What's the point of the dot in the temperature complication?

[hyperreal]

I use the temperature complication in a Modular face and despite having used the watch (my first AW) daily since launch, I haven't been able to decipher the dot.

This is how it looked a moment ago:

So yeah, it's about -10 outside. I'm also assuming -18 is the minimum and -7 the maximum for today. The numbers would correspond with the local forecast and the fact that it was a pretty cold night.

Now, while typing this, I noticed the min/max values had changed and the dot has moved:

It's now further right. Is it because the current temperature is closer to the predicted maximum? Despite the fact that the range from -19 to -8 is the same as from -18 to -7? So it does not show where you would relatively be on the min/max scale but how close you actually are to either the minimum or the maximum value?
(If I'm somehow failing at basic math here, please excuse me, as I have dyscalculia.)

How is the dot's behavior defined and does anyone know of a use case where it is useful?

 

[Lifeisabeach]

It looks to me like... well think of it as a speedometer, except -7 would be what 0 is on the speedometer and -18 is the highest it goes (well lowest here, but you get the gist). The current temperature of -10 is where you are on that scale from minimum to maximum. As it gets colder, that dot should move along the curve and rest @ -18 when it actually hits that temp. It moved a little on the next one because the scale changed a little. -10 is closer to -8 than -7, and the low end of the temp range got a little lower, thus the dot shifted further away from that.

 

[hyperreal]

I took a third screenshot now when the minimum is -20, the maximum is -7 and the current temperature is still -10.
I compared it side by side with the first one and the dot is positioned ever so slightly more to the right.
So it kinda works like I expected but conveys it poorly - to me at least. Or maybe it works better with a bigger difference. For example, if the minimum forecast dropped dramatically to something like -30, the dot would shift significantly to the left, giving you a visual cue to check the min/max readings.
So basically the use case for the dot is extreme temperature shifts within the forecast period?

Like I said I have dyscalculia and also a spatial learning disability due to a neurological condition. So these kind of things often are hard for me to interpret.
On the other hand that's exactly why I'd like the temperature readout in my smartwatch to be a bit more user-friendly.

 

[Jackbequickly]

Living in Florida, I do not understand how anyone can live in such low temps!

 

[hyperreal]

Living in Florida, I do not understand how anyone can live in such low temps!

Just put on more layers and keep moving to generate heat. It's not always super comfortable but doable.
The coldest weather I've experienced was -52 degrees. I felt like my eyes would freeze. That was a bit too much.

 

[casperes1996]

The dot is indeed an indicator how close you are to the min-max values. Personally I mostly consider it visual flair and just look at the numbers. There are also different versions of the complication for different watch faces that show the information in ways that may be more friendly to you.
An example is from Infograph Modular where you can get this wide forecasting view:

This may be better for you, but of course also requires you to generally like the other watch face.

 

[onenorth]

This infographic is intended to give an impression of how close the current temperature is to the forecasted max/min. But it doesn't indicate the trend, that is, whether the current temperature is rising or falling. The dot would be more useful as an arrow pointing the trending direction. If the daily high or low has already occurred, then that number is not as interesting as the other one that has not occurred yet or is not in the trending direction.

 

[hyperreal]

The dot is indeed an indicator how close you are to the min-max values. Personally I mostly consider it visual flair and just look at the numbers.

Maybe that's why it's ultimately so frustrating. I don't have trouble reading the temperatures and the current temperature is the most relevant information. It's just that the dot has bugged me since getting the watch. It looks like it does something neat but ended up being mostly form over function.

I believe the face you mentioned is the one I'm mostly using. I like the data-driven look it has. But I have reserved the large slot in the middle for my heart rate because it's something I need to keep an eye on.