Grainger, Sam and Ochoa‐Tocachi, Boris F. and Antiporta, Javier and Dewulf, Art and Buytaert, Wouter (2020) Tailoring Infographics on Water Resources Through Iterative, User‐Centered Design: A Case Study in the Peruvian Andes. Water Resources Research, 56 (2). ISSN 0043-1397

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Abstract

Effective communication and knowledge sharing across stakeholder groups (e.g., science, government, business, civil society, farmers, and the general public) are essential for more informed water resource management. Visualizations and graphics are powerful tools to engage diverse groups with unfamiliar information. Despite this potential, the design of visuals within applied science settings often does not involve end‐user interaction or explicit consideration of their existing knowledge systems, perspective, requirements, and context of use. As a result, products are often difficult for users to understand and contextualize. While user interaction and the development of tailored visualizations is increasingly promoted as a potential remedy, limited empirical evidence exists that shows the potential impact and can guide the development of specific approaches. We piloted an iterative and user‐centred design methodology toward the tailoring of infographic‐style posters in the context of Peruvian water governance. To test whether tailoring demonstrably improves the perceived effectiveness of products, we designed three products that conveyed similar information but were tailored to three different audiences (an Andean agricultural, urban professional, and urban general). We then compared the tailored posters to those tailored to other audiences by means of interviews and user grading. We found that end‐users perceive products that have undergone tailoring as more interesting, clearer, and more useful than products designed without explicit user consideration. Our findings indicate that identifying groups with shared characteristics and requirements is key for effective tailoring. Our research provides empirical evidence to support the incorporation of user‐centred design methods in water resource management contexts.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Grainger, S., Ochoa‐Tocachi, B. F., Antiporta, J., Dewulf, A., & Buytaert,W. (2020). Tailoring infographics onwater resources through iterative, user‐centred design: A case study in the Peruvian Andes. Water Resources Research,56, e2019WR026694. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR026694Received 9 NOV 2019Accepted 26 JAN 2020Accepted article online 03 FEB 2020GRAINGER ET AL.1of16 Free Access
Keywords:	tailoring of infographic; user-centred design; water resources;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Geography Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Institutes > Irish Climate Analysis and Research Units, ICARUS
Item ID:	15758
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR026694
Depositing User:	Sam Grainger
Date Deposited:	30 Mar 2022 11:12
Journal or Publication Title:	Water Resources Research
Publisher:	Advance Earth and Space Science
Refereed:	Yes
URI:
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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