The Rooted in Hull application is designed to bring the farm and their activities to wider audiences. It has advantages over their website and Instagram page by being more interactive, informative and inclusive.
Using a dedicated platform is a solution to improving the general knowledge of Rooted in Hull, being a source of education and community anywhere whilst using the app. There is a plethora of options when thinking about the possibilities for the application. The end result is one that utilises interactivity, education, community and creating revenue for the farm.
The first home page boasts six icon links, which all lead to their own individual pages. This homepage can be scrolled down to show a YouTube video of the monthly highlights. The pages contain a header which is linked to the subject of the page, this will monthly to show the passing of activities in each season, therefore the January news header will change to daffodils in February.
One of the features that is useful will be the live chat icon in the bottom right corner. This will enable visitors to ask direct questions when on the app. During working hours of 9am to 4pm this will be answered by members of the Rooted in Hull team, with an out of hours automated service available for regularly asked questions.
The application is very interactive, with an interest for all visiting. It is designed to be informative at a glance, with the opportunity to learn more the further interaction within the app. Therefore, those with an interest in a subject have the option to learn more.
Using the ‘January News’ page as an example; the user will click the circular photo icon to learn about how to grow their own winter vegetables, this will lead them to another page showing the species of plant that can be grown overwinter, how to grow them and with popular recipe suggestions.
The shop will help increase the revenue by making the shop accessible without having to visit the site, this will be updated regularly with seasonal and local produce, with the option of collection or local delivery. One other way is creating a donate button, where monthly projects can be donated to.
The most interactive page will be the community page. This will have different online group chats. It can be used for educational groups, or volunteers as a means to communicate on which jobs have been completed. A place to share photos, ideas for the farm, or plan community activities such as music and pizza social events.
