national Weather forcasting website
WeatherCAN
ROLE
UX Design
UX Research
Deliverables
Desktop Website
Mobile Website
The official Canadian weather website is a mission-critical utility, serving 1.6 million visits per day and over 585 million annual sessions.
The goal was a complete structural and visual revamp to modernize the user experience for everyone, from the casual citizen to the high-level scientist.
The goal was to complete structural and visual revamp to modernize the user experience for everyone, from the casual users to the high-level scientist.
Timeline
From explorations to final designs in 5 weeks while working with multiple projects at the same time
The existing site suffered from significant clutter and cognitive overload. Information not used by everyday users was displayed with high importance, creating a fractured experience.
Competing User Needs
· Everyday Users: Seek basic information and quick weather checks.
· Advanced Users (Scientists): Require highly detailed data exclusive to the ECCC website.
Stakeholder Friction
Because scientists create the content and provide the data, they serve as both stakeholders and clients. We faced tough discussions regarding what is "important," as scientists must agree to all structural and wording changes. To bridge this gap, we had to move beyond opinion and present supporting data to justify our design decisions.
Research & Planning
Conducted market research to identify existing scheduling challenges and user preferences. Defined target audience segments and outlined key features based on user needs and market trends.
Design & Prototyping
Collaborated with designers to create intuitive user interfaces and interactive prototypes. Iteratively refined designs based on user feedback to enhance usability and visual appeal.
Implementation
Leveraged agile development methodologies to build the scheduling app from the ground up. Prioritized feature development based on user feedback and technical feasibility. Implemented AI algorithms to analyze user behavior and optimize scheduling recommendations.
Testing & Optimization
Conducted rigorous testing across various devices and platforms to ensure compatibility and performance. Gathered user feedback through beta testing and iteratively optimized the app based on usability metrics and user satisfaction.
Where I Came In: The Visual Pivot
I joined the team after the initial design draft was completed. The team was unsatisfied with the direction, so we redesigned the visuals for most pages and implemented small structural tweaks to improve the foundation. My daily work involved weekly design crits, rapid ideation, and building the UI component library.
Research & Planning
UX Research: Decoding User Mental Models
To resolve the navigation gaps surfaced by website analytics, we utilized research to understand what users actually need.
Hybrid Card Sort
I co-directed a hybrid card sort study with two other interns to organize the navigation system.
· The Framework: We worked within 5 predefined categories: Radar & Maps, Past Weather, Weather, Data, and Specialized.
· The Method: We allowed 19 participants to categorize items freely to uncover mental models that our internal team might have missed.
· The Validation: Conducted a pilot study with 5 participants to ensure the research design was sound.
User Interviews
I sat in as a note-taker for user interviews and synthesized the findings into a research analysis report. This data was instrumental in redesigning the navigation to serve both user groups effectively.
Design & Prototyping
Design Iterations
· Structural Refinement: Based on card sort data, we optimized how users locate content across different sections.
· Visual Evolution: Moved from the initial draft to a more polished, component-based UI.
Collaboration is key
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Let data help you
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UX and UI go hand in hand
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The Journey Continues
We are currently fine-tuning the web experience and moving into the next phase: redesigning the mobile app.
current mobile app:
https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/weather-general-tools-resources/weathercan.html