UX Design for Crisis Situations: Lessons from the Los Angeles Wildfires

Inclusive UX and Human-Centered Crisis Communications

Crisis-response tools are effective only if they are designed for everyone. A well-functioning system that fails to account for neurodiverse individuals, people with disabilities, or non-native speakers risks leaving vulnerable populations without access to life-saving information. Plus, crisis communications must not only be informative but also reassuring because they reduce confusion and panic.

Next, I’ll explore two critical elements of emergency user experiences: designing for inclusivity and crafting effective, human-centered messaging.

Designing for Inclusivity in Emergency User Experiences

People process information differently, particularly under stress. Crisis tools must be accessible to all users, regardless of their physical, cognitive, or linguistic differences. Inaccessible designs can create barriers that delay critical decision-making.

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 15 percent of the world’s population has a disability that affects their ability to interact with digital user interfaces. In an emergency, inaccessible systems can mean the difference between receiving timely help and being left unprepared. The following design principles can enhance inclusivity in crisis user experiences:

• multilingual support—In diverse cities such as Los Angeles, emergency alerts in a single language could fail to reach non-English-speaking residents. Apps should provide real-time translation options and push notifications in multiple languages.
• voice-assisted navigation—People with vision impairments or motor disabilities benefit from voice-command functionality that lets them access emergency updates without needing to interact manually with a screen.
• sensory-friendly alerts—Flashing lights and blaring alarms can be distressing for neurodiverse users, including those with autism or sensory-processing disorders. Providing alternative, customizable alert settings—such as vibrations, gradual audio cues, or text-based notifications—ensure that all users receive alerts in a form they can process.
• clear, large-format text and high-contrast user interfaces—Users with visual impairments should be able to adjust text size, contrast, and brightness settings to suit their needs.

Ensuring that emergency user experiences are inclusive is not just about regulatory compliance—it is about designing tools that serve the widest range of people possible in critical moments.

Human-Centered Crisis Communications

Dealing with a crisis is not just a technical challenge, but a deeply human experience. People facing disasters often feel overwhelmed, frightened, and desperate for reliable guidance. Poorly structured crisis communications can increase users’ uncertainty, while clear, empathetic messaging can provide reassurance and direction.

During the Los Angeles wildfires, my acupuncturist’s office sent out a vague email message canceling all appointments due to “unforeseen circumstances.” Only later did I learn that my acupuncturist’s home had been destroyed by the fire. While the cancellation made sense in hindsight, the lack of clear communication left clients uncertain about what had happened, whether staff members were safe, and whether the office would reopen.

Effective crisis messaging should follow these principles:

• Use plain, direct language. Emergency messages should be free of jargon and comprise short, clear sentences. Rather than: “Local residents should consider evacuating if conditions worsen.” A more effective message would be: “Evacuate now. Fire is approaching your area.”
• Provide immediate next steps. Users should never be left wondering what to do. A cancellation notice, for example, should include rescheduling options or instructions on when to expect further updates. For evacuation alerts, integrate real-time maps and shelter locations directly into the message.
• Show empathy and transparency. In a crisis, people need information that they can trust. If a situation is still developing, transparency is key. For example: “Authorities are assessing the situation. Expect an update at 2:00 pm.” Giving users clear expectations reduces panic and builds confidence in the system.
• Design for multiple communication channels. Some people rely on push notifications, others on email or SMS (Short Message Service) messages, and still others prefer social-media updates. Crisis-response tools should deliver messages across multiple platforms to ensure the widest reach.

By prioritizing inclusivity and effective communications, crisis-response tools can provide clarity, accessibility, and reassurance in moments when people need them most.

Innovations in Crisis User Experiences: AI, AR, and Wearable Technology

Technology is evolving rapidly, and crisis-response user experiences must evolve with it. While traditional emergency tools such as SMS alerts and radio broadcasts remain essential, emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), and wearable health devices offer new ways of enhancing crisis management. These innovations have the potential to improve real-time decision-making, increase situational awareness, and provide proactive alerts before disasters escalate.

AI-Driven Crisis Prediction and Early Warnings

Artificial intelligence can analyze vast amounts of data—for example, from weather patterns, sensor networks, and historical disaster records—to predict crises before they unfold. We’re already using AI-powered models in wildfire prevention, flood monitoring, and earthquake forecasting.

A study by the International Society for Automation (ISA) [6] found that AI-driven early-warning systems improved disaster preparedness for 93.65 percent of at-risk populations. These warning systems can assess environmental data in real time and send alerts before an event reaches critical levels. For example, AI-driven wildfire-prediction models can analyze wind speeds, vegetation dryness, and temperature fluctuations to estimate fire spread, helping emergency responders allocate resources more effectively.

From a UX design perspective, the challenge is ensuring that AI-generated alerts are actionable, accurate, and easy to understand. A well-designed AI-driven crisis tool should do the following:

• Ensure clarity by presenting information in plain, nontechnical language.
• Indicate a level of confidence in predictions—for example, “85% probability of fire spread within 3 hours.”
• Offer next steps that are based on AI analysis—for example, “Residents in Zone A should evacuate within two hours.”

