Study: Cluttered TV Weather Warnings Can Distract from Life-saving Details
ALBANY, N.Y. (Oct. 30, 2025) — When severe weather warnings appear on television, viewers are often faced with flashing radar maps, scrolling text, color-coded alerts and station logos all at once. A new University at Albany study shows that when those alerts become too visually complex, people spend less time reading the text that tells them what to do.
Led by Caroline Rafizadeh, a doctoral student in psychology, the study used eye-tracking technology to measure how viewers respond to different types of television weather warnings. The findings, published in Weather, Climate, and Society, highlight the need for simpler, more consistent designs that help people quickly locate and process critical information.
“There’s a lot happening on screen during a warning,” Rafizadeh said. “Even small distractions can make it harder for viewers to focus on the key message that could help keep them safe.”
Eye-tracking shows focus
Thirty-three UAlbany undergraduates participated in the experiment. Each viewed three versions of the same alert — one low, one medium and one high in visual complexity — for hazards such as tornadoes, hurricanes and snow squalls.
Across all designs, participants devoted the least attention to the scrolling text crawl, which typically includes the most actionable details. The more crowded the screen, the less time they spent reading it. Instead, their gaze was drawn toward background images or decorative graphics, even when those visuals were unrelated to the warning.
Emotional reactions also influenced attention. Participants who reported stronger emotions, such as anxiety or heightened alertness, tended to spend less time focusing on the screen overall.
Striking a balance
Participants preferred a medium-complexity design, which paired a radar image with concise text and minimal extra graphics. The low-complexity version felt too bare, while the high-complexity layout was described as confusing or visually overwhelming. Many cited redundant logos, multiple colors and long crawls as distractions.
The findings are timely as NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) technology expands, allowing broadcasters to personalize and geotarget emergency messages. With more tools to convey information, the researchers say, comes greater responsibility to ensure clarity.
Key takeaways:
- In high-complexity designs, viewers spent significantly less time on the text crawl than in simpler layouts.
- Background images drew more attention than the text across all versions.
- Strong emotional reactions were linked to reduced attention overall.
- Participants most often preferred the medium-complexity layout, rating it higher than both the simple and cluttered versions.
- Interviewees said they wanted clear, concise details on severity, timing and location — not competing graphics or logos.
The study was conducted in collaboration with faculty from UAlbany’s College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (CEHC) and was funded by NOAA (Jeannette Sutton, PI).
Co-authors include Michael Michaud, Risk Communication Scientist for the State Weather Risk Communication Center; Associate Professor of Psychology Heather Sheridan; Associate Professor of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity Jeannette Sutton; and Assistant Professor of Psychology Gregory Cox.
Future research should plan to include motion-based elements, such as animated radar and scrolling text, to better simulate live broadcast conditions. All data and analysis scripts from the current study are publicly available for other researchers and broadcasters.