Have you ever been impacted by extreme weather or natural disasters on PEI? Do you own a smartphone and often use apps? 

We are looking for people who use smartphone applications and who have also experienced extreme weather or natural disasters on PEI to evaluate a mobile application. This mobile app is intended to help people on PEI prepare for and respond to these types of weather events. This prototype was developed through interviews with island residents to help us understand what citizens need during storms, flash floods, and other types of environmental disasters as they become more common and more severe. The design now needs to be tested by island residents. Your evaluation will help us locate problems within the design that need fixing. 

We are looking for people who are fluent in English, 18 years of age or older, live or have lived on PEI, and have experienced an extreme weather or natural disaster event while on PEI, and has experience with smartphone app usage. Participants for this study must also have a reliable internet connection and a relatively quiet space where they are not likely to be interrupted as the evaluation would be conducted online. Participants also need a laptop or PC for proper use of the prototype. 

Evaluations will take approximately thirty (30) minutes to complete, and participants will be compensated with a UPEI keychain worth approximately $7.00 for their time. 

If you would like to help improve the preparedness and response of Islanders to natural disasters by improving the design of an app intended to do so, please contact Choyce Chappell (cachappell@upei.ca), or Christopher Power (cdspower@upei.ca), to set up an appointment between 15 May 2022 and 30 June 2022. 

This study has been approved by the UPEI Research Ethics Board.