Yr's multi-view forecasts

Yr is a weather forecasting service run by both Norway's Meteorological Institute and Broadcasting Corporation. The two public organizations have a long history together, transmitting weather forecasts since 1923. In 2007, together they released Yr, which quickly became Norway's most popular weather forecasting service. Now the app delivers detailed weather forecasts worldwide.

Weather forecasting is a fiercely competitive business with an abundance of services available for users to choose from. In this crowded market, Yr's UI gives its service an edge by offering multiple ways to view the weather.

Why this is really good UX:

• Yr provides three weather views—animated, listed and trended—that lets the user customize the app to their preference. With only three views, the customization is limited to avoid overwhelming the user while still catering to most needs. The options enhance the experience because the user can get what they want since they are in control.
• The animated view, named “Sky,” uses animation to turn the typical static forecast into an engaging experience. Swiping from left to right, the user can visualize the day's weather, hour by hour.  Because the view permits graphics with greater detail than traditional weather icons, the UI can get closer to the user's real-life experience of weather. This helps set the right expectation in the user's mind of the weather to come.
• There are many benefits to using icons: they are visually pleasing, easy to recognize and make good hit targets for touch interfaces. But if the icon is unable to communicate meaning, they can be confusing, frustrating and hinder people from using a UI. The key is—as Yr has done here—to label icons with text to communicate their meaning and reduce ambiguity.