The Brief

“The objective is to provide beautifully displayed and easy to understand wind, wave, snow and weather reports, forecasts and statistics for sailors, surfers, divers, skiers, snowboarders, alpinists and any other water and snow sport aficionado.”

For this project, I will explore ways to take weather report apps to the next level through research, analysis, and UX design best practices. Some of the exciting puzzles that this app will set out to solve include designing easy-to-comprehend data displays, figuring out ways to encourage users to get in the habit of checking the app before heading out, and making the UI attractive.

In this project I will illustrate the UX design process from start to finish within the context of an app-building project.
In the following case study I will show and explain how I approached, tackled and developed solutions for the given brief.

Competences

Competitor Research
User Research and Analysis
Persona Creation
MVP Definition
User Flows and Task Analysis
Wireframing and Prototyping
Usability Testing
Storytelling

Client

CareerFoundry

Duration

Six months

Tools

Adobe XD
Illustrator
Photoshop
Google Forms
Google Analytics
GoogleSheets
Optimal Sort
Usability Hub
Marvel

The process

Problem Statement

No one likes having to switch between multiple apps to get the full picture. Neither do our sports fans!
By conducting in-depth research and analysis, two main problems were discovered for users. Firstly is the inability to check the weather forecast for multiple sports related to water and snow all in one place. The other pain point is the lack of highly customisable solutions, which was found to be a very desirable asset.

● Information is often overwhelming, fragmented and hard to read.
● Accuracy of forecast is often too low, determining a lack of reliability.
● There is plenty of weather apps but none seem to be done for sport lovers who aren’t necessary weather experts.
● Limited customisation according to individual needs of the users.

Potential Solution

Vela app allows outdoor sports enthusiasts to feel empowered, knowledgeable and ready to jump on their favourite board or surface within moments. Not only does it provide easy-to-read reports for multiple sports, it also goes above and beyond by offering a platform to trade and sell sports equipment as well as a community to facilitate activity planning and knowledge sharing with the other members. This app is an all-in-one solution, providing highly customisable sport-specific info from weather forecast authorities and peers already out in the spot.
Vela has the right weather for you!

● Providing a “one-stop app” where all info needed for weather forecast, optimal conditions and advice for outdoor activities is available.
● Giving users the possibility to customise the app in order to tailor it to their needs.
● Building a community of sports enthusiasts where they can check and share live weather updates to improve forecast reliability. Users will also be able to exchange tips and secrets about where and when to go to enjoy their ideal conditions.
● Trading sports equipment to help reduce waste and promote a circular economy.

The Competition

Our competition is represented by built-in weather forecast apps. Direct competition is represented even more by players like Windy.App, Windfinder, Wisuki, Surfline, Magic Sea Weed, Nautide, J2ski and On The Snow. And many other weather forecast apps and websites specifically thought for outdoor sport activities.

SWOT Analysis of the Main Competitor

The Interviews

Research Goals

● Understand the user needs and behaviour around outdoor sport activities.
● Learn about users perception and experience with weather forecast services.
● Individuate weather triggers and points of friction when practicing outdoor sport activities.
● Collecting data related to the context in which users use weather and sport apps or websites.
● Gathering info and data to prove my hypothesis and generate useful insights.

Research Details

Platform: in-person
Number of interviewees: 3
Time required: 2 days
Number of questions: 11

Key Insights

● No weather app completely satisfies sportive users      (especially those who practice multiple sports).
● Using multiple apps for the same scope is annoying.
● For many people weather reports aren’t easy to understand
● Everyone loves tailor-made solutions.
● Sharing experiences is an added value.
● It’s easier to trust friends and knowledgeable people.

