Hive Connect - A Social Network for Beekeepers
Creating an application for beekeepers
The field observation: After discussions with beekeepers from Marseille, I identified that existing tech solutions (connected hives) don't address their real needs: too expensive for professionals, useless for amateurs.
The real need: A centralized space to exchange advice, collaborate and share equipment - non-existent in the market.
Our solution: With my teammate, we designed Hive Connect, a hybrid social network combining forum and equipment exchange system, tested and validated with real beekeepers from the early stages.
The potential: Development in progress with FlutterFlow (no-code), this innovation project explores a niche market with strong unaddressed community needs. It demonstrates my ability to identify field opportunities and design user-centered solutions in traditional sectors.
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.
