AMBER alerts
making it less of a nuclear alarm
In Canada, "Alert Ready" (owned by the weather network) acts as the central hub for all emergency notifications, including AMBER Alerts for missing children. While these alerts play a vital role in getting information out quickly, the system itself has faced criticism for being outdated.
Team
2 Designers
2 Researchers
1 Content Writer
Role
Product Designer
Timeline & Status
Nov - Dec 2023
Deprioritized
BACKGROUND
AMBER alerts save lives at the cost of small moments of discomfort.
AMBER alerts are sent out by a company called "Alert Ready" when a child abduction is believed to be imminent and the child's life is in danger.
Alert Ready intakes police reports from first responders, then sends out a wide-spread alert through cell towers to phones in Canada with
pre-installed EAS settings based on province.
Unlike the United States, Canada sends out emergency alerts at the highest alert level which means they CANNOT be disabled on phones.
I toned it down, give it a listen!
PROBLEM
AMBER alerts receive the most public backlash despite being only 1.3% of all distributed emergency alerts. This is because AMBER alerts don't pose an immediate threat to personal safety in the same way something like a wildfire or tornado would. This backlash manifests into angry discussions on social media or calling 911 to complain shortly after receiving the alert.
These complaints stall call lines, delay police action, and create hostility towards AMBER alerts, reducing their effectiveness.
X-user
@BeingMani97
I thought I turned off AMBER alerts in my settings, why am I still getting them, forgive me for not wanting to have a nuclear alarm go off while I'm driving.
A Reddit User
r/change_my_view
I immediately turned that shit off. I do not enjoy being woken up in the middle of my sleep.
A Reddit User
r/change_my_view
It's supposed to be exclusively for things like natural disasters and other immediate life threatening emergencies, but now everyone just ignores it, because they assume it's another amber alert 200km away.
X-user
@_prkr
Is there any way to mute these emergency alerts that Ontario has started? I just had 3 blazing alarms in an hour about an amber alert in Thunder Bay 14 hours away from where I live.
A Reddit User
r/change_my_view
"I'm not complaining about the Amber Alerts full stop, I'm complaining about a system that should & can be better."
X-user
@_prkr
Is there any way to mute these emergency alerts that Ontario has started? I just had 3 blazing alarms in an hour about an amber alert in Thunder Bay 14 HOURS away from where I live…
A Reddit User
r/Canada
My issue is that they're using the "nuclear attack imminent" tone for it. There's a time and a place for that tone, a missing kid isn't one of them.
X-user
FekryAiad
I’m not against amber alerts, I’m against sh*tty implementations of amber alerts.
A Reddit User
r/Canada
If you're Canadian too you know why I hate those. They're absolutely terrifying, they play at full volume and you can't turn them off. I can't focus on reading the text because I'm busy turning the alert off and being absolutely terrified.
Image
Handpicked quotes from hundreds of comments discussing Canada's EAS
RISK
Habitually ignoring AMBER alerts desensitizes people to all emergency warnings.
This needs to be a video prototype of me swiping away an amber alert notification in high-def video.
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Video
Swiping away the EAS before reading it
RESEARCH
In 2024, Alert Ready issued a test alert paired with a survey with 7000+ responses. These complains aren't AMBER specific. Out of necessity, high-level alerts have to be loud, cause disruption and spread far. AMBER alerts do not.
I grouped similar responses into high-level themes that served as my core issues to solve.
Specifically when receiving an alert, complaints fall under 3 themes.
A majority of issues were rooted in the outdated
cellular network approach to distribute EAS.
Inaccurate location.
The current system uses cell towers which ping all phones receiving as signal from it and there's no way to target specific areas.
This is because suspects can move fast, so Alert Ready sends alerts in a wider than needed to reduce risk.
The alarm is too loud.
This loud alarm causes momentary panic and elevated stress which feels unnecessary when the emergency isn't life threatening.
This high-volume approach fails to recognize that most recipients aren't in a position to help after being woken up.
Distracting drivers.
A sudden loud alarm could cause a driver to brake abruptly, or take their eyes off the road to read the alert, increasing the risk of an accident.
These alerts should be able to detect when a person is moving at a certain speed to avoid causing an accident.
