Osmo.
Reducing plant maintenance for indoor gardeners living in urban environments
project type.
Course Work
timeline.
3 months
applied skills.
User Research
Phyiscal Prototyping
3D Modeling
the problem.
Urban plant owners enjoy the aesthetics of plants in their home, but struggle with care and maintainence
A key health products and services company approached our team to observe and analyze their ‘boots on the ground’ current eCommerce operations to gain better visibility to how their various internal teams operate, collaborate and communicate with each other to prepare a product for digital shelf deployment, and to document where there was opportunity for process improvement.
How might we ensure that plants in urban environments are being adequately cared for by owners with busy schedules?
the solution.
A self watering planter designed to reduce plant maintenance for indoor gardeners in urban environments.
Osmo is an intelligent planter designed to assist busy plant owners with keeping their plants alive. A moisture sensor within the soil informs the planter if the plant needs water, causing Osmo to mist water into the soil, ensuring healthy moisture levels so that the plants may continue to thrive.
defining the user needs.
Understanding the behaviors of plant owners
Urban Plant owners require a solution that is...
unobtrusive.
The solution must blend into the enviornment of the users space
automated.
The solution must keep the plants alive without much interaction from the user
compact.
The solution must easily fit in small areas within a users environment
aesthetic exploration.
Visualizing the operations through a circular lens
Modern Minimalism
When designing the look and feel of Osmo, I took design inspiration from clean, aesthetically functional forms that communicate purpose and function simply and effectively while providing a timlessness and unobtrusiveness in the form
concept explorations.
Generating concepts for automated gardening solutions
Ideation
Ideas were drawn around indoor and automated gardening for city apartments and homes.
A few ideas were shown to my users and feedback revealed that an automated gardening system that reduced the frequency of needing to water was a viable solution.
Form Exploration
Low fidelity prototypes were created to test different forms and tangible interactions. I was focused on finding a form that was compact and could realistically fit within a city apartment.
The models were shown to users alongside CMF sketches to establish the final pill-shape and the swiveling planter of Osmo.
hardware features.
An Intelligent Planter designed to reduce plant maintenance for indoor gardeners in urban environments
About Osmo
Osmo is designed to reduce the frequency at which plant owners need to care for their plants. A refillable planter with a swivel base allows users to pour in water that can care for plants for weeks at a time by continuously saturating the soil as needed.
© 2026 PAVAN RADHAKRISHNAN
Osmo.
Reducing plant maintenance for indoor gardeners living in urban environments
project type.
Course Work
timeline.
3 months
applied skills.
User Research
Phyiscal Prototyping
3D Modeling
the problem.
Urban plant owners enjoy the aesthetics of plants in their home, but struggle with care and maintainence
City dwellers with busy schedules enjoy having plants and the feeling of nature it brings to their urban environments, however they feel as though it takes too much time and energy to properly care for them.
How might we ensure that plants in urban environments are being adequately cared for by owners with busy schedules?
the solution.
A self watering planter designed to reduce plant maintenance for indoor gardeners in urban environments.
Osmo is an intelligent planter designed to assist busy plant owners with keeping their plants alive. A moisture sensor within the soil informs the planter if the plant needs water, causing Osmo to mist water into the soil, ensuring healthy moisture levels so that the plants may continue to thrive.
defining the user needs.
Understanding the behaviors of plant owners
Urban Plant owners require a solution that is...
unobtrusive.
The solution must blend into the enviornment of the users space
automated.
The solution must keep the plants alive without much interaction from the user
compact.
The solution must easily fit in small areas within a users environment
aesthetic exploration.
Visualizing the operations through a circular lens
Modern Minimalism
When designing the look and feel of Osmo, I took design inspiration from clean, aesthetically functional forms that communicate purpose and function simply and effectively while providing a timlessness and unobtrusiveness in the form
concept explorations.
Generating concepts for automated gardening solutions
Ideation
Ideas were drawn around indoor and automated gardening for city apartments and homes.
A few ideas were shown to my users and feedback revealed that an automated gardening system that reduced the frequency of needing to water was a viable solution.
Form Exploration
Low fidelity prototypes were created to test different forms and tangible interactions. I was focused on finding a form that was compact and could realistically fit within a city apartment.
The models were shown to users alongside CMF sketches to establish the final pill-shape and the swiveling planter of Osmo.
hardware features.
An Intelligent Planter designed to reduce plant maintenance for indoor gardeners in urban environments
About Osmo
Osmo is designed to reduce the frequency at which plant owners need to care for their plants. A refillable planter with a swivel base allows users to pour in water that can care for plants for weeks at a time by continuously saturating the soil as needed.
Osmo.
Reducing plant maintenance for indoor gardeners living in urban environments
project type.
Course Work
timeline.
3 months
applied skills.
User Research
Physical Prototyping
3D Modeling
the problem.
Urban plant owners enjoy the aesthetics of plants in their home, but struggle with care and maintenance
City dwellers with busy schedules enjoy having plants and the feeling of nature it brings to their urban environments, however they feel as though it takes too much time and energy to properly care for them.
How might we ensure that plants in urban environments are being adequately cared for by owners with busy schedules?
the solution.
A self watering planter designed to reduce plant maintenance for indoor gardeners in urban environments.
Osmo is an intelligent planter designed to assist busy plant owners with keeping their plants alive. A moisture sensor within the soil informs the planter if the plant needs water, causing Osmo to mist water into the soil, ensuring healthy moisture levels so that the plants may continue to thrive.
defining the user needs.
Understanding the behaviors of plant owners
Urban Plant owners require a solution that is...
unobtrusive.
The solution must blend into the environment of the users space
automated.
The solution must keep the plants alive without much interaction from the user
compact.
The solution must easily fit in small areas within a users environment
aesthetic exploration.
Defining the visual identity
Modern Minimalism
When designing the look and feel of Osmo, I took design inspiration from clean, aesthetically functional forms that communicate purpose and function simply and effectively while providing a timelessness and unobtrusiveness in the form
concept explorations.
Generating concepts for automated gardening solutions
Ideation
Ideas were drawn around indoor and automated gardening for city apartments and homes.
A few ideas were shown to my users and feedback revealed that an automated gardening system that reduced the frequency of needing to water was a viable solution.
Form Exploration
Low fidelity prototypes were created to test different forms and tangible interactions. I was focused on finding a form that was compact and could realistically fit within a city apartment.
The models were shown to users alongside CMF sketches to establish the final pill-shape and the swiveling planter of Osmo.
hardware features.
An Intelligent Planter designed to reduce plant maintenance for indoor gardeners in urban environments
About Osmo
Osmo is designed to reduce the frequency at which plant owners need to care for their plants. A refillable planter with a swivel base allows users to pour in water that can care for plants for weeks at a time by continuously saturating the soil as needed.