A Study of the Effects of Usability on Risk Perception and User Affinity of Risk Finder

In October 2013, Climate Central, a non-profit research organization, released Risk Finder, an online, interactive mapping tool that allows users to explore the effects of rising sea level in a specific geographic region. A research study for client Dan Rizza of Climate Central was conducted on the usability of the Risk Finder tool in an effort to identify potential system errors, improve user experience, and assess the future use of this tool based on user perception. Primary investigators Dr. Daniel Richards and Mrs. Megan McKittrick utilized an approach known as “productive usability,” which allows researchers to openly observe participants engaged in a talk-aloud protocol whereby users articulate what they are thinking and feeling as they are performing a particular task or using a particular product. Qualitative data was obtained from a group of four voluntary participants through pre-interviews, observation, and post-interviews while these users explored Risk Finder. Undergraduate students from Old Dominion University’s ENGL 231C class, an introductory Scientific and Technical writing course, were included in this study as observers and transcribers, as this service-learning project allowed students the opportunity to participate in research. During this research, it was valuable to observe the relationship between the usability of the Risk Finder tool and, based on observation of emotional and verbal reactions, how this usability affected the participants’ risk perception and affinity for the Risk Finder application, particularly during the postinterview sessions. Based on analysis of qualitative data gathered from the usability study, Risk Finder displayed a shortfall in usability. Additionally, the data analyzed strongly suggest that usability may play a role in the perception of risk associated with climate change via visual communication. A comprehensive assessment of parameters and previous research indicates that users’ emotional responses to sea-level rise may influence their perceptions of the product’s usability. 1 Jacobson: A Study of the Effects of Usability on Risk Perception Published by ODU Digital Commons, 2015 ith the exponential rate of sea level rise, it is of the utmost importance that the public is informed of the imminent dangers associated with climate change. Climate Central, a non-profit research organization, has developed an online, interactive tool titled Risk Finder to fulfill this need. Dr. Daniel Richards and Mrs. Megan McKittrick of Old Dominion University, along with the students of Honors English 231C, conducted a usability test of the Risk Finder tool with participants recruited from the local Hampton Roads community. As part of the overall analysis, this report contains a review of current literature in which different aspects of product design and their relation to user emotion are defined. The importance of user-centered design is also discussed, and the impact of personal relevance is explored. This report goes on to examine different facets of usability and their influence on risk perception and user affinity for the Risk Finder tool, as well as the role that emotion may play in the users’ overall determination of usability. W 2 OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal, Vol. 3 [2015], Art. 4 http://digitalcommons.odu. edu/ourj/vol3/iss1/4 LITERATURE REVIEW Research on Emotional Design The inherent design and usability of a product have been proven to affect the emotions of the user. Subsequently, the user draws upon emotion as a critical factor when assessing a product’s significance. Norman (2004) defines three major components of effective product design: usability, usefulness, and aesthetic. Usability is contingent on the ability of the user to engage with the product in the way the designer intended (Norman, 2004). Usefulness depends on how relevant the user finds this product to be in congruence with his or her goals, and aesthetic refers to how attractive a product is (Norman, 2004). Norman (2004) explains that the user's opinion of a product, positive or negative, depends on the success or failure of these three design aspects. The connection between product usability and user emotion is further solidified in Jokinen’s (2014) later study of user experience and emotional states. In this study, Jokinen (2014) attempts to apply 3 Jacobson: A Study of the Effects of Usability on Risk Perception Published by ODU Digital Commons, 2015 emotional theory to user experience as defined by an individual’s response to using a product. To do this, Jokinen (2014) conducted a usability test of several basic computer programs during which users would perform designated tasks in an allotted time. Jokinen (2014) found that there is a strong link between a user’s emotions before and after using a product, and these emotions affect task performance. Norman (2004) suggests that product design and usability affects emotion during and after