Proposing an expanded, optional Dual Units display mode in the Tempest apps that shows Dual Units side-by-side; for example:
Temperature: 18.1°C (64.6°F)
Wind: 12 km/h (7 mph)
Rain: 2.8 mm (0.11 in)
Pressure: 1014 hPa (29.94 inHg)
Distance/visibility: 10 km (6.2 mi)
This removes unit switching and mental math for mixed-unit households, international families, educators, and users who think scientifically in °C but live in °F regions (and vice versa).
Summary
Add a user-selectable mode that displays a secondary, read-only unit next to the primary unit across the app (and widgets/notifications). Start with temperature; optionally extend to wind, precipitation, and pressure.
Problem
Today, nearly every weather data provider assumes a single global unit preference per user/view, but real-world usage is multi-audience and cross-border.
This gap creates avoidable friction and risk:
1. Decision latency & errors
People routinely communicate weather to others who think in the “other” unit. Weather is one of the top discussion points for small talk around the globe. On-the-fly conversion slows decisions and introduces rounding/interpretation errors (e.g., alerts relayed to visitors, students, or crews unfamiliar with the primary unit).
2. Channel inconsistency
A station’s unit choice often differs across channels (mobile app, kiosk/signage, embedded web views, social posts), which erodes trust when numbers don’t “match” what a recipient expects.
3. Operational overhead
Users and staff resort to switching units back and forth or maintaining parallel displays, creating extra steps, more training, and more support questions (“what is that in °F/°C?”).
4. Accessibility & inclusion
Mixed-unit environments (expats, STEM education, tourism) are common. A single-unit UI excludes part of the audience or forces cognitive load on them.
Market context (why now)
In the U.S., 24% discuss the weather at least daily and 72% do so at least weekly. A dual-display reduces mental conversion in one of the most frequent small-talk topics. ( How often and where Americans get information on the weather | YouGov )
UK Met Office research (Aug 2025) found people spend 56.6 hours/year talking about the weather; 60% say it’s their go-to small-talk topic. Other coverage notes 28% talk about it at least daily and 43% often use it as an ice-breaker. ( People spend over two days a year talking about the weather amid potential record-breaking summer warmth - Met Office )
User value
Mixed-unit households: one view works for everyone.
Travelers/expats/scientists: faster comprehension without losing native context.
Education/STEM: side-by-side units are excellent for teaching and comparison.
Community sharing: fewer “what’s that in °F/°C?” questions and support requests.
Business justification (Professional/Enterprise customers)
Dual Units meaningfully benefits organizations that deploy Tempest hardware, data, or white-label views across international or tourist-facing contexts, including municipalities, campuses, resorts, event venues, utilities, transportation/logistics, media, and OEM partners.
Higher embed adoption & partner satisfaction:
Public dashboards, kiosk displays, digital signage, and embedded widgets become “unit-agnostic,” increasing engagement from visitors who read the secondary unit.
Cross-border operations:
Organizations with multinational teams standardize on a single display that serves both units: useful for airports, ports/marinas, universities, global hotel brands, and sports/tourism venues.
Safety & clarity:
Alerts and announcements can display both units, reducing risk of misinterpretation in multinational crews or guest communications.
Commercial upsell & differentiation:
A small UI enhancement improves perceived polish for professional services and OEM offerings, helping close deals where international audiences are common.
Low engineering cost, broad surface impact:
The change is primarily a formatting/UI treatment; no backend model changes. Payoff spans apps, widgets, and shareable embeds with minimal regression risk.
Scope (Phase 1: Temperature)
Surfaces:
Current conditions, Today/Now cards, station detail, history header, push notifications, and Android/iOS widgets (and, where applicable, embeddable public views).
Format:
Primary SecondaryInParens → 12.3°C (54.1°F) or 54.1°F (12.3°C).
Behavior:
Alerts, thresholds, and sorting continue to use the primary unit only.
Rounding:
Mirror the primary unit’s decimal precision for both values to avoid off-by-one confusion.
Settings
Units → Mode:
Metric, Imperial, Dual (Metric primary), Dual (Imperial primary)
Alternatively, a single Dual Units toggle plus a Primary unit selector.
Default remains unchanged for existing users (no behavioral change unless enabled).
Phase 2 (optional, same pattern)
Wind: 12 km/h (7 mph)
Rain: 2.8 mm (0.11 in)
Pressure: 1014 hPa (29.94 inHg)
Distance/visibility: 10 km (6.2 mi)
Design notes
Keep the secondary unit visually subordinate (parentheses + lighter text).
Use existing conversion utilities; this is primarily a UI formatting change. No backend/data model changes required.
Ensure consistency across notifications, widgets, and public/embedded views.
Accessibility & i18n
Screen readers should read both values clearly (“eighteen point one degrees Celsius; sixty-four point six degrees Fahrenheit”).
Localize spacing/number formats per locale guidelines.
Acceptance criteria
1. When Dual Units is enabled, temperature values display in both units across the specified views, widgets, and public embeds.
2. Alerts/thresholds continue to evaluate and display in the primary unit only.
3. Decimal precision follows the primary unit’s setting for both values.
4. Existing behavior is unchanged when Dual Units is off.
Impact & metrics
Positive benefit of inclusivity in displaying both standards, avoiding friction of manual unit-conversion (consumer and enterprise).
Increased time-on-page and widget usage for public/embedded views in international contexts.
Positive NPS/CSAT verbatims around clarity, “international friendliness,” and “staff/guest comprehension.”
Risk & effort
Low risk and limited surface area; relies on established conversion code paths.
Default-off minimizes regression risk.
This would be a small, high-leverage enhancement that makes Tempest more approachable for global audiences and more operationally efficient for professional customers.
Thanks for considering it!