At the initial meetings, both teams defined precisely the requirements, which we had to meet, discussed possible solutions and chose the best ones. We set the project goals and created an action plan. As the communication between our two teams was excellent, our enthusiasm about the project grew by the minute. We were ready to do the research and analysis for building our creative concept.
We looked into the leading weather apps worldwide and into their fastest growing competitors. By evaluating their strengths and weaknesses, we gained clear understanding of the what to focus on and what potential traps to avoid. Our team gained valuable insight and inspiration too.
For building a powerful concept, we analyzed the mobile app’s target audience thoroughly. We were ready to give users a unique experience every time when they check the weather.
A Detailed Concept
Our next step was the building of the information architecture. For this, we used mind maps which show the user path in the mobile application. We discussed everything with the team of our client to ensure that we were heading in the right direction. The mind maps served as the foundation for creating the wireframes for the user interface. Step by step, we made the conceptual design. The app’s content was structured and organized logically and we had a clear idea of what features to build. The blueprint was ready and we entered the development phase of the project.
Entirely Native Development
We designed and developed the mobile app especially for the Android and iOS platforms. Our team adhered to the highest standards strictly and achieved the desired result - a native application which performs perfectly on each mobile device in smooth sync with its operating system and hardware. This gives users outstanding experience at all times - all features work reliably and extremely quickly.
We created amazing designs for smartphones and tablets so that everyone enjoys perfect usability and a high level of satisfaction on all devices, regardless of their screen size. The elements are big and all details are clearly visible, while the layout is uncluttered. The app is easy to use and aesthetically appealing at the same time. This is essential for great user experience.
The features of the mobile app, which we created meticulously, make it the best friend of users when they travel to work or plan a trip:
- Showing the current weather forecast for the location of the user - You just need to tap on the logo icon on your smartphone or tablet to check the outdoor temperature and wind speed. The name of the place where you are and the time of the forecast are at the top of the screen - there’s no room for confusion.
- “Feels like” temperature - This additional information is quite important and makes it easier for users to decide how to dress and what accessories to take. That is why we placed it right under the actual temperature value.
- Detailed forecast with a single gesture - To see the current atmospheric pressure, humidity and visibility plus the time remaining to sunset and the length of the day, the user simply needs touch the screen and swipe up.
- Background matching the current weather conditions - This creative solution does not only please the eye, but gives you a better idea about the weather outside from a visual perspective. It’s a great addition to the stylish and beautiful icons which we created to indicate sunny, cloudy, rainy and snowy weather and so on.
- 24-hour weather forecast with details for every hour - You simply need to swipe left to access it and see what the outdoor temperature will be during every hour of the next 24. When you tap on a particular hour, a small window with the full information pops up. It’s easy, quick and convenient to check what the weather will be.
- Detailed 10-day weather forecast - If you are into advance planning, you can access this forecast from the menu. When you tap on a particular day, you will see all details which may be of interest to you, such as the likelihood of a storm and the daily UV index, in a small window.
- Creating a list of favorite locations and accessing them quickly - To select a location, you can use the search engine, which we built especially for the weather app. When you do this, it is automatically added to the “Favorites” section in the menu and can be accessed conveniently.
- Ski conditions in the large Bulgarian winter resorts - We created this section of the app especially for the skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts who want to enjoy every moment in the mountain to the fullest.
- Ski run and facility condition report - Upon selecting a resort, you can see the full list of ski runs in the local area plus information about their facilities, difficulty level and status (open, closed, partially closed and off limits). For each ski run, you can also check the temperature, wind speed and snow cover. It is also possible to watch live video footage from the cameras on each run and to explore its detailed map.
We built the native weather app to work with the location tracking feature of smartphones and tablets. This is how users see the weather forecast for the place where they are every time when they open the application. Updating the forecast requires only touching the screen and swiping down. We gave great thought to every detail to make the application highly useful.
The mobile weather app is free to download and to use, but brings revenue to its owner thanks to a flawlessly working monetization strategy. The strategy is based on the SmartAdServer system for serving banner ads which we integrated into the application. It is easy to use and performs impeccably. Thanks to it, companies can advertise their products and services to millions of potential customers. This is an effective way for the app’s popularity to be monetized.
Our team added Google Analytics and Mixpanel mobile analytics to the software for tracking user behavior for marketing purposes. The data is used for more accurate serving of banner ads. The personalization of ads increases the chance of consumers responding to them. In turn, both advertisers and the app’s owner earn higher returns. The analytics also give us a clue of how we can improve the user experience even further.
We also created a short tutorial for using the mobile app. It appears automatically when you first open the application and is directly accessible via the menu. It offers a brief description of all major features like the search engine, for example, and explanations which gestures to use for operating the app and how. It takes only a few seconds to “get to know” the app - it’s easy and convenient to use and offers a fabulous experience.
The weather app was ready for publishing. We designed an impressive icon and promotional graphics to give it a head start on Google Play and App Store. The widget for Android, which we built, can be placed on the user’s home screen for checking what the weather outside is like immediately upon starting the smartphone or tablet.
Our work wasn’t over with the publishing of the mobile app as we provide ongoing maintenance and upgrades to it. To track its performance, we integrated a system which automatically generates a report in case of a technical problem. This enables us to eliminate the issue in the fastest possible way and to make sure that users can receive a reliable weather forecast always. We optimize the user interface and add new features to the app so that it can always be up to date with the latest mobile technologies and have a long useful life.
Since the publishing of the weather app, it’s performed remarkably, given the size of the Bulgarian market. It has more than
1,520,000 downloads from Google Play and over 280,000 from the App Store and counting. People love the app and use it daily because of the accurate and detailed weather forecast, the beautiful intuitive interface, the fast updating of the information and the numerous helpful and easy-to-use features.
Excellent reviews, high ratings…It’s not surprising that
our creation holds the number 1 spot in the Weather category of Google Play for Bulgaria. Check it out.
