We Test the Waters
So You Don't Have To
Current weather apps are either too complex and hard for first time users to learn, too simple with not enough information or adaptability, or limited to specific sports. I wanted to test if VELA could provide an improved experience.
Early user interviews indicated that users are lacking the rich information that statistics alone cannot provide and that users do not all prioritize the same weather metrics. They wanted a more dynamic and user focused experience.
Users want an app that offers user initiated reviews of locations and conditions in a Wiki format so people can share with each other the things that numbers can't. Let the user adapt the app and metrics based on their sport and interests.
I conducted a competitive analysis of five sites ranging from metric heavy apps targeted toward expert level water sport enthusiasts and more distilled experiences targeted toward specific sports. In all instances there were gaps in what they provided and how they allowed users to interact with the content. Most commonly, the apps offered a set number of metrics and provided a great depth of historical data but less actionable content. I hypothesized that VELA could differentiate itself by providing a service that filled in the gaps.
I conducted both qualitative user interviews and a targeted survey. I used interviews to understand how and if different water sport enthusiasts used apps to track conditions. As expected, a lot of users said that hazards and conditions were important but an unexpected recurring theme was that users will often use apps to plan future trips to new locations. When near home, users were more likely to rely on their past experience and traditional weather app.
A lot of apps already allowed users to set up alerts or check historic conditions but interviewers said that, when trying new places, they wanted a local's perspective. I hypothesized that users's were more interested in local, qualitative knowledge rather than historic data. I did however think that they would like webcams to check conditions. So, I created a survey to determine what metrics were important to users based on those that I uncovered through my competitive analysis and user interviews.
There was a clear trend. Surprisingly, most users did not think webcams were useful. So I decided that these were not necessary to the app. However, as I thought, they did want local knowledge. It was clear that to differentiate from other apps and to give user's what they wanted, the app needed a qualitative, crowd-sourced knowledge base, or a Wiki. Also, most users did not do just one sport and people needed flexibility. This was another opportunity for VELA to differentiate from other apps.
"I do more than one sport; I like to try new things."
"I want to know what people who have surfed there think."
"It is very important to talk to locals if it’s a new area we haven’t visited before."
Current weather apps are either too complex and hard for first time users to learn, too simple with not enough information or adaptability, or limited to specific sports. Water sport users aren't all surfers and they aren't limiting themselves. Vela shouldn't limit them either.
Early interviews indicate that users are lacking the rich information that statistics alone cannot provide and that users do not all prioritize the same weather metrics. They new a more dynamic and user focused experience,
Weather Conditions, Water Conditions, Experience, and Local Reports are Important. Webcams and Historical Data? Not so much. When other apps focus on webcams and outdated data, Vela can offer users the actionable information that they want.
There were two key types of users: the professional users and the free time users. I used created Personas based on these profiles and used them along with Scenarios and User Journey Maps to inform the flow of several key features. These features are key points of differentiation between Vela and other products and represent the direct requirements uncovered during user research. The WaveWiki is a crowdsourced, qualitative information resource about water sport locations that allows users to directly engage with and take ownership with the product. It serves Ethan's purposes by providing a first-hand knowledge about locations. "Waves" reward user engagement in the community and drive a sense of ownership. Adaptable metrics make Vela useful for all of our personas, regardless of their sports. Hazard and weather alerts fulfill Valerie's need to plan and Sarah's desire to go hands off unless there is a hazard whereby she will be automatically alerted even when on the water.
"I used to spend a lot of time on the water till we started a family. Now I try and plan family trips whenever I can.”
“I don’t need the perfect day; it doesn’t exist. But I have so few days, that I want my time on the water to be the best it can be.”
GOAL
Get Weather Updates for My Planned Weekend
ENTRY POINT
Login Page
SUCCESS CRITERIA
Save a new alert for a location and return to the home screen
“The ocean is the only place where nothing else exists. It’s me and the wave.”
“I don’t care about trendy spots or destination vacations, I just want to know where to catch the best waves.”
GOAL
See what other users have to say about the are so he can decide if he should extend his trip
ENTRY POINT
Login Page
SUCCESS CRITERIA 1
Read WaveWiki Entry
SUCCESS CRITERIA 2
Saved New WaveWiki Entry and Rated Site before returning to the Home Screen
“My parents think I’ll give this up after college, but I cannot imagine ever quitting.”
“I connect with my friends through social media and phones and I connect with my teammates the same way.”
GOAL
Set up my favorite location as a site in the app so she set up hazard alerts
ENTRY POINT
Login Page
SUCCESS CRITERIA
Turned on Hazard Push Notifications and returned to the Home Screen
Card sorting indicated that WaveWiki, Waves, and Water News were grouped together by participants. However, from succeeding testing, WaveWiki was integrated into the Location Pages. Yet, some clear groupings emerged and remained as they were subsequently validated through user comments. Favorites and Alerts were distinct categories and all location information aside from WaveWiki content were additionally grouped. This, along with user interviews, informed and directed the first early wireframes.
