WEATHER APP THAT PRESENTS

A LIGHTER TAKE ON THE ENVIRONMENT AROUND US

AND
OFFERS TOOLS TO MANAGE THE CHANGE IN MOOD IT BRINGS

THE LIGHT WEATHER APP

 PROJECT OVERVIEW

Vela is a weather app focusing on helping people mitigate and

manage the negative connotation of darker, colder weather and
more specifically the drop in mood, energy and emotions. The
app is designed to uplift and inspire a better quality of life. It
aims to increase people’s wellbeing, especially those who suffer
the winter blues. The way Vela would aim at that is through
targeted and planned use of sunny spells through the day, use
of lamps, star & moon gaze at night as well as tools such as
meditation, weather specific music playlists, movies editorial
and of course healthy recipes for staying in.
 THE DESIGN PROSESS

I followed the well established route for designing a new product. Each step was essential for shaping me as a designer.
Empathizing involved asking the right questions in order to define the problem and discern the possible solutions.
Ideate was the creating the information architecture and laying the base for my product. Prototyping the ideas was a lot
of fun and it takes patience as that is the most revisited stage. Test is where the real answers lie- with the users and
what works and doesn’t work for them. The results bring the product to the Refine faze where I have the chance to do
the necessary iterations and bring the product back to the users for another testing. The challenge is when to stop
iterating and decide that you have a ready product to hand to engineers.

EMPATHIZE DEFINE IDEATE PROTOTYPE TEST REFINE

Competitive Analyses Personas User Flows Wireframes Usability Testing Iteration
Desk Research Journey Maps Sitemap Design System
Interviews

DESK RESEARCH
Research goals:
Obtain knowledge of the physical
and psychological impact the
weather has on people.
Seasonal Affective Disorder share
symptoms with Depression. People
that are usually negatively impacted
by the weather tend to:
• have low energy,
• Mood withdrawals,
• lack of motivation,
• avoid socializing,
• turn to alcohol and fast food as
ways of coping.
1. EMPATHIZE WITH USERS
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Research goals:
Find out who the competitors and
their clients are?
Gain an understanding of their
strengths, weaknesses and missed
opportunities.
Since there isn’t a product to
address the winter blues specifically,
the competitors analyzed are
weather apps, including the native
apps for Android & IOS and mental
health apps.
INTERVIEWS
Research goals:
Learn about users attitude, pain
points & joy.
Determine what could turn a ‘bad’
day into a ‘good’ day for users.
While people perceive good weather
as sunny and bad weather as rainy it
is just a surface generalisation.
Sunny weather calls for outdoorsy
activities while a rainy day is perfect
for guilty pleasures like staying in
wrapped up in bed or spending a
cosy day with friends and family
indoors. So there is no bad weather
just different activities associated
with certain weather.
 COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

DESK RESEARCH USER INTERVIEWS

 2. PERSONAS

Lead by the research undertaken I have visualised and

described Vela’s Design Personas. Drawing on the interviews I
have reimagined a users everyday feelings about what weather
brings to their life. In the face of the Personas we see the pain
points and the opportunity to improve people’s lifes.
the ‘work from home’ one
MAGI SMITH
‘I spend a lot of time in my home office on my own so I can’t wait for the
weekends when I can go out and detach. Even an hour in the sun is worth it!’

GOALS & NEEDS: PERSONALITY:

• Maintain social life outside the digital space • Anxiety tendency
• Improve productivity • Pessimist
• Create an inspiring environment to work in • Often feels lonely
at home • Perfectionist
AGE: 34
• Workaholic
STATUS: Single
MOTIVATION: • Fashionista
TOWN/CITY: London
• Healthier lifestyle • Loves to-do lists
OCCUPACION: Art Director
NATIONALITY: British • Increased energy levels & ‘creative flow’
ETHNICITY: Mixed Race • Improved focus
HOBBIES: Walks & Run • Sense of satisfaction TOOLS:
Drawing • Instagram
Galleries PAIN POINTS: • Tinder
EXERCISE: Yoga 3 x week • Long commute to see friends • Strava
COMFORT • Weather isn’t great for outdoor activities • I Phone Weather App
FOOD: Pasta & Pizza • Feeling lazy followed by guilt • Day light Lamp
• Small circle of friends(most with kids) • Timeout
the ‘commute to work’ one
SOFIA SCHIAPARELLI
‘I love what I do. My work requires a prompt arrival for a class- fresh, serene and
calm so I can provide the best experience for them and myself too’

