20-06
Hidden Garden: Mystery Plant Boxes
Overview
A mystery plant-kit product developed through fabrication, packaging iterations, customer interviews and pop-up sales.
Objective
Assigned SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities & Communities) for our class project, we wanted to encourage small scale, accessible greenery in urban living spaces. Many college students love the idea of having plants but struggle to start due to limited time, knowledge, space, or confidence.
Our goal was to lower the barrier to entry for first time plant owners while making the experience exciting and giftable through mystery box mechanics and collectible figures.
Engineering constraints
SDG 11; limited time, knowledge, space and confidence among first-time plant owners; an affordable, giftable mystery-box format.
My contributions
I contributed to:
- Designing and assembling the physical kits
- Reinforcing packaging after early prototypes broke
- Improving visual consistency between figures, packaging, and brand aesthetic
- Helping with 3D-printed figure iteration
Design and fabrication process
Product Development
We created Hidden Garden, a line of mystery plant boxes that included:
- Soil
- Seeds
- A small terracotta pot
- A matching 3D-printed collectible figure
- A themed, brightly colored mystery-box package
User Testing & Market Research
To validate the product, our team conducted two full testing phases and pop up selling sessions at:
- Boston University
- Wellesley College
We interviewed 60+ potential customers, tested different price points, compared “plant only” vs. “plant + figure,” and gathered feedback on packaging appeal, figure design, and the mystery experience.
Results
Across all sessions, Hidden Garden consistently appealed to our target demographic primarily college aged women attracted to cute, collectible items.
Key findings:
- $5–$8 was the ideal price range for impulse buys
- People overwhelmingly preferred the plant + figure combo
- Aesthetic packaging significantly boosted engagement
- The mystery element was effective only when priced affordably
- Customers wanted more figure variety and seasonal themes
We sold 16 boxes total, validating the core concept and identifying opportunities for future improvement such as:
- Expanding figure designs
- Creating holiday or themed series
- Adding simple planting instructions
- Establishing an online presence for return buyers
Hidden Garden blended product design, branding, and real market testing and gave us hands on experience turning a playful idea into a functional, testable consumer product.
Skills and tools
Prototyping & Fabrication (Laser Cutting, 3D Printing), User Testing & Market Validation, Product Packaging Design, Iterative Design, Visual Branding