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Itinerant – a fuzzy weather forecast app

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Re: Itinerant – a fuzzy weather forecast app

#2

Post by tincholio »

I think this goes a bit too much in the "imprecise" direction, so much so that it doesn't convey actual useful information (at least in those images shown). First off, short-term weather forecasts are not inaccurate, for the most part, so knowing that the temperature will be 21C (±1 degree) is more informative than knowing it'll be "brownish mass". Secondly, the heatmap style makes more sense when it's overlaid on top of an actual map, and you have an actual scale to interpret it.

What does "cool", "warm", "warmer" mean in here?

That being said, the images look pretty nifty, so it has that going for it.

Re: Itinerant – a fuzzy weather forecast app

#3

Post by pttrn »

tincholio wrote: post #2

I think this goes a bit too much in the "imprecise" direction, so much so that it doesn't convey actual useful information (at least in those images shown). First off, short-term weather forecasts are not inaccurate, for the most part, so knowing that the temperature will be 21C (±1 degree) is more informative than knowing it'll be "brownish mass". Secondly, the heatmap style makes more sense when it's overlaid on to…

I see your point. The article doesn’t explain everything, inside the app there’s a “helper menu” that you can summon by tapping the screen and there you can see the actual exact temperature, precipitation, and wind intensity values (as numbers). They are sliders you can play around with, and are crucial in “training your eye” as to what the “brownish mass” actually maps to.

Re: Itinerant – a fuzzy weather forecast app

#4

Post by pttrn »

tincholio wrote: post #2

I think this goes a bit too much in the "imprecise" direction, so much so that it doesn't convey actual useful information (at least in those images shown). First off, short-term weather forecasts are not inaccurate, for the most part, so knowing that the temperature will be 21C (±1 degree) is more informative than knowing it'll be "brownish mass". Secondly, the heatmap style makes more sense when it's overlaid on to…

I've updated the article to be more clear about the existence of the auxiliary interface. Thanks for the comment, super useful!

Re: Itinerant – a fuzzy weather forecast app

#5

Post by tincholio »

pttrn wrote: post #4
tincholio wrote: post #2

I think this goes a bit too much in the "imprecise" direction, so much so that it doesn't convey actual useful information (at least in those images shown). First off, short-term weather forecasts are not inaccurate, for the most part, so knowing that the temperature will be 21C (±1 degree) is more informative than knowing it'll be "brownish mass". Secondly, the heatmap style makes more sense when it's overlaid on to…

I've updated the article to be more clear about the existence of the auxiliary interface. Thanks for the comment, super useful!

Sure thing!

Re: Itinerant – a fuzzy weather forecast app

#6

Post by nemo1618 »

I really like this. Reminds me of the difference between analog and digital watches: the former gives you a "fuzzy" time, but also a more visceral understanding of how "close" one time is to another. Maximum precision can be useful, but it also feels unnatural, more appropriate for machines than humans. It's important to remember that accuracy and precision are not the same thing!

Re: Itinerant – a fuzzy weather forecast app

#7

Post by pradn »

nemo1618 wrote: post #6

I really like this. Reminds me of the difference between analog and digital watches: the former gives you a "fuzzy" time, but also a more visceral understanding of how "close" one time is to another. Maximum precision can be useful, but it also feels unnatural, more appropriate for machines than humans. It's important to remember that accuracy and precision are not the same thing!

Time is reckoned in quarters in many parts of the world, especially rural areas. At my computer job, I can always see the time in minutes, so I leave for meetings with the least amount of wasted time. Precision is both indicative and generative of action.
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