"The Worst Weather In America": Augmenting the Information Design of Extreme Cold Weather Forecasts

TL;DR

This study tests a visual design intervention using hazard icons to improve communication of Mount Washington's extreme cold weather forecasts, revealing increased risk perception but raising questions on visualization and ethics.

Contribution

It introduces a color-coded icon system to enhance forecast comprehension and explores its impact on risk perception and ethical considerations in hazard communication.

Findings

Icons increase perceived risk of mountain activities.

Remaining questions on visualization design and ethics.

Further research needed on diverse visitor literacy and experience.

Abstract

Mount Washington is home to extreme, and extremely volatile, weather conditions. Consulting a weather forecast of conditions at the summit is vital for making one's visit as safe as possible. Using the discussion and suggestions arising from a participatory workshop as input, we test a design intervention employing color-coded hazard icons to function as visual summaries of Mount Washington Observatory's current text-heavy forecast through a crowd-sourced study. We find that the use of icons increases the perceived risk of activities involving visiting the mountain. However, we highlight remaining questions around visualization design and design ethics that warrant further study in the domain of how best to communicate cold weather hazards in ways that are mindful of the diversity of literacies and experiences of visitors.