Lorenz, S, Dessai, S, Forster, PM et al. (1 more author) (2015) Tailoring the visual communication of climate projections for local adaptation practitioners in Germany and the UK. Philosophical Transactions A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 373 (2055). 20140457. ISSN 1364-503X
Abstract
Visualizations are widely used in the communication of climate projections. However, their effectiveness has rarely been assessed among their target audience. Given recent calls to increase the usability of climate information through the tailoring of climate projections, it is imperative to assess the effectiveness of different visualizations. This paper explores the complexities of tailoring through an online survey conducted with 162 local adaptation practitioners in Germany and the UK. The survey examined respondents’ assessed and perceived comprehension (PC) of visual representations of climate projections as well as preferences for using different visualizations in communicating and planning for a changing climate. Comprehension and use are tested using four different graph formats, which are split into two pairs. Within each pair the information content is the same but is visualized differently. We show that even within a fairly homogeneous user group, such as local adaptation practitioners, there are clear differences in respondents’ comprehension of and preference for visualizations. We do not find a consistent association between assessed comprehension and PC or use within the two pairs of visualizations that we analysed. There is, however, a clear link between PC and use of graph format. This suggests that respondents use what they think they understand the best, rather than what they actually understand the best. These findings highlight that audience-specific targeted communication may be more complex and challenging than previously recognized.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2015, The Authors. Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited. |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Inst for Climate & Atmos Science (ICAS) (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number EU - European Union 284369 EU - European Union 308291 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 31 Jul 2015 10:42 |
Last Modified: | 26 Feb 2019 09:41 |
Published Version: | http://rsta.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/373... |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Royal Society, The |
Identification Number: | 10.1098/rsta.2014.0457 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:88554 |