Case studies demonstrate the importance of app user experience in precision farming. One such example is John Deere's Harvest Mobile App, which provides real-time data and geospatial insights to support data-driven decision-making for modern farmers.

As farmers increasingly rely on precise and timely information to monitor yield, assess variety performance, and manage planting variability, the need for intuitive app user experience has never been more critical. To address this challenge, John Deere sought to enhance its Harvest Mobile App by introducing a new Dual Map Display feature that enables users to visually compare multiple data layers simultaneously.

The Challenge

Operators needed a seamless way to view and compare different map layers in real-time, while also ensuring technical viability across existing platforms and intuitive usability. Additionally, the feature required preserving accessibility to live mapping functions, integrating background data layers (e.g., soil type, elevation), and ensuring compatibility with legacy systems such as 2630, SeedStar Mobile, and Field Analyzer.

The Solution

OneSpring applied its JAM methodology to rapidly align stakeholders, generate design concepts, and validate user needs in a compressed three-week engagement. This collaborative approach enabled the team to review existing functionality and pain points from previous systems and tools, including Apex and Field Analyzer. A competitive analysis helped establish design standards, and initial use case scenarios were created.

The Results

The project yielded a functional prototype, validated across multiple user scenarios, that directly supports field operators in making real-time, data-informed decisions. The documentation also enabled faster engineering collaboration and reduced downstream development risk. Measurable outcomes included:

  • 50% reduction in design-to-specification time
  • 75% faster validation of complex feature functionality
  • Seamless experience for comparing multiple data attributes in the field
  • Increased design clarity and development readiness

Conclusion

By applying a collaborative UX approach, OneSpring helped John Deere successfully deliver a new feature that enhances the precision, usability, and overall utility of the Harvest Mobile App. The Dual Map Display functionality empowers users with clearer insights into crop variability and performance by enabling real-time, side-by-side comparisons of live and historical field data.

The structured JAM process provided a focused and time-efficient framework for aligning decision-making and validating user needs. Final deliverables included interactive prototypes, demonstration videos, and complete functional documentation to support seamless development. This initiative reinforces John Deere's leadership in precision farming, enabling smarter in-field decision-making through intuitive and data-rich visualizations.