Physical Climate

Imagine you’re looking out the window, and it’s a rainy and gloomy day. This picture may energize you—for some, a cloudy day is like wrapping up in a blanket. Some people feel down when they think of such a day. They long for sunshine and bright days. Physical climate can affect moods and, in turn, people’s willingness to do activities. The climate can shape our perception of the world.

Let’s say you are a roofer installing roofing tiles on homes or a homeowner who just woke up to leave the house for work only to discover a foot of snow fell last night. The newly fallen snow means your roofer self will have a slippery day ahead. The homeowner version of you has an unexpected 30 minutes of shoveling snow in your future.

Physical climate also exists indoors. If you have ever seen a movie in an excruciatingly cold theater, you know what it feels like to be trapped. You paid $14 for the movie and $16 for popcorn, but you just wish you had a blanket and a sock hat to stay warm. It creates a dilemma: stay and freeze while distracted, or waste the money you paid for the ticket and leave. Designers shape indoor climates and can create lousy experiences if they don’t manage those conditions properly.

Physical climate conditions can impact emotions and real responsibilities. These conditions can expose misalignments in design, such as worn tires that aren’t suited to rainy conditions. They can also reinforce positive experiences, such as a bright spring day that energizes someone who regards sunshine as a sign of hope. When designers consider physical climate as a factor in experiences, they are more likely to catch ways these variable conditions impact experiences and how products, services, and systems can support desirable outcomes.

• Air temperature
• Rain
• Warmth from a fireplace
• A tornado
• Dense fog
• Pleasant breezes
• Cool air conditioning

When designers research a setting’s physical climate, they understand how conditions beyond people’s control shape their choices. When designers determine how products, services, and systems perform in various conditions, they can better adapt existing design outcomes and create new ones that match climate demands.