Helping our clients understand technology II: expressing urgency.
by Chris on Jun.15, 2009, under Tech
Columbus has been preparing for construction on a major freeway, OH-315, which serves arguably our largest suburban population centers to The Ohio State University main campus, our tech corridor and downtown, our largest commercial center. If you’ve watched the local news, you know about the myriad entrance and exit ramp closures, lane reductions, pattern shifts, and other headaches befalling travelers of this artery for the next few months.
View 2009 ODOT CONSTRUCTION in a larger map (source)
I don’t travel this freeway on a daily basis, but I drive past it’s junction with I-670, our major east-west artery bypass. Within the last couple years, we’ve finally had large informational signs installed on all major freeways heading into town (like a real, big city!). About three weeks ago the sign on I-70(and 670) started displaying a message similar to the following:
"TRAFFIC PATTERN CHANGE - 315 AT 670 STARTING JUNE 15TH"
The wording leads one to believe “Hey, the traffic pattern is changing when they start work on 315.”
Today, the day work began, it said:
"ROADWORK - 315 AT 670 - WATCH FOR STOPPED TRAFFIC"
You might think “Oh yea, work starts today, I should be careful in that area.” Okay, actually, if you’re me it’s probably a series of expletives because I hate traffic, but I digress…
As you approach the junction for 315 there’s a freestanding sign on the right about 500 feet before the exit that says "315 NORTH RAMP CLOSED" Whhhhaaaaaaaaa? Then there was about 20 cars slamming on brakes as they panic and try and figure out how they’re getting to work, and the freeway slows to a crawl as everyone else panics.
What’s the point of these signs if the messages displayed are not intuitive, useful, and in this case borderline totally false? “Traffic pattern change” implies that traffic will still be able to flow. “Ramp closing” would have implied that the ramp is closing and people need to find another way to work. Exacerbating the situation with nearly no advance notice of the ramp closure turned the situation from annoying to dangerous.
How’s this relate to tech? I’ve mentioned before about how to express technology with our clients. I feel like ODOT chose these messages to put a “friendlier” face on a stressful situation, which of itself clearly isn’t a bad idea. The issue is, while it’s important not only to talk to your clients well, we need to understand the risks and stakes with our communications. The stakes, of course, are high here as ODOT’s failure to properly communicate endangers lives.
Let’s not forget, we’re being retained as an expert and a good expert knows when and how to elevate the urgency of a situation, even at the expense of a “feel good” message. It’s a fine line to walk, but occasionally we’ll have to balance the need to make our client feel good with keeping our client safe.
