Role of Graphics in Disaster Communication: Practitioner Perspectives on Use, Challenges, and Inclusivity

TL;DR

This study explores how disaster communication graphics are produced and used, revealing significant accessibility gaps for vulnerable groups and highlighting operational challenges in creating inclusive visuals during emergencies.

Contribution

It provides empirical insights into the practical use, challenges, and inclusivity issues of disaster graphics through interviews with practitioners and researchers.

Findings

Graphics are heavily relied upon in disaster communication.

Accessibility gaps exist for vision-impaired, older, and diverse communities.

Operational constraints hinder inclusive graphic adaptations during emergencies.

Abstract

Information graphics, such as hazard maps, evacuation diagrams, and pictorial action guides, are widely used in disaster risk communication. These visuals are important because they convey hazard information quickly, reduce reliance on lengthy text, and support decision-making in time-critical situations. However, despite their importance, disaster information graphics do not work equally well for all audiences. In practice, many graphics remain difficult to interpret, and their accessibility for vulnerable populations is still uneven and underexplored. Despite their central role, there has been little empirical work examining how graphics shape disaster communication, what challenges practitioners face in using them, and, most importantly, how inclusive current disaster graphics are in real-world settings. To address this gap, we examine how information graphics are currently produced and used in disaster communication, what issues emerge in practice, and how inclusivity is addressed. We conducted semi-structured interviews with disaster communication practitioners and researchers to examine the role of graphics across preparedness, warning, and response contexts, as well as the barriers experienced by vulnerable communities. Our findings show that graphics are widely expected and heavily relied upon, yet significant accessibility gaps persist for groups such as people with vision impairments, older adults, and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Participants also highlighted that inclusive adaptations are difficult to achieve during unfolding emergencies due to operational constraints, limited guidance, and resource barriers. Based on these findings, we outline recommendations for disaster management agencies and graphic designers and identify research directions for technological and adaptive support to make disaster graphics more inclusive at scale.