It’s also hard to decipher alerts.
This makes it difficult for recipients to grasp critical details at a glance, especially if you dismiss the alert. Once dismissed, you can't bring it back with the information you failed to memorize.
These alerts are also unable to send images, which is critical when trying to identify a potential suspect.
Image
Breakdown of a 2024 AMBER alert
Image
Breakdown of a 2024 AMBER alert
Separating AMBER from the current alert system and using Wi-Fi/data messaging.
Let's us: Send images, update based on trends, feedback and growth, more accurate GPS data.
Drawback is I still need to include a no wi-fi solution that relies on cellular networks to send info to remain accessible.
Clear language and using visuals instead of words to show information.
To solve the visual issues the alerts have, we're going to focus on using less language and more glancable artifacts like images and clear heiarchy
Changing tone
Addressing the loud alert tone with something less frightening.
When making the new tone I had to consider the frequency requirements established by the Canadian government. I decided on a "whooping" sound that mixed low and high frequencies. This was my first attempt working with audio software so there's expected room for improvement.
Old tone
Customizing settings for a VPN can be complex. To bridge the gap we've made
New tone
Is it perfect? No. Is it the first time Clayton used audio editing software to make a tone? YES!
FINAL DESIGNS
I started using full screen takeovers inspired by Androids alarm clock, but I missed a key interaction.
This means there is no support for users who revisit VPN after they purchase, or had expected further guidance when setting up their VPN.
For drivers, this won't take over screens
Image
Old: Showing information only before making a purchase
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Old: Showing information only before making a purchase
Something also about dynamic cards based on info provided. Like multiple suspects or multiple vehicles. And the gif of the license plate customizer.
Additionally, we moved advanced tools from the settings page onto the home screen, making it easier for users to explore new features available without having to randomly come across them.
Image
New: Setup guides + spotlighting advanced features
ALSO HAVE A SECTION FOR THE HOME SCREEN CHANGES - like how it went from full screen takeover to the current design (swipe up to open AMBER app with button too)
Additionally, we moved advanced tools from the settings page onto the home screen, making it easier for users to explore new features available without having to randomly come across them.
Image
New: Setup guides + spotlighting advanced features
Branding
Multi-language branding reduces the chance of alerts falling on deaf ears.
4.6 million Canadians (12.7%) speak a language other than English or French. Branding for the future of a growing multi-language means we are making the alert accessible and expanding reach to save more children.
Tying the app into the device's language settings, AMBER alerts will detect and display the users preferred language.
Punjabi + 763,785 views
Mandarin + 730,125 views
Arabic + 629,060 views
Alerts raise tension, let's bring it down by giving closure.
Additionally, we moved advanced tools from the settings page onto the home screen, making it easier for users to explore new features available without having to randomly come across them.
Image
New: Setup guides + spotlighting advanced features
PRODUCT ROLLOUT
How do you get 40 million Canadians to download an app?
For new devices: Pre-install as part of the Canadian version of the operating system. Use carrier updates to configure the feature when SIM cards connect to Canadian networks
Work with Apple, Google, and other OS providers to integrate the alert functionality directly into iOS, Android, and other operating systems
For existing devices: Push the feature via mandatory OS updates BUT attach it onto an existing update.
Image
Swiping away the EAS before reading it
REFLECTION
Building for government systems have constraints I'm likely to miss.
This doesn't actually exist, I dont have the opportunitty, but it's to show A POSSABILITY
I often skipped sketching thinking it had no impact on final designs, but I learned the actual purpose of sketching is to ask for feedback in a casual setting. It won't look good but it will weed out bad ideas.
Even when you do a lot of secondary research, you should talk to experts.
I often skipped sketching thinking it had no impact on final designs, but I learned the actual purpose of sketching is to ask for feedback in a casual setting. It won't look good but it will weed out bad ideas.
I often skipped sketching thinking it had no impact on final designs, but I learned the actual purpose of sketching is to ask for feedback in a casual setting. It won't look good but it will weed out bad ideas.
No. I made the groundwork to solve for the immediate problem, and open the possibility for the remaining EAS alerts to migrate over in the future, which is now possible BECAUSE I made the solution use wi-fi updates.
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© 2024 Clayton Harding
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