Buoy

Creating a sleek and modern interface that is both intuitive and appealing to the surfing community as well as other outlier users was imperative. Since a variety of people would find use in this app, from pro surfers to beginners, the aim was to create a data visualization system that people can comprehend at a glance.

Goal

Designing a sleek brand and a straightforward forecasting app with self explanatory and easily comprehensible data.

Role

Brand Designer, User Experience and User Interface Designer

Tools

Adobe Illustrator, Adobe XD

I still like to start designing with the good ol’ pen and paper.

After an in-depth research, speaking with surfers, looking at apps and trying out the waves ourselves, I crafted a UX strategy, with these being the primary users:

  • A new surfer who needs an easily navigable application with simple language so that they can get to the information they need easily without having to learn surf language and terms.

  • A seasoned surfer who needs an app that warns them of extreme surf conditions and notifies them when their optimal surf conditions are present

  • An athlete/swimmer who needs a forecasting app with a quick view of the surf conditions so that they know the best and mellowest conditions to safely practice or go out for a swim

Once that was all figured out, I put some of my ideas down on paper.

Digital wireframes were helpful in understanding how data visualization could be more impactful.

A versatile, visually impactful and user-first design.