Suncatcher

Sunny days are rare in Denmark, so when the sun comes out, it’s important to make the most out of it.

Knowing about the sun’s whereabouts throughout the day can be essential to survive the long danish winter, but this is not the kind of information that is easily accessible to newcomers. Prompted with the brief to design and quickly iterate a weather app over the course of a week, I decided to focus on the particular relationship that exists between Copenhageners and the sun. Suncatcher is not a regular kind of weather app, it's the kind that tells you where to find the best climate around you.

Knowing about the sun’s whereabouts throughout the day can be essential to survive the long danish winter, but this is not the kind of information that is easily accessible to newcomers. Prompted with the brief to design and quickly iterate a weather app over the course of a week, I decided to focus on the particular relationship that exists between Copenhageners and the sun. Suncatcher is not a regular kind of weather app, it's the kind that tells you where to find the best climate around you.

Discovery

The Suncatcher is built around a signature interaction inspired by a radar. The app let people interact with the city in a playful way, engaging their entire body in a sun dance when they point in the direction of nearby sunny spots.

Selection

For each sunny spot on the map, the app gives a quick overview of the location by showing the current sun exposure and pictures taken by other users.

Orientation

When a destination is selected, the Suncatcher transforms in a map, giving a more detailed look into the city.

Making

Built over the course of a week, the app and its core interactions were prototyped and iterated using Sketch and Origami.

First Iteration

Paper prototypes and mockups were made on the first day to test the core structure of the app. In this version, an arrow pointing to different sunny spots was the key orientation element.

Second Iteration

In a second version, the circle was brought forward as a central, and consistent element of the app from where users would orient themselves.

Final Iteration

Finally, the background map was removed to bring more focus on the core interaction and reinforce the Suncatcher's difference with other map-based apps.

Finally, the background map was removed to make the Suncatcher more legible and to refocus its purpose as an alternative way to orient around the city.

Individual Project made at CIID in April 2018

Faculty: Christian Palino, Joshua Dickens, Kristina Varshavskaya

Role: Concept, Prototyping, Video production

Tools: Sketch, Origami Studio

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sami.desir@gmail.com

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