Short answer
When designing health warnings or public service announcements, opt for impactful, graphic visuals that evoke strong emotional responses, as these are more likely to be perceived as credible and effective.
- Field
- User-Centred Design
- Source
- Scholar Commons (University of South Carolina) (2015)
- Method
- Field Experiment
- Sample
- 864 participants (584 adult smokers, 280 adolescent smokers, 313 adolescent non-smokers)
- Evidence
- Strong effect
Visually striking and emotionally evocative health warning labels on cigarette packaging are more impactful than text-only warnings, leading to higher perceived effectiveness and stronger negative emotional responses among smokers and non-smokers. This user-centred design research insight is drawn from a 2015 study published in Scholar Commons (University of South Carolina). Using Field experiment with 864 participants (584 adult smokers, 280 adolescent smokers, 313 adolescent non-smokers), researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: When designing health warnings or public service announcements, opt for impactful, graphic visuals that evoke strong emotional responses, as these are more likely to be perceived as credible and effective.
Graphic Pictorial Health Warnings on Cigarette Packs Increase Perceived Effectiveness and Negative Emotions
Visually striking and emotionally evocative health warning labels on cigarette packaging are more impactful than text-only warnings, leading to higher perceived effectiveness and stronger negative emotional responses among smokers and non-smokers.
Scholar Commons (University of South Carolina) · 2015
Key Findings
- 01Pictorial health warning labels (PHWLs) were rated significantly higher on all measured outcomes (negative emotional responses, message credibility, perceived effectiveness) compared to text-only warnings.
- 02Within PHWLs, graphic imagery was rated highest, followed by suffering imagery, and then symbolic imagery, across all outcome measures.
- 03Smoker identity and self-efficacy to quit influenced the effectiveness of HWLs among smokers.
- 04Reactance to HWL stimuli and prior advertising exposure influenced the effects of HWLs across all participants.
Application
Design takeaway
When designing health warnings or public service announcements, opt for impactful, graphic visuals that evoke strong emotional responses, as these are more likely to be perceived as credible and effective.
How to apply
When developing warning labels or public health campaigns, test various graphic imagery and emotionally evocative designs to identify those that elicit the strongest negative emotional responses and highest perceived effectiveness among the target audience.
Project actions
- 01Consider using a range of visual stimuli to test emotional responses.
- 02Think about how different demographics might react to the same visual message.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Inclusion of both adolescent and adult smokers and non-smokers provides a broader perspective.
- +Use of both between- and within-subject manipulations allows for robust analysis of different factors.
Limitations
The effectiveness of a warning label can depend heavily on cultural context and individual experiences, which are difficult to fully replicate in a controlled experiment.
Reliability & validity
The use of mixed-effects models helps to account for correlated data due to repeated measures, enhancing the statistical reliability. The study's focus on specific psychological moderators also contributes to its validity in explaining differential effects.
Think critically
To what extent can the effectiveness of health warnings be generalized across different cultures and demographics, and what are the ethical considerations when using emotionally manipulative imagery?
Design Principles
"Visual impact and emotional resonance are key drivers of message effectiveness in health communication."
This research highlights the power of visual communication in influencing user perception and emotional response, particularly in the context of health messaging. Designers can leverage these findings to create more impactful public health campaigns and product warnings by prioritizing strong visual elements and emotionally resonant imagery.
What This Means for Your Design
Using scary pictures on cigarette packs makes people think more about the dangers and believe the warnings more than just words.
How to use in your project
- 1.Use this study to justify the choice of visual elements in your design for health-related products or campaigns, explaining how they are intended to evoke specific emotional responses or increase perceived effectiveness.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
This research by Anshari et al. (2015) demonstrates that pictorial health warning labels (PHWLs) are significantly more effective than text-only warnings in eliciting negative emotional responses and increasing perceived message effectiveness. Specifically, graphic imagery was found to be the most impactful, suggesting that visual design plays a critical role in communicating health risks. This supports the use of strong visual elements in design projects aimed at influencing user perception and behaviour regarding health and safety.
Source
Scholar Commons (University of South Carolina)
Effectiveness of Pictorial Health Warning Labels for Indonesia’s Cigarette Packages
journal · 2015
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about graphic pictorial health warnings on cigarette packs increase perceived effectiveness and negative emotions?
- When designing health warnings or public service announcements, opt for impactful, graphic visuals that evoke strong emotional responses, as these are more likely to be perceived as credible and effective. Evidence: Scholar Commons (University of South Carolina) (2015).
- Why does "Graphic Pictorial Health Warnings on Cigarette Packs Increase Perceived Effectiveness and Negative Emotions" matter for design?
- This research highlights the power of visual communication in influencing user perception and emotional response, particularly in the context of health messaging. Designers can leverage these findings to create more impactful public health campaigns and product warnings by prioritizing strong visual elements and emotionally resonant imagery.
- How can designers apply this research?
- When designing health warnings or public service announcements, opt for impactful, graphic visuals that evoke strong emotional responses, as these are more likely to be perceived as credible and effective.
- What were the main findings?
- Pictorial health warning labels (PHWLs) were rated significantly higher on all measured outcomes (negative emotional responses, message credibility, perceived effectiveness) compared to text-only warnings.. Within PHWLs, graphic imagery was rated highest, followed by suffering imagery, and then symbolic imagery, across all outcome measures.. Smoker identity and self-efficacy to quit influenced the effectiveness of HWLs among smokers.. Reactance to HWL stimuli and prior advertising exposure influenced the effects of HWLs across all participants.
- What research method was used?
- Field Experiment with 864 participants (584 adult smokers, 280 adolescent smokers, 313 adolescent non-smokers).
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2015 journal from Scholar Commons (University of South Carolina).
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When developing warning labels or public health campaigns, test various graphic imagery and emotionally evocative designs to identify those that elicit the strongest negative emotional responses and highest perceived effectiveness among the target audience.
- What are the limitations?
- The study was conducted in Indonesia, and findings may not be directly generalizable to other cultural contexts. The specific types of imagery and text used may also influence results.