Yandex map + weather

graphic design

web design

content creation

digital design

product design

ux/ui design

Maps help users solve their everyday tasks. For example, navigating locations and finding specific places. As a product, Maps include several services: search, public transport, navigation, and taxi.

Users often face obstacles while trying to accomplish their tasks, and the product should help them overcome these challenges. For example:
– provide advance information about traffic congestion and suggest alternative routes;
– inform users about road closures in the city and build routes that avoid inaccessible areas;
– warn users if a place is about to close;
– suggest faster alternatives, such as taking a taxi instead of a bus, or more affordable options, for example combining a taxi ride with the metro.

Yandex map + weather

Yana Kruchinina
Valentina Belokhvostova
Polina Karpova

Credits

Yandex Practicum

Client

prototyping

design

testing

wireframing

research

Weather directly affects navigation scenarios: during a snowstorm, moving around the city becomes more difficult, and sometimes it’s better to stay at home.

Problem

Define an effective way to integrate Yandex Weather into Yandex Maps in order to improve users’ everyday decision-making and increase engagement within the Maps product.

Task

Implement a widget that shows weather conditions along the route and suggests alternatives when weather impacts travel time, comfort, or safety, with the goal of increasing successful route completion and user retention in Yandex Maps.

Solution

User story choosen

I conducted an ICE scoring to identify the most critical pain point and, based on it, formulated a user story: «When I plan a trip, I want to see an accurate weather forecast at key points along the route and at the time of arrival, so I can adjust my route or prepare in advance»

CJM and user persona

The customer journey map revealed that the main dissatisfaction related to weather-aware navigation occurs at the route planning stage, specifically when users enter the starting point and destination

Interwiev

We interviewed four participants from different cities across Russia, aged between 23 and 33. All respondents work in different fields and actively use navigation apps in their daily lives. For some, navigation is an essential part of their work, while for others it serves as a tool for time planning and route building

Сompetitor analysis

We conducted a competitive analysis of seven services that combine map and weather functionality. Based on this analysis, we formulated hypotheses for user interviews with representatives of the target audience

Research process

Additional visual cues were required to improve clarity and usability

Users encountered limitations of the prototype’s initial functionality

Participants expected a weather layer rather than individual weather icons on the map

In the initial design, some elements were not noticeable enough for participants

A low-fidelity wireframe was created and tested through prototype-based interviews with participants aged 24–44 who regularly use maps and pay attention to weather conditions before leaving home

Wireframing and testing

I designed a widget that displays weather conditions along the route and suggests alternatives when weather impacts travel time, comfort, or safety. The widget also collects user feedback on whether the proposed route optimized for current weather conditions was helpful

Final prototype

Leave your feedback to make the feature better

I decided to implement this weather widget in Yandex Maps because it preserves familiarity for users: the widget’s UI is consistent with the Yandex Weather app. Testing showed that users found this approach clear and easy to use — the interaction was intuitive, and the widget reduced friction by eliminating the need to switch between two separate apps

Overview