Hive Connect - A Social Network for Beekeepers
Creating an application for beekeepers
Sectoral exploration: The world of beekeeping lacked suitable digital tools to improve collaboration and knowledge sharing among beekeepers.
My approach: I conducted extensive field research to understand the real needs of beekeepers and prototyped collaborative tool concepts adapted to this traditional sector.
Impact
Exploratory innovation project
Validation concept collaboration beekeepers
Methodological basis for future projects
Role
Research field: beekeeper needs
Product innovation: collaboration solutions
Concept of prototyping: validation hypotheses
Design methodology: traditional sector
Contexte
Period: Personal project/exploration
Sector: Connected beekeeping innovation
Objective: Improve beekeeping collaboration
Status: Research and concept validation
Where does the idea come from?
The idea was born from an exhibition by Antoine Pointcheval, an engaged Marseille artist, and numerous discussions with beekeepers.
Main observation:
Technological solutions, like connected hives, don't meet their real needs:
Too expensive for professionals with many hives.
Not a priority for amateurs.
The major need? A centralized space to exchange advice, collaborate and share equipment.
The solution: Hive Connect
We designed an application with key features:
Find other beekeepers nearby.
Ask questions and get quick answers.
Locate apiaries.
Facilitate equipment exchange between users.
Organization and research
To understand the needs, we:
Conducted user interviews to validate hypotheses.
Led collaborative workshops with a beekeeper to prioritize features.
Design and testing
We adopted an iterative process:
Ideation: Using the 6-to-1 method to generate and refine concepts.
Prototyping: Creating interactive mockups on Figma.
User testing: Validation and adjustment of user journeys through regular feedback.
A design system for more consistency
In parallel, we created a design system including:
A library of visual and functional elements (icons, buttons, typography).
Documentation on Zeroheight to align designers and developers.
This system ensures consistency, accelerates development and prepares the application to evolve.
Next step
The application development is in progress with Flutterflow, a no-code tool. We continue to test and refine the user experience while integrating new features identified with beekeepers.