Early wireframes separated WaveWiki content from the Location's Metrics Page. Through early, this proved difficult since switching between content was not intuitive and overly-complicated. Alerts were also not featured on the main task bar but instead at the top alongside settings.
High-Level Prototypes featured a tabs for Location pages to easily switch between weather metrics and WaveWiki content. Alerts were moved to the task bar for easier access.
The goal of the study was to ascertain how easy the app and website were to navigate for first time users. By observing potential users’ interactions with the current prototypes, we were be able to determine if users were able to easily add favorites, search for sites, set up and alter alerts, and access and add to the WaveWiki.
Overall, participants rated each task as relatively easy to complete despite some key observed errors. The lowest, searching and adding to favorites through the desktop version, was rated a five. This seems to suggest that overall users found it easy to complete the task even though they had issues first locating the search through the “My Locations” tab. In the end, if the desktop prototype had made the search link at the top available to users, they likely would not have had an issue.
The second lowest ratings were 5.5 for reordering favorites on the app and adding wiki comments through the app. Through observation, most users had very little problem reordering favorites but there were some issues with icons used and these could be addressed. When asked why they had difficulty adding comments through the app users said it was primarily due to difficulty finding the WaveWiki. This is perhaps the largest error in the App and may need additional testing moving forward and through different design iterations.
The largest issues with the desktop was the inability to find the link through “My Locations” which uncovered some issues with the current tab names. Users generally rated everything as easy aside from some minor individual issues. Furthermore, users felt that the experience between the two was “cohesive” and focused on them.
“I love the icons for all the weather. It makes it stand out. Makes it easy to read quickly.”
“It’s great if I can change the top five and change the settings.”
"It’s about me. It’s relevant.”
“That’s what I want. What science can’t tell me. Cause the numbers don’t always tell you what you want to know.”
“Everyone has an incentive to leave comments ... it’s a reliable source because people can leave an honest, good or bad, comment about the place.”
“I’m not going to lie, I like earning waves. I don’t know what they are but I felt like I really wanted to add more comments.”
“I like that everything is right there. It would be a good reason to try the desktop.”
“I like that it’s not just numbers. I like that I can see more than that.”
“See I’m looking for something that says ‘WaveWiki’.”
“I want to be able to add from one location ... choose which category to post to.”
“’My Locations’ seems like where to find what is already added. Not a place to add.”
ISSUE: Users had significant issues finding the WaveWiki link in the app. Some of this may be due to positioning and legibility.
SUGGESTED CHANGE: Alter the positioning and contrast of the WaveWiki link and add an icon.
EVIDENCE: Each of the six testers had issues finding the link and either needed direction or hints. The task of adding a comment was easy but difficulty finding it caused several testers to rate the ease of the task as low despite a high overall average rating.
ISSUE: Problems with Link Names on the Desktop Version
SUGGESTED CHANGE: Rename the links and separate some content into two pages based on tester feedback. Also, we should make search links on the main page active in the prototype.
EVIDENCE: “My Locations” was rated confusing by testers. Some said that it was where they expected to find their content but not to search for new content.
ISSUE: Testers had issues with the settings icon location and contrast
SUGGESTED CHANGE: Change the prominence of the settings icon. Add this feature to onboarding.
EVIDENCE: While no one had an issues with completing the task, it took too long for people to identify where to go to change individual alert settings.
ISSUE: Users wanted a “save” button for alerts once they made a change
SUGGESTED CHANGE: Add a “save” button to alert settings.
EVIDENCE: Several testers not only froze at this point but some said that they didn’t know where to save or if it had already saved.
ISSUE: Not all users wanted current location at the top or even wanted it at all and if they did want it they wanted it to show water conditions over forecast.
SUGGESTED CHANGE: Give the user control over this feature and allow it to be turned on or off and then to be set to weather or their “top five” conditions.
EVIDENCE: This was a feature that though each user had a different issue, all of their issues could be resolved by allowing them to control the settings themselves.
These five errors represent the most immediate needs and given the time and budget, we could further refine the design based on the tester’s feedback. But for now, the response about the overall design and intent of the app was high with users especially engaged with the idea of the WaveWIki function. If properly integrated into the app this will be a high selling feature and key point of differentiation from competitors. It is key that we develop the most effective interface for this.
The app made some significant changes through development. Key design elements evolved through research and iterative design into a more fully developed product focused on user requirements and marketability. The current product provides market differentiation and unique value that, as it continues to evolve, would become a full water sport community. Let Vela "test the waters" for you.
