Working in agritech taught me something I never expected. Farmers in the US and France, with all their practical field knowledge, ended up teaching me more about UX than any design book or framework. Their way of interacting with technology is honest, direct, and shaped by the realities of their work. Spending time with them opened my eyes to what truly makes a product usable.

My First Day in the Field

I still remember my first visit to a farm. I carried my usual design tools, assumptions, and structured ways of thinking. But the moment I started observing farmers use our app inside a tractor, in a barn, or while moving between fields, everything changed.

One farmer looked at me and asked, “Why does this screen make me stop what I am doing?” That one question stayed with me. It made me realize that we were designing for a controlled environment, while their world was anything but controlled.

What I Noticed About How Farmers Use Technology

Farmers in the US and France use technology differently from office environments. Devices are often used outdoors, in direct sunlight, with gloves on, in dusty spaces, or during multitasking. They are practical, fast, and outcome driven.

I started noticing a few patterns clearly:

• They prefer large tap targets because taps are rough when hands are busy?
• They rely more on icons and visuals because long text slows them during field work?
• They ignore anything that feels unnecessary or takes attention away from the task?
• They trust the app only if every step feels predictable?
• They often work in areas where network fluctuates, so offline clarity matters?

Watching them made me rethink many assumptions I had about flow length, content density, and screen clarity.

The UX Mistakes I Saw Through Their Eyes

Seeing our product through a farmer’s eyes was humbling.

Too Many Steps

We added extra screens thinking they would guide the user. Instead, farmers saw them as interruptions during busy work.

Heavy Text

We added explanations thinking they would help. But long text became a blocker. Farmers simply skipped it because it slowed them down.

Unclear Buttons

Generic labels like “Proceed” or “Next” made them stop and think. They wanted direct, action based clarity like “Record Activity” or “Sync Data.”

No Feedback During Sync

When the network fluctuated in parts of the field, the app froze without clear messages. They thought something was wrong. A simple message like “Syncing, this may take a moment” would have helped.

The Simple Changes That Made a Big Difference

After returning from the field, we made changes that were small for us but big for farmers.

• Shorter flows that reduced unnecessary steps?
• Clear action labels that told farmers exactly what would happen?
• Larger buttons that worked well even with gloves?
• High contrast visuals that worked in sunlight?
• Simple feedback messages during slow syncing or weak network moments?
• Icons and visuals for quick scanning when farmers were multitasking?

When we tested again, farmers moved through the app much faster and with more confidence. Their comfort level improved not because the app looked more polished, but because it respected their environment.

How This Experience Changed My Approach to Design?

Working with farmers changed how I think about UX completely. Instead of starting with standard flows or UI patterns, I now start with a simple question. “How will this feel for someone using it in a real environment?”

Farmers taught me that UX is not about fancy screens or modern layouts. It is about:

• Clarity?
• Predictability?
• Trust?
• Respecting the user’s context?

I learned to:

• Remove anything that does not add real value?
• Prefer short, direct text instead of long descriptions?
• Watch users closely instead of assuming what they need?
• Design for outdoor use, gloves, sunlight, and movement?
• Support low or unstable connectivity without making the user feel stuck?

These lessons now guide me in every project, even those far outside agritech.

Closing Thoughts

Farmers taught me that good UX is not about how perfect a screen looks. It is about how confidently a user can complete a task, even in a challenging environment. Whenever I work on any product now, I ask myself, “Would this make sense to a farmer who is working outdoors, multitasking, and dealing with real world conditions?” If the answer is yes, the design is moving in the right direction.