the use of a product, whereas Jokinen (2014) concludes that emotions before a product is used greatly affect opinions on the product's usability. The Benefits of User-Centered Design on Site Usability When designing a website or online tool for a target audience, effective usability is achieved as the audience’s needs are uncovered and implemented through user-centered design. In Becker and Yannotta’s (2013) study of the redesign process of a university 4 OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal, Vol. 3 [2015], Art. 4 http://digitalcommons.odu. edu/ourj/vol3/iss1/4 library website, iterative usability testing, a process of incorporating user feedback into a continuous redesign process, allowed the needs of the target audience to be met, resulting in a more attractive, usable, and useful website (Becker and Yannotta, 2013). Retchless’s (2014) study of the perception of uncertainty in cartographic climate communication continues this discussion. Through the analysis of two climate change mapping tools, NOAA’s Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer and Climate Central’s Surging Seas, Retchless (2014) explains that climatechange communication is most effective when the designer tailors to the needs of the user, especially by adding customizable variables appropriate to the user, a concept that will be discussed further below. Both Becker and Yannotta’s (2013) and Retchless’ (2014) studies come to a similar conclusion: user-centered design is essential when creating an informative website. 5 Jacobson: A Study of the Effects of Usability on Risk Perception Published by ODU Digital Commons, 2015 The Use of Visuals and Personal Relevance in Risk Communication When communicating risk, visuals provide a greater impact on the audience than numerical data (Braasch, 2013; Retchless, 2014). This effect on the audience is an important aspect of emotional design, as the purpose of these visuals is to incite an emotional response from the viewer. These claims are supported in Braasch’s (2013) study of the efficacy of using visuals to communicate climate change. In his article, Braasch (2013) highlights the importance of visuals in risk communication, particularly their effectiveness over written or spoken information. Retchless’ (2014) study on uncertainty in sea level rise projection maps continues this narrative. Retchless (2014) states that the use of local roads when depicting water inundation is highly impactful on the user of these tools, such as in Climate Central’s Risk Finder. In these studies, Braasch (2013) focused on images of climate change, while Retchless (2014) studied interactive maps. Regardless, both studies found that, when communicating climate change risk, 6 OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal, Vol. 3 [2015], Art. 4 http://digitalcommons.odu. edu/ourj/vol3/iss1/4 visuals are impactful, especially when personally meaningful to the audience. Linking Product Design and Usability to User Response When these concepts of usability, user-centered design, and personal relevance are linked, the user forms perceptions of gathered information. These perceptions ultimately determine how the user will respond to a given issue. In Ancker, Chan, and Kukafka’s (2009) study, these concepts are researched together in a usability study of an interactive tool communicating health risks. Users were able to input their own health risk factors, a trait that is relatable to Climate Central’s Risk Finder, in which users enter addresses and modify sea level height (Ancker et. al., 2009). The usability test, conducted on a small group of volunteers from the community, allowed users to explore and manipulate the website while vocalizing their observations (Ancker et. al., 2009). This methodology parallels the Risk Finder usability test, which allows 7 Jacobson: A Study of the Effects of Usability on Risk Perception Published by ODU Digital Commons, 2015 volunteers to openly interact with Risk Finder and vocalize observations. The findings of this study are telling: users enjoyed the interactive elements of the web tool and found aspects such as personalized risk factors and visual information to be impactful, relevant, and understandable—more so than numbers and graphs—a conclusion that is supported by the research conducted by Braasch (2013) and Retchless (2014) on the impact of visuals when communicating climate change risk (Ancker et. al., 2009). The researchers also noted that when using the tool, participants exhibited distinct emotional responses when provided with risk information, such as the likelihood of experiencing a heart attack (Ancker et. al., 2009). With these conclusions, it can be inferred that the reactions to Risk Finder, a similar tool in purpose and technology, may be comparable. With that being said, Ancker, Chan, and Kukafka’s (2009) study is that of communicating health risk, not climate change risk, which may call for different forms of 8 OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal, Vol. 3 [2015], Art.