Utilizing the Lock Screen with a Weather Widget

The lock screen is prime real estate to access frequently needed information.

An unobtrusive, interactive weather widget on the lock screen.

I didn’t want the widget to permanently occupy the same real estate as notifications because most people like seeing those front and center on their lock screen. My weather widget hides behind the date and time, and, by default, shows only a visual indicator of the weather and the current temperature outside. I wanted the default to be a bare minimum.

The widget, however, is interactive, so it can be expanded from the lock screen.

First level of expansion.

The first level of expansion shows the user the “Feels like” temperature and the high and low for the day. This provides more detail without overwhelming the user.

For more detail, and still without unlocking the phone, the user can expand into a second level of expansion.

Final level of expansion shows much more information.

This view mimics The Weather Channel’s app landing view. The user can toggle between three different views to achieve different levels of granularity.

When the user is done, they can tap anywhere to close the widget and return to their normal lock screen with all previous notifications in tact.