Overview

Trial Edge is a digital platform designed for soil and product trials in the agritech industry. It helps farmers, field managers, and agribusinesses test how different products perform in the same soil sections — such as fertilizers, herbicides, or new products entering the market.

The client was Agriedge, who hired us to create the product from scratch. The goal was to design a solution that would reduce the time, cost, and complexity of running trials, while providing reliable, visual, and actionable insights that build trust with growers and speed up product adoption.

Role & Tools Used

Team

• UX Lead

• Senior Product Designer (Me)

• PM

• Developer

My Role

• Senior Product Designer

• Conducted research with agronomists and stakeholders

• Defined user flows, wireframes, and prototypes

• Led iterations on field trial manager use cases

• Designed hi-fi prototypes and prepared developer handoff

Tools

• Figma & FigJam (design & flows)

• Google Meet & Slack (collaboration)

• ChatGPT (research support, ideation)

Core Problem

Field trials are slow, expensive, and complex. Results are often scattered, hard to trust, and difficult to compare. This creates uncertainty for farmers and slows down product adoption for agribusinesses.

Trial Edge needed to simplify trial management by providing:

• Faster and more reliable data collection.

• Clear visual comparisons across fields and locations.

• Trusted insights that reduce decision-making risk.

Constraints

• Time: Only one month to execute the full design process.

• Scope: A completely new product, requiring deep understanding of scientific vocabulary and trial methodologies.

• Resources: Small cross-functional team, meeting daily to align progress.

Solution

We proposed a web-based platform (desktop + tablet) with a complementary mobile app, designed specifically for field trial managers and agribusiness stakeholders.

The platform provides:

• Data visualization: side-by-side comparisons of products.

• Mobile-friendly workflows: for managers in the field.

• Downloadable reports & real-time alerts: to support faster, confident decisions.

• Standardized flows: reducing errors and increasing trust.

Process

1) Understand the Goal (Why)

I collaborated with agronomists and stakeholders to answer:

• Why is this tool important?

• What problem does it solve?

• How does it meet customer needs?

• Does it create business opportunities?

Answer: Trial Edge makes trials faster, cheaper, and more reliable, giving farmers and companies clear data to make decisions, while opening new market opportunities for agribusiness.

2) Define Audience (Who)

We identified three personas:

• Farmer

• Dealer

• Field Trial Manager (primary user)

Field Trial Managers supervise trials, record data, and ensure results are usable. They’re mobile, time-pressured, and need simple, visual tools to speed up decision-making.

3) Understand Customer Context

• Where: In the field, moving between test plots.

• Event: Running or analyzing trials where results are unclear.

• Time: Limited, needing real-time feedback.

• Platform: Mostly mobile/tablet, sometimes desktop.

• Emotions: Frustrated by delays, hopeful for clarity.

User Story Example

• As a field manager, I want to see clear trial results in real time so I can make quick decisions and avoid wasting resources.

• As an agribusiness manager, I want to compare trials across locations so I can scale products with confidence.

4) Research & Benchmarking

We studied existing internal tools and external benchmarks to understand:

• Current pain points.

• Missing features in existing flows.

• Opportunities for better UX patterns.

https://www.figma.com/board/SNHACU5IPBZ4kuqwYF8vGI/-UX-Audit---Flows--TrialEdge?node-id=0-1&t=7A04nbS3hP7NIiDu-1

5) Wireframes & Flows

We designed lo-fi wireframes of the main flows, focusing on trial creation and results visualization. Iterations included:

• How to define/draw a field trial section.

• How to record and manage results.

• How to visualize comparisons.

6) Hi-Fi Prototypes

We evolved into hi-fi designs using the Untitled UI library to speed up production. Colors were adapted to Agriedge’s brand guidelines (green).

• Built interactive prototypes.

• Validated flows with users.

• Prepared wireflows (screens + backend notes) for developer clarity.

7) Testing & KPIs (Future)

Testing and KPI tracking are planned once development is complete. Metrics will evaluate:

• Time saved creating/managing trials.

• Adoption rate among field managers.

• Accuracy and trust in trial results.

Results

• A validated product design ready for development.

• Clear flows for trial creation and comparison, tested with real users.

• Strong alignment with business goals: faster product validation and increased trust.

• Developer-ready wireflows + prototypes reducing ambiguity in implementation.

📸 Image suggestion: Split screen showing UX flow → final hi-fi screen.

Conclusion

• Trial Edge demonstrates how design thinking can simplify scientific processes in agriculture.

• The platform reduces trial complexity, saving time and money while increasing trust.

• With field trials being a cornerstone of agtech, Trial Edge positions Agriedge as an innovator in digital agriculture.

📸 Image suggestion: Closing hero with trial dashboard (desktop) + field view (mobile).