KYE

KYE

DESIGNS

DESIGNS

Little Flax Patch

Little Flax Patch

Little Flax Patch

in partner with

SERVICES

UX Research

usability heuristics

IA Optimizations

Affiliation

WHAT WAS DONE

Research

service Design

systems mapping

prototyping

prodUCt design

Background

Annually, 92 million tons of textiles are discarded worldwide, projected to increase to 134 million tons by the decade's end. In the UK alone, 1.7 kg of textiles end up in landfills every year. While these synthetic fibres take 200 years to decompose, there's a humble crop that works differently and produces sustainable fibre. Flax is this linen producing humble crop that naturally biodegrades back into the soil. Historically, the UK was a significant player in flax production particularly in Scotland, where it supported a thriving linen industry, but it is now an undeveloped sector, lacking cohesive infrastructure and scale.


Despite its soil-to-soil circularity and regenerative potential, flax has largely disappeared from the UK agricultural landscape, sidelined by a system built around synthetic and fossil-fuel-derived fibres. As demand for natural and low-impact materials grows, the conditions for change are forming. Flax is uniquely positioned as a resilient crop that captures carbon, supports biodiversity, and grows well in UK soil, steeped in cultural heritage and a textile history that never fully disappeared, posing an opportunity for development and re-establishment of a more robust and integrated flax industry that promotes regeneration.


The current UK flax revival movement is fragmented: knowledge exists in isolated bioregional pockets, accessible tools for growing and processing are scarce, and machinery bottlenecks keep fibre production slow and niche. There is no shared infrastructure, no clear entry point for new learners, and no connective tissue between growers, processors, educators and the broader public. The potential is there, but there is a gap between it and the people who want to engage with it.

OUTCOME

Our team formed Little Flax Patch, a conceptual open source educational platform service co-created with seasoned, active flax stewards in the landscape that enables the untapped urban learner audience (our curious explorers and untapped urban audience), to reconnect with the fibres behind what we wear through hands-on, community-supported learning. At its core, Little Flax Patch embraces curiosity, care, connection, and awareness, which shapes how the entire learning journey unfolds.

learn by doing

Why Harbour Molds Lines by Masterworks yet Sessions

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How Market.org Raisedup these RATE as 2x from Pathguide.

Our platform invites anyone to explore the full seed-to-fibre process through simple, hands-on experimentation, tapping into four pillars:

As users tend to their flax, individuals start developing a deeper relationship with the natural materials behind their clothes and a respect for the effort it takes to grow them. Through connection, learners engage with a wider community of growers, educators, and makers, sharing tools, knowledge, and small communal actions that ripple into larger change. Ultimately the Little Flax Patch journey enables individuals to build a tactile, grounded understanding that encourages reflection, more intentional making, and a rethinking of our everyday relationship with textiles. Over time, we hope this ripple effect grows into a larger movement for flax production

Abstract blue shapes create an interesting pattern.
a blue and white fish
high-angle photography of stairs
a planet in space
a planet in space

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INSIGHT INTO OUR PROCESS

Research

Through a blended mixed-methods research approach of user interviews (touching 3 product categories), usability testing and observations (across 5 product types via Mouseflow), competitive benchmarking and user flow audits, I evaluated consumer motivations, and uncovered any blockers, pain points, and gaps of refinement opportunities that existed in the current editor experience.

Undergoing this process was also important to help understand the internal workings/feature structure of the editor and the complexity it lies in differentiating between the layers of interaction hierarchy across page level features vs. individual element features. By understanding this separation, I was able to understand the existing conditions and design patterns to improve the baseline functionality in what needs to be held constant vs. what were the changing attributes by product type. I clustered the findings based on specific feature aspects and worked with the team to develop a roadmap to prioritize design improvement between immediate priority areas vs. for later/future consideration.

This led to a product strategy to create a simplified baseline editor into 3 complexity levels — simple, intermediate, and advanced where features are tailored to the specific product category that falls into each of the levels. This was a proactive approach to meet needs of both types of users (users with basic editing knowledge and users with more advanced knowledge) that simplifies the interface but embraces flexibility to allow for any changes in feature offerings and configuration options based on the product type.

A common pattern that was uncovered with other editors was that they used two editor designs to separate between photo prints (simple) and photobooks (advanced) products, so this was a more streamlined approach to reduce user disconnect and confusion to operate 2 separate editors especially with photo print customers as a large primary consumer base. The simple editor interface could serve as an introduction to help customers be acquainted with the editor prior to making other complex products.

Research

Our team used a mixed-methods research process that included a blend of primary, secondary, and ethnographic observations across:

  1. Interviews from a variety of SMEs: flax fibre researchers, farmers, educators, and regenerative agriculture experts

  2. Field work observations through volunteering at Sitopia Farm, demo farm visit to FarmEd & workshops at Flaxland and Ariadne's Thread Group

  3. Mixed media: reports, books, films (if there's interest, please reach out for the full exhaustive list)

Analysis & Synthesis: Common themes identified

  1. Regeneration is systemic and contextual; it runs on a spectrum with practices evolving over time and place-based, subject to the context in which biogregion farmers' are currently in

  2. Farming is highly contextual, based on climate, soil type and local ecosystems

  3. Regenerative farmers are motivated by stewardship, resilience, and legacy, not just profit

  4. Flax is a regenerative opoortunity but there is a need for diversification of income to support long-term sustained efforts in both regenerative and flax farming

  5. There is an importance of peer-to-peer networks for knowledge exchange and demo farms or alternative proof of concepts to educate farmers on best practices and ways to integrate new practices into their current system

  6. Service design principles are already embedded in regenerative practices, with farmers adapting and iterating based on outcomes (yield) that are often uncertain, so commonly experimenting with rotations, livestock integration, and soil practices

KEY EMERging trends and developments:

  1. There's a rising demand for flax-based products

  2. Expansion of flax-fibre applications in textiles, construction, automotive industries, and consumer plant-based food alternatives

  3. Advancement in regenerative agriculture powered by farmer-led initiatives like Innovative Farmers, who are promoting regnerative practices in flax cultivation

  4. Innovation in flax waste utilisation to contribute to a more circular economy within the flax industry by reducing waste and creating additional revenue streams to position flax producers for continued growth and resilience

Ideations and iterations

Initially our project aim was to create a market for flax waste to act as a proof of concept to help farmers see the promise in sustaining the flax-growing movement as the disruption of the global supply chain has left UK flax producers with minimal infrastructure, limited market access, and no clear pathways to add value to flax waste. By identifying the right waste streams and educating the farmers about utilising flax waste to its potential and connecting them to the market, our orginal intention was to aid them in diversifying their incomes, adding a practical incentive to keep them movitivated to continually contribute to expanding the flax system in the UK.


However, with limitations in accessing farmers to truly understand the flax waste stream, we had to pivot and shift into a new direction to focus on the untapped urban learner audience to grow demand for flax. We hope this enables more conscious and connected individuals and communities to engage in more tangible, sustainable living through the understanding of material connection to land and agriculture to support a more regenerative future.

A DEEPER LOOK INTO THE CURATED STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Grow:

Process:

Make: