Choyce Chappell will defend her Master in Environmental Sciences thesis, "Design of a Mobile Crisis Weather App for Residents of Prince Edward Island," on Friday, December 9, at 2 pm in the Atlantic Veterinary College 287N.

"Though extreme weather events are increasing in both severity and frequency, the current state of citizen-focused crisis informatics illustrates how little is known about the way the citizenry receives and uses information about such events; furthermore, individuals and communities are often underprepared. This thesis attempts to address the discovered gap in the literature and suggests a possible solution through the design of a mobile crisis weather app for residents of Prince Edward Island.  The user-centered design process of interaction design was chosen for effective interface design. Primary data was gathered through qualitative methodology utilizing semi-structured interviews with fourteen residents analyzed through thematic analysis. The user story, personas, and user scenarios, all tools of interface design, were used in the design of the interface and culminated in a medium-fidelity prototype specific to the geographical and sociocultural needs of the average Prince Edward Island resident."

Everyone is welcome.