was for. Then I tried adding characters into the scenes. Instead of a blank garden, I showed this instead:
Suddenly, the images stopped looking like generic landscaping diagrams and started feeling like lifestyle outcomes.
Who Specifically Am I Helping?
I realized my target users were probably not hardcore gardeners. They are more likely:
- Busy professionals in their 30s
- First-time homeowners
- People with decent income but limited time
- People who want a beautiful space without spending every weekend doing hard labor
The garden itself is not really the product.
The product is:
- Less stress
- Pride in the home
- A relaxing lifestyle
- Confidence inviting friends over
- Avoiding expensive gardening mistakes years later
Adding characters with expressions — stressed, tired, peaceful, proud — made the consequences emotionally obvious within seconds.
Ironically, this lesson had almost nothing to do with programming. But it may end up being one of the most important product decisions I’ve made so far.
The Empathetic App Builder
Because once I truly understand who I'm building for, everything becomes clearer:
- The design style
- The wording
- The examples
- The onboarding
- Which features matter and which do not
Because instead of building for a vague audience, I was helping one specific person solve real problems in their everyday life.