GOALS & NEEDS: PERSONALITY:

• Plan commute to clients • Self-conscious
• Better prepare with clothing attire • Overanalytical
• Set the mood for the day & job ahead • Likes to spend time
• Wake up early & energized alone
AGE: 29
• Loves nature
STATUS: Single
MOTIVATION: • Has a cat
TOWN/CITY: London
• Positive feedback from clients • Introvert
OCCUPACION: Yoga teacher
• Pleasant working day • Spiritual
NATIONALITY: Italian
ETHNICITY: White • Keep doing what I love with passion and
HOBBIES: Hiking getting well paid for it TOOLS:
Gardening • Instagram
Retreats PAIN POINTS: • City Mapper
EXERCISE: Yoga 5 x week • Weather forecast not very accurate • Serenity App
COMFORT • Public transport unreliable on a rainy day • BBC Weather Page
FOOD: Soups & Stews • Winter darkness • Samsung Weather
• Cold mornings App
 3. JOURNEY MAPPING

Next, I mapped the potential users’ emotions during their

journey of a completing a task.
 MAGI’S JOURNEY MAP
34
Single
London
Scenario: Magi would like to plan her upcoming week so she can focus on work
Art Director at home in order to meet her project deadline and schedule breaks for walks/run
British
Works from home and a social weekend outdoors.
Loves walks & run,
visiting galleries

PHASES Check the work calendar for the Check the weather for the week See what outdoor/social
week ahead ahead activities are suitable

TASKS • Meetings scheduled
• Deadlines
• Note down possibilities for
extensive lunch break/early
finish/early start
• Identify lunch time sunny
spells
• Weekend forecast
• Identify pleasant evenings for
a dinning out
• Determine commute to see
friends
• Schedule an evening date
• List weekend activities- yoga,
botanical garden, park, etc.

THOUGHTS I love getting organized, The weather is It is a hassle to see

it optimizes my always bad when I friends. What shall I
productivity am off work do this weekend?

EMOTIONS

OPPORTUNITIES Sync weather app with work Personalized weather app to Suggestions for cooking comfort
calendar and day lamp. Set show the weather at specific time food at home or other activities.
notifications for sunny spells. of the day. Create a list of favorites.
 SOFIA’S JOURNEY MAP
29
Single Scenario: Sofia is planning for tomorrow- she needs to wake up early enough so
London
Yoga teacher she has enough time for a quick yoga practice and commute to her client for 8am
Italian
Commutes to clients
yoga class. It is important she arrives on time, with that Zen attitude people expect
Loves hiking, from yogis.
gardening & retreats

PHASES The night before preparations In the morning preparations Set the mood

TASKS • Set alarm • Get up without snoozing • Meditation & breathing

• Check commute • Check commute again exercise
• Check weather • If raining, leave even earlier • Small breakfast – porridge &
• Client requirements • Check open coffee shops tea
• Go to bed early • Pack waterproof equipment • Self practice- few stretches

THOUGHTS I like to wake up with If the weather is bad, If it is rainy I snooze

the sunshine. I get worried about sometimes & miss
arriving late. my morning routine?

EMOTIONS

OPPORTUNITIES Sync weather app with a sunrise Integrate link for Uber and Google Allow alarm clock- e.g. If it is
alarm clock. maps to help you find a coffee raining, set 15min earlier. Suggest
shop near by. a meditation during commute
 4. PRIMARY JOURNEY FLOW

Having the emotional mapping I designed a flow with emphasis

on reducing the negative emotion while satisfactory completing
a task.
 SOFIA SCHIAPARELLI
29
London
Objective: As a person who gets lethargic when it is cold and rainy, I want to be
Freelance Yoga able to wake up earlier in those mornings, so I have enough time to prepare for
teacher
Commutes to early class of serene yoga experience for my clients.
clients/usually
cycling/

INFORMATION GATHERING:

• What is it that’s prompted Sofia to begin the task?

