Over the past few weeks, I ran a short survey to understand how people think about air quality — how often they check it, what information they trust, and what feels missing from the tools they use today.
The results were surprisingly consistent: Most people care about air quality, but only react to it when things look visibly bad — smoke, haze, or wildfires.
Awareness is high, but habits are shallow.
Three Kinds of Users
Across twenty-five responses, three distinct patterns emerged:
- The Guardian — parents and people with asthma who want to know, “Is it safe for my child (or me) to go outside?”
- The Performer — outdoor exercisers who want clarity on when it’s safe to train.
- The Observer — environmentally curious users who check in occasionally but aren’t acting on it.
These groups differ in motivation, but all share a common pain: Air quality data isn’t actionable enough.
The Problem: Data Without Direction
Most people rely on weather apps, glance at the AQI color, and move on. Very few know what PM2.5 or ozone mean, and even fewer know how to respond when the numbers rise.
Several respondents put it plainly:
“I don’t really know or understand the actual impact on me or my family.”
“Translating AQI into actual actions is the biggest issue.”
What People Want Instead
The most requested features weren’t complex dashboards or fancy charts — they were practical signals:
- Clear thresholds (“Should I run today?”)
- Forecasts a few days in advance
- Trusted, localized alerts (especially for wildfires or industrial emissions)
- Personalized guidance — “Run your purifier now,” “Close windows,” or “Take your inhaler before exercise.”
And trust matters. Users said they’d only follow health recommendations if they came from a verified medical source or a reputable government body.
The Future of Air Quality Tools
These findings point toward a more human-centered future for air quality design — one focused on translation rather than transmission.
Instead of another app that tells you the AQI is 152, imagine one that tells you:
“The air is unhealthy for sensitive groups. Keep workouts indoors this morning, but it’ll improve by 3pm.”
That’s what users want: clarity, context, and control. Because at the end of the day, people don’t want to monitor air quality —
they want to live well despite it.
These insights will inform the redesign of the Ayer app I built earlier this year. Here’s a case study of the previous round of work on Ayer.