Balancing business needs and user experience
Morgan also spoke about the balance between business needs and the user experience. A key aspect of building successful solutions in agriculture is bringing the end user along from the start. Additionally, the design has to work for an ecosystem that includes a wide variety of roles that support farming infrastructure. This means considering not just the farmer but the entire team that will use the technology in each phase of the design process, from ideation and journey mapping to iteration and validation.
Failure to gather feedback in each design phase risks wasting time and money on impractical or unnecessary features. Farmers have very small margins for error, and a misstep can result in the loss of an entire season. They need to trust the solutions being built for them. When a solution doesn’t work, rebuilding that trust is difficult.
A unique perspective on farming experiences
Morgan understands this first-hand because she has a personal connection to agriculture. She grew up in a farming family, which gives her a unique perspective when it comes to interacting with farmers. She has built connections with the farmers she interviews because of her understanding of their world, and they often remind her of friends, family, and neighbors.
As autonomous solutions become more accessible for farmers, there is some resistance to adoption—often this comes from fear of job loss. The reality is that these systems are not eliminating or replacing jobs. They're increasing efficiency by allowing people to tackle multiple value-driven tasks at the same time.
Morgan shared an example of this from one of her ride-along experiences. Because the cab is essentially self-driving, the farmer she joined was able to complete tasks that would normally have been relegated to after-hours. So, rather than taking away from the end user, an autonomous system can actively support farmers by freeing up their time. When farmers understand this, they’re more likely to trust these systems.
As the agriculture industry grows to embrace autonomous solutions, the evidence becomes stronger that these technologies improve productivity and quality of life for farmers. But only when implemented thoughtfully and with empathy for users. By prioritizing user-centric design, digital agriculture can better support innovation, efficiency, and collaboration between technology and farming communities.