How Smart UX Design Can Make Alerts Matter
It was 10 AM when my phone blasted what turned out to be a critical Wireless Emergency Alert. Like many of us would, I instinctively swiped it away and continued scrolling through my emails. Minutes later, the gravity of what I’d just dismissed hit me — a tsunami warning for the San Francisco Bay Area.
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake had just struck off Northern California’s coast, something that’s happened only about a dozen times since 1857. As my phone lit up with the warning, so did phones across the Bay Area. While I sat questioning whether to take action, crowds were already gathering, watching for a wave that would never come.
The whole experience left me rattled, but not for the reasons you might expect. As a UX designer focusing on critical communication systems, I was troubled by how easily I’d dismissed a potentially life-saving alert. When the warning later vanished from my phone without explanation, marked as a false alarm with no follow-up communication, it highlighted an even bigger problem: our emergency alert system is failing us when we need it most.
Why This Matters
The current system suffers from what experts call “alert fatigue.” We receive so many notifications that even critical warnings get lost in the noise. When those alerts turn out to be false alarms that disappear without explanation, we trust the system even less. In an era of increasing natural disasters and emergency situations, we can’t afford to have people ignoring potentially life-saving information.
Join the Research Initiative
As part of my ongoing work in emergency communication design, I’m conducting a research study to improve these critical systems. The anonymous survey takes just 5 minutes to complete and asks about your experiences with:
- Emergency alert interactions
- Response decisions during alerts
- False alarm experiences
- Ideas for improvement
Your input will directly influence recommendations for:
- More relevant warning systems
- Clearer emergency communications
- Better follow-up protocols
- Improved public trust
Take the survey here: Survey Link
Survey responses will remain anonymous and findings will be published in a detailed report on this project’s Notion. By participating, you’re helping create emergency alerts that people will actually pay attention to when it matters most.
Thank you for being part of this important work and joining the initiative.
Redesigning Alerts for Life or Death was originally published in UX Planet on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.