Design study, Technology
Pause Before You Click
A self-initiated design study: Teach residents to pause, verify, and report suspicious messages, and to turn on two-step login.
These are self-initiated studies, not client work. Each is a fictional campaign; none was commissioned by, produced for, or approved by any agency or organization.
The brief
- Line of business
- Technology
- Audience
- Adults of all ages, especially older adults and their families, who get scam texts, calls, and emails.
- Objective
- Teach residents to pause, verify, and report suspicious messages, and to turn on two-step login.
- When and where
- Thursdays in October | 6 pm, Harbor Library
Concept A: Protect Your People 12
Asks adult children to share the tips with parents and grandparents, turning scam safety into an act of care. Type style.
Concept B: Pause and Check 12
Teaches one habit that stops scams in their tracks: pause before acting, then check through a source you trust. Scene style.
Concept C: Nice Try 12
Gives people a confident, funny comeback to scam texts, which makes ignoring them feel satisfying. Grid style.
Spanish adaptation of Protect Your People 12
The first direction adapted rather than translated: the headline, supporting line, and call to action rewritten in Spanish, with the layout reflowed for the longer text. Type style.
What was checked
Every one of the 48 pieces was checked as it was composed. The lowest text contrast measured anywhere in this study is 5.26 to 1, against a minimum of 4.5 to 1. Type sizes are in the units of each format: pixels for digital formats, and for print, units of the drawing at the sizes shown.
| Format | Minimum type size | Smallest set | Lowest contrast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poster, 18 by 24 inches | 11 | 13.2 | 5.26 to 1 |
| Flyer, letter | 11 | 13.5 | 5.26 to 1 |
| Social story, vertical | 13 | 13.0 | 5.26 to 1 |
| Retractable banner | 10 | 10.0 | 5.26 to 1 |
| Display ad, 160 by 600 | 10 | 10.0 | 5.26 to 1 |
| Social post, square | 13 | 13.2 | 5.26 to 1 |
| Display ad, 300 by 250 | 10 | 10.0 | 5.26 to 1 |
| Postcard, 6 by 4 inches | 13 | 13.2 | 5.26 to 1 |
| Event cover | 12 | 12.0 | 5.26 to 1 |
| Billboard | 12 | 12.0 | 5.26 to 1 |
| Email header | 11 | 11.0 | 5.26 to 1 |
| Display ad, 728 by 90 | 10 | 10.0 | 5.26 to 1 |