App Review: Seek by iNaturalist
December 17th, 2021
What you need to know:
If you are a nature enthusiast or interested in ways to make a difference in the biodiversity crisis, Seek is an exciting option to explore. Seek is a citizen science app. It helps users observe and identify species in their local environments. To make an observation, users take a picture with the Seek app and then an AI model helps the user identify what species it is. Once the species is identified, Seek provides additional information about the animal, such as behaviour and habitat range. It also shows data on how many observations of the animal have been made in the area and users can earn ‘achievements’ based on the number of observations they make.
What I like:
1. AR overlay in camera mode
While making an observation with the camera, an AR overlay displays the potential species in view. I like this feature because it makes me feel more confident that the app is working and puts the identification algorithm front and center.
2. Reminders
If you are like me and like lots of reminders or prompts in your apps, then you will also like Seek’s notifications and information displays. Seek does a good job at making the reminders simple and encouraging, rather than too flashy or demanding.
3. Badges and Challenges
Even though we are facing climate and biodiversity crises, it doesn’t mean that we can’t find creative ways to address them. As a citizen science app, Seek gives you incentives to make observations through challenges and badges. I like that these show users what knowledge they gain, while making them feel satisfied about their observations. It made me feel like my observations contribute biodiversity data that scientists can use for conservation.
What I would change:
While Seek has a lot of benefits, especially when compared to its competitors on the market, there are a couple changes I would like to see in future iterations.
First, in being a more streamlined and commercial version of its parent app (iNaturalist), Seek could include clearer onboarding or introductory instructions. It is an easy app to use, but at times I was still looking for a section to read an overview of how it all works. I think the opening screen could become a couple of screens or a slider showing information that is in the hamburger menu.
Second, there could be improved integration with its parent app, iNaturalist, by allowing for more user input during species identification. There were times were I wanted to add personal notes about an observation and also missed the quick view to a map showing similar observations in my location.
What is it good for?
Noticing nature, inside or outside: Walking around the park? In your backyard and notice something? You don’t have to be a dedicated birder to use this app. Anyone who wants a quick, easy way to identify the critters they encounter can find a use for this app.
Citizen science: Spotted something at the park? Citizen scientists can use the app and have their observations shared with large research and biodiversity databases that scientists use for conservation and environmental management.
Overall app rating:
I give Seek a 4 out of 5. Overall, it is more user friendly and aesthetically pleasing than some of the other citizen science apps out there. It is also more streamlined than its parent app. Simple AR elements, AI-supported identification, and badges are also highlights that make it an enjoyable, immersive experience. On the other hand, I would like to see improvements on information displays, especially for instructions, along with more personalized, but seamless integration with iNaturalist. Either way, if you are a nature enthusiast or want to do something simple to battle the effects of the climate/biodiversity crisis, I highly recommend Seek!