Oslo: The summer was wet and cold in Norway, but ground-breaking design has transformed the terrible weather forecasts for the benefit of everyone. Yr.no has just won its category in the Innovation Award for Universal Design.

Although the overall winner will be announced in November, yr.no, along with six other Norwegian projects has been announced as a finalist for the main prize – The Innovation Award for Universal Design 2011.

 “The weather affects us all, and the internet is increasingly important as a medium for weather forecasting. “It is vital that absolutely everyone has the same opportunity to access weather information”, says Onny Eikhaug of the Norwegian Design Council.

Yr.no has three million unique users every week and is one of Europe's biggest online weather services. It has just won the category for service and interaction design.

Weather for all

The current solution was developed by NRK and the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, and was launched in 2007 to become a pioneer of user-experience and accessibility for all. The website has been praised by the award jury for its optimal combination of simple and more detailed weather services.

 “It is extremely difficult to arrange so much complicated information in a way that anyone and everyone can make use of, and in this case yr.no provides an exemplary solution. A simple design foundation makes it straightforward to gain an overview of the weather, whilst at the same time advanced users can quickly access more detailed information”, says the jury member responsible for the category, Mikael Snaprud.

From 20 to 90 percent

According to the weather service’s own research, only 20 percent of users could interpret the old ‘meteogrammes’ that had been used to present the weather forecast. After redesign and a great deal of work on the information graphics, this figure has increased to nearly 90 percent of users who now understand the principle elements in the weather forecast.

The solution builds around information graphics and tables over several layers, and has been developed to include people with reduced ability, such as the blind and partially sighted. The symbol-based information is also easy to interpret by people who do not speak Norwegian.

Profitability in knives and forks

The winner in the product category is Hardanger Bestikk and Per Finne Industridesign for the Tuva cutlery series. The advance lies in the cutlery’s cast, hollow shaft, which provides improved grip especially for people with reduced dexterity.

The hollow shaft keeps weight and material usage down whilst maintaining an appealing and timeless design. This has made Tuva amongst the most popular cutlery designs on the market. Hardanger Bestikk increased turnover by nearly four million Norwegian Krone as a result, and achieved this during the economic crisis of 2009.

The first Innovation Award for Universal Design

The final category winner in the Innovation Award for Universal Design will be announced in November of this year at a ceremony at DogA (The Norwegian Centre for Design and Architecture). The award is sponsored by the Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion, with the Norwegian Design Council directing the process.

This is the first time that a Norwegian prize is to be awarded for innovative, universally designed products, services and environments. Former environment minister and politician Guro Fjellanger heads the jury, which includes seven of the country’s leading designers and architects, who together share a vast knowledge about universal design; Ole Christian Bergan, Sigmund Asmervik, Dave Vikøren, Marianne Støren Berg, Mikael Snaprud, Eirin Ryeng and Liv Kari Eskeland.

Pioneering work

The jury has considered a total of 47 qualified projects in the categories of product design, architecture, transport, furniture and interiors, graphic design, landscape architecture, and service and interaction design.

Jury Chairman Guro Fjellanger points at that universal design is pioneering work, and that this year's finalists also have potential for improvement. At the same time she believes that the seven category winners represent a significant step forward in the important work of making Norway accessible for all.  

 “The category winners show a number of innovative and good solutions which I hope will provide inspiration. We need better thought-out solutions which provide everyone with the opportunity to take an active part in society”, says Fjellanger.

[This article is written by Pressnytt for the Norwegian Design Council on behalf of the Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion. Pressenytt holds the editorial responsibility for the content of the article.]