What it does
Tide Guide is a specialized weather application designed for coastal and marine activities. It provides users with detailed, real-time data on tides, wind speed, swell height, and solunar events. The app visualizes this information through interactive graphs and customizable dashboards, helping users like fishers, surfers, and boaters plan their activities around optimal conditions.
Where it shines
The app excels in its presentation of complex data. The main tide chart (01:43) is not just a static image; users can press and hold to scrub through the timeline, getting precise tide height at any given minute. Another impressive moment is the map-based location discovery (03:17). When a user presses on the map to find a new station, a mini tide graph for that exact point instantly appears at the bottom, offering immediate contextual feedback. Finally, the level of layout customization (04:08) allows users to build a personalized forecast view, showing only the data points they care about.
UX highlights
- Interactive Data Scrubbing: Users can long-press on any graph to get precise data points for a specific time, making the charts highly functional (01:44).
- Contextual Previews: The app provides useful previews in multiple places, such as showing a mini tide chart when selecting a location on a map (03:25).
- Granular Customization: The layout editor for the multi-day view offers extensive control, allowing users to toggle everything from tide times to hourly weather conditions (04:10).
- Clear Information Hierarchy: Important data like the current tide status and time to the next high/low is presented prominently at the top of the main screen.
- Multiple Data Views: The app caters to different preferences by offering a daily graph view, a 10-day list view (03:46), and a dedicated solunar view (04:50).
- Thoughtful Settings: Features like customizable notifications for specific tide events (05:51) and multiple app icon choices (07:02) show attention to user experience details.
Monetization & growth
Tide Guide employs a paywall-first onboarding strategy. The very first screen (00:03) presents Monthly, Yearly, and Lifetime subscription options, with the yearly plan offering a 7-day free trial. The value proposition is communicated through a dynamic carousel of app features running in the background. The app confirms the purchase via the native App Store UI (01:05) and immediately unlocks all pro features. There is no user registration or account creation required, reducing friction on the path to conversion.
Who it’s for
This app is built for individuals whose activities are heavily influenced by marine conditions. This includes surfers looking for the right swell, fishers tracking solunar periods for better catches, and boaters needing to know tide heights for navigation. The depth of data and customization options suggests it targets serious hobbyists and professionals who need reliable and detailed information, rather than casual beachgoers.
Notes & opportunities
The app is incredibly data-rich, but this can be overwhelming for new users. While the onboarding is direct, it doesn't offer any guidance on how to interpret the charts or what different metrics mean. Adding optional tooltips or a brief tutorial after the location is set could improve the initial learning curve. The settings menu is also very dense (05:12); grouping some of the advanced options under an 'Advanced' submenu could make it feel more approachable.