Proposed Weather App Design

(**Work in Progress**)

This is based on this page "Design/Apps/Weather".

My approach: To understand data takes an effort. To decipher data to answer your practical question takes more effort. Perhaps conveying an information by reducing pathways would help reduce this effort. By using right colors and displaying right (normal/mean) everyday equipment/clothing that reflect the weather instead of the usual or typical but unnecessary data.

In case of looking at weather forecast on weather.com on iPad device, I personally have this process of thought... "Today is 37 degrees. It must be cold but how cold? It says, 'It feels like 26 degrees.' Eh, that doesn't help me. Wind is 15 mph -- that sounds windy. Let's see... I see cloud and it says 'mostly cloudy.' I've seen cloudy days when they were warm. Humidity is 0... What am I going to wear so I won't be cold? What if it's not really cold? I can't remember how cold it was yesterday. I guess I have to take my chances."

On the "Design/Apps/Weather" page, there are examples of weather apps provided by big companies.

Below is a list of problems that these examples can present problems:

• Too many colors.
• Though aesthetic, background pictures can be distracting.
• The forecast charts can be overwhelming.
• Temperature and weather graphics are the main data that people generally see. Other data may not be understood. (I.E. dew point, pressure, UV)
• Repetitive information can be redundant. For example, hourly forecast can display the same kind of weather for hours thus not informing the users when will weather change immediately.
• Date and time are important but they're downplayed.

Below is a list of how elements can work to answer some of the proposed use case questions::

• Colors evoke emotions and can tells a vast amount of information to our senses in relation to the surrounding or situation.
  • The range from red to orange to blue to white. It represents how temperature can feel. Red is super hot and white is super cold.
• Imitation/Copying is a form of learning.
  • Seeing the clothing article represents how people would wear in a certain weather.
• Having few information but necessarily relating to real life can help users learn quickly and reduce their efforts.
  • Time, date, location correlating with the weather can play a big role in the later time.
  • Next significant change of weather at time is helpful.
  • Less cluttering of information.
  • No background picture as a distraction.
  • The text helps reduce confusion in case if people cannot understand the graphics clearly.

Some mock-ups that I made

=== **More to come** ==