Mobile App Success Story: What The Forecast -

Mobile App Success Story: What The Forecast

Imagine having fun while checking the weather report for the day? Imagine finding yourself smiling no matter what the weather forecast says? Well, an app can do that to you!
What the Forecast?!! is an app that tells users what the weather is like in terms they can relate with. The app adds humor to readings, with comments such as “is this fedora weather? Nope, it’s never fedora weather” shown together with the weather stats for the day. By doing so, users do not only get to see the forecast for the day in an unusual way – but also get to have a good laugh while at it.

          

The app which is absolutely free to download comes with a little bit of nonetheless. There is, however, a button under the ‘app settings’ section, which allows users to turn it on, off or allow it appear sometimes. The app has the ability to forecast weather up to 7 days in advance and users can see the current temperature of the day, as well as wind speeds and in-depth information about the weather conditions. The app also provides forecast each hour, apart from the 7 days in advance, for the following 48 hours.

Brilliant Idea

Developed by William King of  Night Cat Productions, What the Forecast?!! is a weather app that takes a totally new approach when informing its users about the weather. The app gives you an insight of what it is like outside while cracking you up. This humor attached to the app is one reason users are endeared to it.
William King found a way to make knowing what the weather will be fun. He understood that sometimes people get disappointed when they discover they probably would not be able to leave the house or meet up with their appointments because the weather would not let them. So, he discovered a way to lighten the mood; make them smile while giving them the bad news.
The app also comes with a screenshot option. Users find this very useful as they are always coming across several phrases they find totally hilarious and would love to share with friends and family. The app allows users to share their screenshots on Facebook, Twitter and so on.

How What The Forecast?!! Did It

What the Forecast?!!, an award-winning app has grown over time to become a pillar in the service and utilities app industry. The app won a 2018 People’s Choice Webby Award under the Mobile sites and apps category- Services and Utilities; mostly because it was able to win the heart of its users who voted massively for the app to win. What the Forecast?!! was able to achieve this feat as a result of conscious efforts the app’s team continuously makes towards user-satisfaction. It is as a result of these conscious efforts that the app came up with the following features:

  • The weather reports are described using Over 8,000 phrases that range from hilarious to obnoxious
  • There is a section dedicated to the description of basic weather terms for users who are not familiar with these terms.
  • The app is considered accurate as it delivers weather reports directly from Aeris weather; with weather alerts gotten from NOAA
  • There is a screenshot sharing option within the app, for you to share all the weather reading comments which might have given you a good laugh.
  • Weather reports and sayings can also be listened to in several voices as there are a number of options for users.

          

Business Model

What the Forecast?!! Is not just a basic weather app. The app, available on iOS and Android platforms is primarily concerned with user satisfaction, as visible in its features. Here are a few ways the app has been able to make itself stand out.

Beautiful Maps Accompanied By Weather Visualizations

What the Forecast?!! also comes with a number of amazing maps which allow users to check the complete weather reports and data from past and future dates. This feature comes along with stunning visuals which make the whole process interesting.

          

The Use Of Personalization Options

The weather app brilliantly comes with a number of personalization options for its users. These options allow users customize the app to suit their style, thus giving them a sense of belonging and ownership.  Some of these personalization options include the option of changing the color, time format, radius and so on of the app, all of which are under the ‘settings’ category. The most prominent option is the ‘voice change’ option. The voice feature comes up when you first open the app.  The voice settings allow users to change the volume, pitch, rate, and accent of the voice. However, users are also given the option of adding extra voices for $1, thus generating revenue for the app and giving users a more fun experience.

Push Notifications Based On Current Weather Reports

What the Forecast?!! notifies users about the current weather report of their location, per time, with a high level of accuracy; reminding them in several fun ways to take an umbrella if it is going to rain or be too sunny. This is very similar to the method weather apps like AccuWeather adopts. These push notifications make it easy for the users to rely on and get “used to” the app and sometimes they even find themselves expecting to get notified by the app.

Ads-Free Version

In as much as the app tries to place ads subtly, some users may not like the fact that these ads appear at all. So, the app introduced the ads free version, as a way to not only foster user satisfaction and subsequently generate revenue; as users are required to pay a token of $2 in order to purchase the ad-free version.

Final Thoughts

The unusual weather app has no doubt introduced a new approach to getting weather reports. Formerly, people had weather apps for the sole purpose of checking the weather, no fun attached. In fact, most times they are left feeling depressed when the report tells them something contrary to what they need to hear.  What the Forecast?!! sort to change all of that. Considering how fun it is, users are not only endeared to it, but most of them spend time refreshing the app just to find new fun phrases to laugh over. The app came into the industry with a totally fresh and brilliant concept which gave it access to massive followership and there is no doubt that this approach brought them the success.


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