Optimal Earthquake Alert

Our research presents an interdisciplinary approach between Design and Psychological sciences to optimize smartphone-based earthquake alerts. The project developed and tested optimal audio alerts with various voice characteristics, created visual representations including a distinctive Jerboa character as an alternative to universal warning symbols, and evaluated their combined effectiveness through field testing with a simulation app. 

The findings highlight how properly designed high-contrast visuals and urgency-driven audio cues can significantly improve response time and effectiveness in emergency situations.

Our research integrates design principles with neuropsychology to develop an optimal mobile alert system for earthquakes. The project conducted three experiments:

1. Developing and testing optimal characteristics of audio and acoustic alerts
2. Developing and testing optimal visual imagery that could serve as a representative character and comparing this representative character against universal warning symbols
3. Examining the effectiveness of these audio-visual stimuli in a field experiment where a dedicated application was developed to simulate real alerts while measuring effectiveness metrics and user experience.

The research found that high-contrast visuals and urgency-driven auditory cues maximize reaction efficiency. The Jerboa, a highly alert desert rodent native to Israel with distinctive anatomical features, was selected as a visual representation character, offering a unique expressive toolkit for emergency communication as an alternative to traditional warning icons.

This research was funded by the Israel National Steering Committee for Earthquake Preparedness and the Defense Research & Development Directorate (DDR&D), Ministry of Defense.

Project Partners: Bezalel RDFD, Hebrew University Neuropsychology Laboratory, eVigilo Ltd Emergency Mass Notification, Tomer Shemi, Hillel Aviezer, Noga Ensenberg-Diamant, and Lior Shalev.