By integrating predictive AI into crisis user experiences, UX designers can create systems that do more than just react to disasters—they can help prevent them.

Augmented Reality for Emergency Navigation

Augmented reality has the potential to transform how people navigate crises. AR can overlay real-time evacuation routes, hazard warnings, and emergency instructions directly onto the user’s surroundings, making critical information easier to consume and more accessible.

In Japan, emergency responders have tested AR-assisted flood-rescue systems that let rescuers see real-time hazard overlays while moving through flooded areas. We could apply this same technology to wildfires—for example, evacuees using an AR-enabled phone camera could see safe exit routes projected over their view of the environment.

For AR to be effective in crisis user experiences, UX designers must ensure the following:

• Minimal cognitive load, providing only the most essential information.
• Offline functionality, allowing AR overlays to work even if the Internet is down.
• Integration with the existing emergency infrastructure so official evacuation orders synchronize with AR visualizations.

As AR hardware and software become more widely adopted, their potential for life-saving crisis navigation will continue to grow.

Wearable Technology for Real-Time Health Monitoring

Wearable health devices such as smartwatches and biometric sensors can provide real-time health tracking that can enhance crisis response. During wildfires, for example, prolonged exposure to smoke can cause respiratory distress. A smartwatch with an air-quality sensor could detect dangerous levels of smoke inhalation and send an alert advising the user to move indoors or wear a mask.

Wearables can also monitor first responders, helping prevent their exhaustion and dehydration in extreme conditions. Firefighters with biometric-tracking gear could receive alerts when their heart rate or hydration levels reached dangerous thresholds, reducing the risk of heat-related illness.

For wearable technology to fully integrate into a crisis user experience, emergency apps should do the following:

• Synchronize with health-monitoring devices to detect early warning signs of distress.
• Provide personalized evacuation recommendations that are based on real-time health data.
• Use nonintrusive, automatic alerts to avoid overwhelming users with excessive numbers of notifications.

Wearable technology is still evolving, but its role in emergency response will become increasingly important as devices gain more advanced sensing capabilities.

Conclusion: The Ethical Responsibility of User Experiences for Crisis Situations

Crisis situations test not only the resilience of communities but also the effectiveness of the digital tools that guide their residents. The L.A. wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and public-health emergencies have revealed a stark reality: all too often, we often design crisis-response user experiences reactively rather than proactively. As UX professionals, researchers, and product designers, we carry a profound ethical responsibility to ensure that emergency-response systems are clear, accessible, and actionable.

A well-designed emergency system could mean the difference between executing a timely evacuation and suffering critical delays. Conversely, a poorly designed emergency experience—whether the result of misinformation, accessibility barriers, or cognitive overload—could create confusion, hesitation, and even loss of life. When designing user experiences for crisis situations, three ethical pillars must guide every decision.

1. Prioritizing Clarity Over Complexity

In high-stress, crisis environments, users do not have time to navigate complex menus, decipher vague alert messages, or compare conflicting data sources. Information must be streamlined, precise, and formatted for quick comprehension. Therefore, emergency user experiences should prioritize the following:

• Real-time, fact-checked data that prevents the dissemination of misinformation.
• Minimalist UI designs that remove distractions and highlight essential actions.
• Standardized alert systems that integrate with those of official emergency agencies to ensure consistency.

2. Designing for Inclusion and Accessibility

A crisis does not discriminate based on ability, language, or familiarity with technology. We must design emergency-response tools for everyone, including non-native speakers, neurodiverse individuals, seniors, and people with disabilities. Inclusive crisis user experiences should always do the following:

• Support multilingual emergency alerts and visual, voice-assisted guidance.
• Provide sensory-friendly notifications for people with autism or sensory-processing sensitivities.
• Provide offline functionality to ensure that critical features remain available even when networks fail.

3. Testing Crisis User Experiences in Real-World Conditions

We design many emergency tools under controlled conditions, never testing them under the real-world stress of an emergency situation. We must evaluate effective crisis user experiences in environments that simulate the urgency and chaos of actual disasters. Therefore, usability testing should do the following:

• Replicate decision-making within high-stress conditions to identify potential breakdowns in the user experience.
• Involve diverse test participants, including users who are elderly, people with disabilities, and multilingual communities.
• Ensure that all features function reliably without Internet connectivity, anticipating possible network failures.

Final Thoughts: When User Experiences Save Lives

Crisis UX design is not about aesthetics or engagement metrics, but about people’s survival. The systems that we design and build today will be those that people rely on tomorrow when disaster strikes. As technology continues to evolve, UX professionals must move beyond reactive solutions and build proactive, human-centered systems that provide clarity, accessibility, and trust in the moments when they matter most. When time is running out, people do not have the luxury of thinking through a poorly designed system. The user experience must think for them. 

References

1. American Red Cross. “Innovation at the Red Cross.” American Red Cross, undated. Retrieved March 16, 2025.

2. World Health Organization (WHO) “Disability.” World Health Organization, March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2025.