The product team assumption was that building lenses could be a powerful addition to the Zenly map and spark users interest in checking the weather forecast alongside seeing their friends whereabouts…
Let’s build the most delightful weather experience for our users through a dedicated lense on top of the main map
Weather apps tend to be very functional and lack a bit of spice, so we designed this new lens to be as exciting and engaging as the rest of Zenly. We defined 3 main drivers: unified with the map, valuable & delightful.
Our plan was to deliver a beautiful weather experience, very well integrated within the app ecosystem, with the goal of boosting map lenses engagement.
First, we wanted the main pictural element showcasing the current conditions to stand out. The idea was to convey a candy-like look & feel and integrate vibrant yet informative 3D assets — embodying the Zenly vibe perfectly.
We listed all the weather conditions we wanted to cover then turned over to Julien Martin & Makata Studio to help us craft amazing weather illustrations.
We designed the weather card component as a sharable item generated with a unique background based on the daytime, weather condition, and temperature.
This card can be triggered from the main view and we reused this visual concept to show the recent cities section.
Time to put the pieces together and articulate all the most useful weather information into one single page which can be accessed from the map.
We gave the top hierarchy to the current weather condition then we show the hourly forecast slider. It also felt important to let the user see the next days forecast right below.
We iterated with the design team on visual details so the feature naturally expands the app overall design language.
For the most part we followed brand & design system guidelines. We also brought the experience further by creating new components dedicated to the weather lens.
We looked at ways to further spread the value of the lens by adding a search capability that would encourage discovery and social behaviours (like checking the weather where friends are living or traveling).
It also allowed us to complete the feature set so it fits better with users expectations when using weather apps.
Zenly brings delight and optimism into their users life, so ultimately we had to come up with some sort of subtile and unexpected twists to complete the experience.
With the comparison feature we pointed users at big contrasts in weather conditions comparing their current location VS others, resulting in a simple yet fun mechanic.
We are honored to have been able to work with the Zenly team on their core product. Our contribution allowed the team to ship up to 3 lenses in public releases all strategic to the product roadmap.
While we can't share specific metrics around feature adoption for confidentiality reasons, we were proud to see this joint outcome of great quality used by many.
“ The Design Crew brilliantly delivered on this challenge as they helped us design and ship multiple map lenses with a velocity and a quality that met Zenly’s first-class design standards ”