• Sofia struggles with the winter blues so she needs to manage her mornings so she can have more energy and
motivation.
• What will tell Sofia that her task is finished?
• Getting up with enough time ahead of when she is scheduled to leave home.
• What information does Sofia already know about the process?
• She tends to oversleep on a dark, rainy morning and wake up easier when the sun is shining in the morning. The
commute to clients takes longer in bad weather. She needs to fulfil her morning routine (meditation, stretch,
breakfast).
• What additional information does Sofia need to know to complete the task?
• The weather forecast and the ease that if it changes, she will be alerted.

• What tools will Sofia need to complete the task?

• Sunrise Alarm clock and Vela weather app.
 SOFIA SCHIAPARELLI
ALLOWING WEATHER APP TO ADJUST YOUR SUNRISE CLOCK ALARM

Task Flow: No
1. Entry point: Entry
point/
Allow
weather
Alarm
Sunrise alarm clock Set alarm
Home Screen Home
Screen
Choose date &
time
adjustment
confirmed

2. Go to Menu
3. Settings Tab Yes

4. Connections
5. Sunrise alarm Choose
weather
clock parameters

6. Set alarm
7. Choose date and
time LEGEND Choose time
interval (+/-)
8. Activate option
for weather
Start/ Multiple
allowing End
Screen
choices
Decision
adjustment Alarm
confirmed

9. Set the interval,

e.g. +/- 15min
 5. SITEMAP

Along with the primary flow, I laid out the information

architecture in the first draft of my sitemap and further refined
it after conducting a card sorting evaluative research.
 Home/
Dashboard

Longer period
Location Alarm Clock Meditation Movies Music Recipes Settings
Forecast

New Alarm My Sync

Week Month Search Add Categories Categories Editorial Categories Editorial Categories View Help
Alarm Tunes profile Calendar

Saved Weather
Locations Driver

Parameters
List of Files List of Files List of Files List of Files Name FAQ
on/off

Individual Individual Individual Individual Time of day Contact

Email displayed us
File File File File

Moon
Password
on/off

Notificati
Wallpaper
ons

Favorites
 6. PROTOTYPING

LOW FIDELITY WIREFRAMES

Starting with the basic tools- pen and paper, my ideas were
projected on screen. I have taken the Mobile-first approach to
design and I sketched the primary journey flow and the
onboarding process.
 THE INITIAL IDEA- ALARM CLOCK

The alarm clock feature was set to connect with an external

alarm clock, potentially a Sunrise Alarm clock and give users the
option for the weather App to take control over their alarm
time according to preset weather conditions.
 MID & HIGH FIDELITY WIREFRAMES

The Mid & High Fidelity wireframes were developed in Figma

based on the initial sketches
 7. USABILITY TESTING

The design was ready for usability testing.

PARTICIPANTS
The study includes 6 participants recruited through personal
networking. They are all London citizens for more than 5 years
minimum and are negatively affected by the lack of sunshine.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1uF4p89SUS05i
OJcVbtvIppNSOBUi31FX/edit#gid=60494883

SCRIPT
For a detailed look at the Test Script, including a list of all tasks
tested
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1tD-qJxy2VkqooX
pZ0xfp28FdVQcwjO_l/edit#slide=id.p1
The alarm clock feature returned major issues with regards to
navigation and operations. Users were confused where to find
the feature, what its purpose is and how to use it. Moreover
they found the flow lengthy and complicated.

Before:
 Suggested Change:

The alarm clock feature will be placed on the home screen to offer immediate access.
That will make it accessible at any time with clear indication of what it is. The alarm clock at first
was intended to be an external product connected to the app. During the testing the users
asked for the full functionality of an alarm clock so that will now be included in the app.
Progressive onboarding is added to assist the new feature introduction

After
 8. REFINING THE DESIGN

After addressing the usability test issues, I further refined the

design in order to prepare it for hand off. Preference testing
was employed to answer UI dilemmas and accessibility was
improved to ensure inclusivity.

https://www.figma.com/file/wzETWMihPHzAlo9vWQ9ajq/
Vela?node-id=149%3A1367