The editor has been away from her desk for a bit, but we've started to notice friends and colleagues who are implementing The Warn Room recommendations in their social media posts and wanted to call attention to them.
In this post, @ZachStanford updates a public safety alert for a boil water notice. As seen here, the original message is short, lacks detail, is incomplete (I think there is a word missing after "further") and is not actionable. The original authors appear to be letting the name of the notice ("boil water notice") serve as the hazard name and the required actions. While clicking on the link will take readers to additional information, this is relying on the reader to do additional work. Hint to message writers: if the message receiver doesn't believe the hazard is going to affect them, they aren't likely to pay attention or to click on that link. Relying on them to do the work that is your responsibility means missing some people who should be taking actions.
Let's take a look at the revised message. It starts with the source of the message, clearly indicating who has issued this notification. The BOIL WATER ADVISORY is in all caps, immediately drawing the reader's eye to key information. It also includes the location of the hazard and an explanation of how it became dangerous (due to water system issues) and what people in Northwest Durham can expect (reduced water pressure).
The message also includes the most important protective action message: BOIL TAP WATER before drinking, preparing food, or for other water uses related to water consumption. For how long? Until further notice (suggesting a post-alert message will be issued either through WEA or another channel). The link to additional information gives additional context about what message receivers will find on the web page (a map and additional information).
I really like this improved alert message. The one thing that might increase is specificity is to indicate that the "water is not safe to drink" because that would clarify the what the advisory is about: its not just a recommendation to boil the water, it's about water safety. Providing a source for accessing clean drinking water might be useful as well.
I also really like that they message indicates what is being done - repairs are being made. This lets the message receiver know that the organization is working on addressing the problems, demonstrating transparency and capability to the population.
Notable: This revised message follows what is taught in the FEMA-IPAWS Message Design Dashboard courses as well as the Warning Lexicon. By using a consistent format and consistent contents, message receivers can become more familiar with WEA "look at feel" and better understand who they come from and what to do in response.
For more recommended contents, be sure to download The Warning Lexicon - it's free and offers step-by-step instructions on how to write a better warning message.
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