2025
Winter Driving Guide for Newcomers
Civic Emergencies Project
Skills
Project Management, Strategic Planning, Design Research, and Design Evaluation through Prototyping and User Testing
Tools
Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign and Figma
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Goal
For this capstone project, apply the knowledge and skills acquired in earlier Information Design coursework to design a solution specific to a civic project topic such as municipal service requests (311 app), municipal wayfinding, or municipal emergencies. From the chosen topic, develop a project plan and implement your design process to create the final solution.
Project Overview
For my project topic, I chose to examine municipal emergencies which relates to the importance of a citizen's need to understand risks, prepare for emergency situations, and understand what to do in a given emergency. I was tasked with creating and implementing a project plan and approaching the design with an equity-entered approach.
My specific topic of concern was in regards to winter-related car accidents and the stress this puts on city resources and residents, as well as how to better prepare for harsh road conditions. Diving into the realm of communication design, my final solution included a winter driving guide for newcomers to Calgary.
The deliverables of this project included the following: a project proposal, final solution (Case Study), Winter Driving Guide, presentation and showcase.
Process
Research Phase
To begin understanding the problem and needs of the users, I conducted desk research and interviews with Calgary residents who had varying levels of winter driving experience.
From the desk research, I was able to break the issue into 3 main components:
Calgary Driving Scene
Winter-related car accidents and stress on emergency services
Limited Resources
Lack of effective communication on safe winter driving practices
Impact on Drivers
Driver’s anxiety and lack of confidence
Having a better understanding of the problem, I interviewed 7 people with varying levels of winter driving experience and one new Calgary resident. The insights gathered varied widely from winter driving advice, fears, expectations and more. These helped define the needs of the audience and gave insight into what should be included in this information package.
Experienced Winter Drivers 12+ years driving
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They all advised to practice slow and controlled movements along with slowed down speed, keeping distance, be aware of other drivers, and to practice driving in an empty parking lot or through a winter driving course so they have more experience slipping and gaining control.
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They learned through having witnessed or been involved in winter-related car incidents themselves. They also advised that driving with a responsible driver is another way to learn safe driving skills.
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To better prepare for a drive, they watch the traffic reports on TV before a drive or check websites such as Calgary Traffic or 511 Alberta to view road conditions.
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As for emergency tools they have in their car, they had items such as an ice scraper/snowbrush, small shovel, and cardboard. They also noted they dress warm when driving and that their cars had winter tires and that all season tires were not sufficient for Calgary winters.
Inexperienced Winter Drivers No driving experience
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They have basic driving knowledge but much less on how to adjust for winter conditions. This includes what speeds are appropriate for certain road conditions, car settings such as how to de-fog windows, other steps for preparing a car for a drive, and information surrounding winter tires.
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Feelings of uncertainty and anxiety surrounding the risk of slipping and/or getting stuck. They want more guidance on how to handle these situations.
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Nervous and uncertain about their own driving, but practicing and watching good drivers drive during the winter is something they think would ease their nerves.
New Calgary Resident No winter driving experience
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Coming from California, she has had no prior experience of driving in the snow before this winter. Her knowledge on safe winter driving includes driving at slower speeds and pressing the breaks earlier to avoid slipping. However, she wanted more information on how to handle an emergency situation.
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For guidance, she mentioned that she would have looked at a winter driving book, a government website, insurance company websites, or ask people that live here for guidance.
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To gain more confidence driving, she mentioned that she would feel more comfortable driving with an experienced winter driver and practicing over time.
Synthesis Phase
To get a more comprehensive understanding of what content should be included in the package, I conducted a sample analysis. The sample included 10 online resources on winter driving ranging from governmental websites from other municipalities, online forums, and more.
Sample Content Organization
Synthesis
Based on the sample analysis and interviews, I was able to make the basic content structure of the winter driving guide.
Content Stucture
Prototype & Test Phase
For the first prototype, I created a tabbed booklet mainly containing written content. Some of the main aspects I would be testing for would be the content’s organization, clarity, usefulness, and the user’s retention of information.
First Prototype (few pages)
User Testing Protocol
In-class User Test Plan 3 Users
Introduction
So this is the first prototype of a winter driving guide. It’s directed towards newcomers or inexperienced winter drivers who don’t have much knowledge or experience with Calgary’s harsh road conditions. First I’ll let you read over the book independently, and ask you some questions on its usefulness, clarity, etc.
Independent Review
Questions
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Is the information easy to understand, even for someone unfamiliar with winter driving?
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Are there any missing topics or unnecessary details?
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Is there too much or too little text in any section? Do you think there could be more visual aid? Where?
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After reading, do users feel more confident about winter driving?
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Do they remember key takeaways, or should anything be emphasized differently?
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Could you tell me 3 things you remember from the booklet?
Final thoughts and Feedback
From user testing with 3 people, I was able to gather insights that would help the further development of the prototype.
User Test Insights
Clarity & Organization
Overall, the language, terms, and amount of text was easy to go through. The pages were also easy to navigate and skim through with how it was organized. The order of sections and information is intuitive.
Visual Design
Needed more additions of supporting visuals where appropriate. Such as car button symbols, instructional graphics, etc. However, not too many distracting or decorative visuals that take away from the content.
Relevance & Usefulness
Covers bases of winter driving well, but needs link to additional resources. The tone and content could also be more personal or include aspects to address the specific needs or circumstances of a newcomer.
Final Solution (Second Prototype)
To view the full Winter Driving Guide, click here: Winter Driving Guide for Newcomers
In regard to the theoretical grounding surrounding the effectiveness of the solution, I chose 3 cognition biases that reflect key UX principles and bias effects reflected in the guide book.
Cognition Biases - Theoretical Grounding
Chunking
This relates to the structure and hierarchy of content in which information is visually separated into groups. This helps with the viewer’s ability to process, organize, and retain information.
Example: tabbed sections, page headers, content hierarchy, and whitespace
Level of Processing Effect
The idea that information is easier
to remember when there is a more meaningful association between
the content and the viewer, as opposed to remembering through
repetition.
Example: content addresses major concerns and information relevant to circumstances, and intentional seeking of new information
Serial Position Effect
Our tendency to remember the first and last things on a list while forgetting the middle items.
Example: Information can be viewed in any order the reader chooses through easy-to-navigate section tabs. This stimulates memory and improves retention.
Future Considerations
With this second and final prototype, I was able to conduct another user test. Overall, they thought the booklet was clean, easy to navigate, and easy to understand with the supporting visuals. However, to make it an even more effective solution for the audience, there are a few ways to take the design further.
Consulting Experts
I would like to consult experts such as driving instructors to examine the content. Driving instructors can examine the accuracy of the information and provide more insights. I would also talk to more newcomers who can speak on its usefulness and identify gaps in information.
Accessibility
It would be good to have the booklet or information integrated into a website so all they would need is a link to the webpage. Different medium options should be available. Users should also be provided with an option to read the content in a different language.
Resource Locations
It would be beneficial if the physical booklet was available in relevant places such as registries, governmental buildings, or delivered to newcomers within a welcome package. Other communication strategies can also be implemented to share this resource.
The considerations above represent the potential areas that could make a more effective solution.