15-Day UX Writing Challenge — Day 6
Phew! Today’s challenge was really a challenge. Few people react well to warning signs or any form of bad news. Therefore, a lot of thought process was put into this challenge.
Scenario: It’s Monday. A user has just gotten into their car to drive to work. They plug their phone into the car and start driving.
Challenge: How would you let the user know there’s a fire happening in a nearby town that is causing road closures? The effect on their commute is unknown, but there is a definite danger if the fire gets closer. How do you communicate this to them? When? Write it.
Headline: 30 characters max
Body: 45 characters max
With this crazy character limit staring me in the face, I attempted to conquer this task, and I think I did well. Don’t believe me? Read on to find out…
Ideation process
Research shows that the consumption of negative news, even if it is relatively mundane, has been associated with heightened levels of distress, anxiety, and depression. In fact, around 26.7% of people that are exposed to negative news develop anxiety. And anxiety can trigger a lack of concentration, hyperventilation, feeling tired, trembling, and an increased heart rate.
Therefore, with my copy, I will carefully inform my audience about the fire outbreak in their area, calm them, and direct them on the next best step to take. While there’s a need to convey urgency, I will carefully break the news in order not to scare my audience.
User persona
Solution
Here are two options I came up with. I couldn’t choose between them, so I need your contribution;
I couldn’t make a choice because the headline for copy 1 revealed the exact location of the fire with the street name, but I wondered if that would be suitable for a street with a longer name, hence the 2nd option. However, because of the character limit for the body, I couldn’t include the actual location of the fire outbreak. I think a copy showing the street name is more helpful because you can easily inform others about the incident and the exact location.
What do you think?
That’s all for today! See you tomorrow. Don’t miss out on my previous entries.
