UV Weather + Waze App
As a consultant to build the architecture and design of the initial app, I created an entire UI/UX system was created and developed as a startup digital product and service focused on the weather and specifically the UV sun-rays through Coppertone, which provided the Digital Products and Services. Further along, a partnership with the Waze app led me to further integrate reports of traffic and rebates for products close by on the users route. For this project I specialized in user interface design, including front-end development which we considered to be an integral part, especially when resizing for Mobile, tablet and the Apple Watch.
Waze is a GPS navigation software app and a subsidiary of Google. It works on smartphones and tablet computers that have GPS support. It provides turn-by-turn navigation information and user-submitted travel times and route details, while downloading location-dependent information over a mobile telephone network.
The design challenge
Prompt: Design a product or service that helps users of Waze to keep watch on the sunlight’s natural UV status, which when too high could cause concerns, such as cancer or sunburns. The Coppertone App has to connect to Waze which would prompt the user with an in-app coupon which appears on a road-trip journey where they could get Coppertone products. A weather service in the Coppertone app would also include a track on the daily and weekly UV radiation in a clean, modern, and unique way.
Timeline: One month: one week for the challenge (initial prototype); three weeks for testing and iterations (finalized prototype),
It's often wondered why so many UV radiation victims do not evacuate their lives and protect the body safely, even after multiple warnings are given. Our research showed us that victims of UV radiation underestimate the situation especially in areas where the sun is strongest. They simply do not feel the sense of urgency and as a result, some lose their lives due to cancer.
For this project, I decided to design a product that would help users throughout the life cycle of a high UV radiation event with the goal of mitigating preventable loss of life, as well as some cool features to want to use the app daily or weekly.
Early research from official sources taught me that in the event of a skin cancer possibility, staying informed and knowing where to go for sun UV prevention are not just highly important, they’re also the best types of bodily protection. With that goal in mind, I knew the product we were setting out to design would have to:
- Convey an accurate sense of urgency in the area a user lives in
- Help users navigate to safety & shops where anti-UV lotions can be purchased
- Offer real-time updates of solar UV light information
- Researching comparative services
No existing products on the market currently achieved all these goals but some do handle some design points individually. From those, I pooled the most relevant features that could best serve our potential users. Some of these tools — Music player or Waze, for example — were even cited in later user testing interviews as frequent means for users to keep tabs on the progress of solar radiation days, by already using the app for either of those services.
The Coppertone and Waze combined application experience was developed alongside a desktop/mobile website portal on Coppertone’s website as well as a secondary Waze mobile app version, which required a new interface and layout to be successful. Keeping on brand, the website portal continued, the Waze App experience adding coupons and rebates on select products.
The Science
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is responsible for more than 95% of all skin cancers. The sun emits UV radiation but it isn’t connected to sunshine or heat like many think. This means we can’t see or feel it, so it can be difficult to understand.
There are three types of UV radiation:
– UVA: transmits freely through the earth’s atmosphere.
– UVB: about 15% of UVB transmits through to the earth’s atmosphere. The rest is absorbed by ozone.
– UVC: is absorbed by ozone and does not reach the earth’s surface.
UVA and UVB both contribute to skin cancer, sunburn, skin ageing and eye damage.
Exposure to UV radiation is the main factor that causes skin cells to become cancer cells. Almost all skin cancers are caused by over exposure to UV radiation.
The simplest way to reduce your risk of skin cancer is to use sun protection when the UV index is 3 or above.
