Daily UX Writing Challenge: Day 6
Fire Alert for Commuters
Hey there!
Welcome to Day 6 of my 15-day UX Writing challenge. Today’s task is to create a message to alert a commuter of a fire that could affect their journey.
Read on to see how I tackled the challenge.
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
My Thought Process
From the scenario, the user is heading to work on a Monday. As we all know, Monday mornings are infamous for being a real struggle. So the last thing a commuter would want is getting caught in chaos while navigating the already herculean task of getting to work.
Therefore, we need to alert them of any potential disruption to their journey in the quickest way possible.
But how do we do this?
To help the commuter avoid any potential disruptions, we need to:
- Let them know that there is a fire nearby
- Inform them of possible road closures as a result of the fire that can affect their journey
- Provide them with alternative routes.
To achieve these goals effectively, I made the following designs decisions:
- I chose a push notification as the best method of alerting the user due to the urgency and severity of the situation.
- I used a neutral tone for the message to ensure the user understands the information correctly.
However, I struggled to come up with a single solution as there are multiple ways to approach this challenge. So… I came up with two solutions!
My Solutions
Option 1
This approach assumes that encountering a road closure is inevitable if the user continues on their current route.
Headline:
“Road closures ahead due to fire outbreak”
By making “Road closures” the subject of this headline, the user immediately knows there is a possible disruption to their journey. The rest of the sentence informs them of the cause.
Body:
“Tap to see alternative routes.”
After informing the user of the danger ahead, this body text is reassuring as it offers them a way to avoid the affected route.
Option 2
Given the scenario, there’s also a possibility that the fire might not affect the user’s commute. So, this alternative approach focuses on letting the user know there’s a fire nearby without mentioning the effect on their journey.
Headline
“Fire outbreak in Upton Park”
This headline focuses on informing the user of the fire outbreak and the location.
Body
“Tap to see how this might affect your route.”
This message provides the option to explore possible disruptions to their journey and potential solutions.
That’s a wrap for day 6! What do you think about my solution? Which of them do you think works better? Let me know in the comments.
