UX Writing Challenge: Day 6

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
Button(s): N/A

Output
Headline (30 characters): Road closure: Fire near Rd 666
Body (45 characters): Avoid danger, consider making a route change.
Button(s): -

Explaining the process:

Delivering information on potential hazards in a small space is tough. My priority here was to put the essential information first; “road closure” and “danger”. This quickly lets the user know that they need to take action to accomodate the road closure en route to their destination, while informing of the danger. By including information in the headline about where the fire happens the user can adapt to the situation without feeling too controlled.

Likewise, the message in the body attempts to nudge the user to make a safe decision by stating that they should avoid the danger and to consider making a route change. As the application cannot possibly know the exact circumstances (time, context) when the user sees the notification, the message needs to make sure that it is relevant; some users, might not need to change their route at all, but they might appreciate a warning.

For the tone, I decided to keep a serious (e.g., danger, closure) but friendly (e.g., consider) approach, to communicate the seriousness of the situation.