● Everyone likes a head-up (i.e. ideal snowboard day tomorrow).
● Better safe than sorry (i.e. storm alert).
● Everyone trusts a real-time picture (or video) more than a forecast
● Knowing how a new place is, helps to prepare for it
● Everyone would like to know if an event related to their favourite sport is happening nearby

Get
To Know
The Target

The Personas

Two final user personas were created and kept in mind during the whole project advancement. They were created based on data gathered from user interviews, surveys and in-depth research. One is a younger sport enthusiast with little knowledge of weather reports, the other is a more experienced water sport aficionado with good knowledge of how to read weather reports and a busy life. Goals and needs, and motivations and frustrations were the base of any decision made during the whole course of the project in order to strictly adhere to the potential target audience preferences and necessities.

The User Journey

The user journey maps were created to better empathise with the potential users. It helped to better understand the thoughts, behaviours and emotions that the user would go through while trying to organise a perfect day (or more) at the beach or by the mountains practicing their favourite sport.

The User Flow

This user flow is an example of what a first time user would need to go through in order to use Vela. It represents one of the multiple user flows thought and designed in order to better project the way our users would interact with the app.

First time user

Wireframes from Low    to High

Prototype Usability Tests

Usability Test Plan - Overview

Background

Vela is a weather app that has the objective to provide beautifully displayed and easy to understand wind, wave, snow and weather  reports. As well as forecasts and statistics for sailors, surfers, divers,  skiers, snowboarders, alpinists and any other water and snow sport aficionado. At the same time, the app aims to become the main hub    for water and snow sports communities, sports equipment trading and location discovery.

Goals

The study aims to test the usability of the Vela app on a smartphone device. The usability test will evaluate the core features’ functionalities, the user journey and the feel of the app. Based on the feedback from the participants, improvements will be evaluated and implemented accordingly.

Test Details

• All tests have been moderated 
• 5 Remote
• 1 In person
• Test ran with laptop or smartphone
• Used Zoom software                           (incl. recording)
• Shortest test: 25 minutes
• Longest test: 55 minutes

Tasks

1. Log in into the app
2. Search ideal location for your sport
3. Identify good conditions
4. Change the filters
5. Change “Favourites” displayed order
6. Look up description of a location
7. Check weather in the next hours
8. Read weather details
9. Customise weather details

Demographics

All usability tests’ participants are aged between 29 and 38 years old, 4 out of 6 strictly in target, and 3 female and 3 male. One participant works in the sport industry. All of them usually spend between 5-10 hours a day online. They have affirmed to be highly influenced by rating and review when choosing to download an app.

A/B Testing - Overview

Tests
3 Preference Tests were performed online.

Tool
The testing has been performed via the platform Usabilityhub.com

Version
All screens tested were for the Mobile version of the app.

Components
1. Global navigation buttons - Colours options
2. Weather buttons “Overview/Details” - Size options
3. Weather “Play-bar” - Hours display and general layout options

Recruitment
Self-recruitment via colleagues and friends circle.

Participants
Total of 40 per each preference test.

Location
23 from Italy
8 from Germany
4 from USA
5 from other countries

Gender
55% Female
45% Male

UI
Style
Guide

Tone of Voice

Vela’s tone of voice is to the point, no serif!

The goal is to be friendly and cool, like only surfers and snowboarders can be, to create a sense of community. At the same time, it is very important to find the right balance with the slang and “cool” words. In order to reach a wider audience and be comprehensible also for the beginners it can’t be pushed too much.

It must communicate trust, safety and knowledge to be non-questionable at all times, so that our users can always count on us without second guessing. Content and data have to be brief, easy to understand and clear, no user should be left in doubt or feel overwhelmed.

Vela is that good reliable friend to go to, that knows everything about weather, sea and mountain, and water and snow sports, but that also knows when to stop and how to tell the story in a simple way, understandable even by your grandma.

Final High Fidelity Wireframes

Final Prototype - Video

*Appendix with some of the internal material

User Stories
Competitive Analysis
Survey and Interviews
Research Analysis
User Journey Maps
User Flows
Sitemap
Usability Test Results