Situational Barriers in Emergencies
What Are Barriers?
Barriers come and go.
They happen in situations.
Not from health.
They affect anyone.
They are not permanent.
But in an emergency, they are very real.
Types of Barriers
Lost or Broken Devices
The situation:
- Phone battery died
- Device broke in disaster
- Charger left behind
- Screen cracked
The barrier: Cannot access digital info.
The impact: Same as not having a phone.
High Stress and Panic
The situation:
- Fear takes over
- Rush of adrenaline
- Cannot think clearly
- Tunnel vision
The barrier: Brain processing slows down.
The impact: Same as a cognitive disability.
Foreign Language
The situation:
- Tourist in emergency zone
- Recent immigrant
- Non-English speaker
- Limited English skills
The barrier: Cannot understand orders.
The impact: Same as a communication disability.
Carrying Kids or Items
The situation:
- Carrying a baby
- Holding emergency supplies
- Helping another person
- Both hands full
The barrier: Cannot use hands to use devices.
The impact: Same as a mobility disability.
Loud Noise
The situation:
- Sirens blaring
- Crowds screaming
- Explosions or crashes
- Emergency vehicles
The barrier: Cannot hear audio orders.
The impact: Same as a hearing disability.
Bright Sun or Darkness
The situation:
- Power outage (darkness)
- Midday sun glare
- Smoke blocks vision
- Broken glasses
The barrier: Cannot see screens or signs.
The impact: Same as a vision disability.
Poor Internet
The situation:
- Network jammed (everyone calls)
- Damaged cell towers
- Rural area with weak signal
- Inside building with weak signal
The barrier: Cannot access online info.
The impact: Digital divide becomes deadly.
Injured or Tired
The situation:
- Body injury
- Very tired
- Dehydration
- Illness
The barrier: Reduced body and brain power.
The impact: Multiple barriers at once.
Why This Matters
Everyone Faces Barriers in Emergencies
Normal times: You are healthy, alert, able.
Emergency times: You are stressed, tired, scared.
Your ability drops by half.
Plan for Barriers Helps All
If your alert works for someone in panic, it works for all.
If your website works on a dying phone, it works for all.
If your orders work in chaos, they work for all.
Emergency Impacts
Impact 1: Too Much Info
The problem: Alerts give too much info.
Stressed people cannot process it.
Real-world failure: An alert lists many things:
- 5 evac zones
- 3 shelter spots
- 4 road closures
- 2 phone numbers
- 1 website
Someone in panic reads line one.
They freeze.
They do not know what to do.
They do not leave.
Impact 2: Hard to Find Info
The problem: Info is buried in menus.
A dying phone cannot search.
Real-world failure: The evac info is on the website.
It is buried in deep menus.
Phone battery: 3%.
Phone dies before finding it.
Person does not know where to go.
Impact 3: Language Barrier
The problem: Alerts are only in English.
Spanish speakers do not understand.
Real-world failure: A wildfire threatens a town.
40% of people speak Spanish first.
The evac order is only in English.
Spanish speakers do not understand.
They do not leave.
Some die.
Impact 4: Expecting Too Much
The problem: Orders expect people to:
- Read fast
- Remember many steps
- Use difficult systems
- Make choices under pressure
Real-world failure: Shelter check-in needs:
- Find sign-up table
- Fill out form
- Show ID
- Answer health questions
- Get bed number
- Find the bed
Someone arrives tired and traumatized.
They cannot process 6 steps.
They sit in lobby.
They do not get a bed.
What to Do
Principle 1: Plan for Worst
Expect:
- Phone battery dying
- Internet slow or gone
- User in panic
- User injured
- User carrying kids
- User speaks little English
If it works in worst case, it works.
Principle 2: One Action Per Message
Do this: “Leave now.”
Not this: “People should think about leaving. Gather items. Secure homes.”
Principle 3: Use Many Formats
Give info in many ways:
- Text for reading
- Icons for quick grasp
- Audio for listening
- Images for visual grasp
Principle 4: Use Many Languages
Basic:
- English
- Spanish
- French (Canada)
Better:
- All languages spoken by 5%+ of town
- Native tongues
- Sign videos
Principle 5: Works Offline
Key info must work without internet:
- PDFs to print
- Saved web pages
- SMS backup
- Radio broadcast
- Physical signs
Principle 6: Few Steps
Max steps for key actions: 3
Example:
- Leave now
- Go to Main Street School
- Check in at entrance
Not:
- Secure your home
- Gather emergency supplies
- Contact family members
- Review evacuation routes
- Fuel your vehicle
- Load your belongings
- Lock all doors
- Evacuate via routes
Principle 7: Info Order
Put most important info first:
✅ Right order:
- What to do: LEAVE NOW
- Where to go: Main Street School
- When: in 2 hours
- Why: wildfire
- Details: what to bring
❌ Wrong order:
- Fire background
- History
- List of agencies
- What to do
Barrier Checklist
- Works on dying phone (10%)
- Works on slow internet (3G or slower)
- Works without internet (saved)
- Reading level Grade 6 or lower
- Key info in first 3 seconds
- Works in many languages
- One action per message
- Visual + text + audio
- Max 3 steps for key actions
- Large touch targets
- High contrast for bright sun
- Easy nav (no menus)
- Phone numbers tap to call
- Maps simple and clear
- No jargon or hard words
Test for Barriers
Test 1: Dying Phone Test
Set phone to 10% battery.
Find evac info.
If you cannot find it before it dies, redo it.
Test 2: Stress Test
Do 50 jumping jacks.
Now follow your orders.
If you cannot, they are too hard.
Test 3: Hands-Free Test
Hold a gallon of water in each hand.
Use your site with voice only.
If you cannot, add voice support.
Test 4: Language Test
Translate your alert to Spanish.
Have a Spanish speaker read it.
If they do not get it, rewrite.
Test 5: Chaos Test
Play loud siren sounds.
Flash bright lights.
Read your alert.
If you cannot, add more contrast. Make it simpler.
Case Study: Success
Japan Earthquake Alert
What they did:
- Simple sounds (easy to know)
- Many languages: Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean
- Works on old phones
- Works offline
- Clear action: Drop, Cover, Hold
- Practice lots
Result: People follow it even in panic.
Body memory from practice.
Works in worst cases.
Case Study: Failure
Hurricane Katrina Evac (2005)
What went wrong:
- Expected all had cars
- Expected all could read maps
- Expected all spoke English
- Hard multi-step orders
- Needed internet
- No clear action
Result: Many people did not leave.
Barriers became deadly.
No car. No internet. Language barrier.
The Bottom Line
In emergencies, all face barriers.
Plan for the worst case.
Simple always wins.
Use many formats always.
Use many languages always.
Test under stress.
If it works when everything is broken, it works.
Resources
Design for Barriers
- Microsoft Design Toolkit
- “Mismatch” by Kat Holmes
- A11Y Project help
Stress Testing
- How the brain works under stress
- Emergency contact research
- Crisis contact protocols
Multi-Language Support
- Google Translate API
- Pro translation help
- Community help