Designing warning signs and labels: a theoretical/scientific framework

Abstract

Numerous guidelines for the design of warning signs and warning labels have been developed throughout the world. Their primary focus has been on perceptual issues and rudimentary aspects of comprehension. Much less attention has been given to how people vary in the way they make decisions, as a function of task familiarity and user knowledge. This is unfortunate, because such variation impacts the types of errors people make and, therefore, determines the ultimate effectiveness of particular warning designs. This paper presents a scientific/theoretical framework for choosing between different safety interventions and types of warnings that builds upon earlier developed cognitive guidelines for the design of warnings. The approach maps methods of alerting, reminding, instructing, or persuading to errors and/or violations occurring at the skill-based, rule-based, knowledge-based, and judgment-based levels, respectively. Practical examples are given illustrating the application of this approach.

KeyWords:

• labeling
• warnings
• signs
• design
• safety information
• violations
• errors