The Wizard

In order to help guide you to images that would best meet your communications needs, we'd like to ask you two questions about your primary goals. You may find these difficult to answer, as often we have multiple goals when communicating risk. But, if you can be clear about what matters most to you, we can help guide you to visual displays that are likely to better fit your needs.

What is your primary goal for communicating this specific piece of risk information?

To make people feel more or less concerned about a risk.

For example

Explaining what a 16% risk of developing cardiovascular disease really means.

Consider

Do you intend to make people more or less concerned about this risk or help people classify their risk, such as “high”, “medium” or “low”? close

To increase or decrease awareness of a risk but NOT necessarily change people's concern.

For example

Putting a measles outbreak into context.

Consider

Do you intend to make people increase or decrease awareness of a risk or simply make people more or less concerned about a risk? close

To help people classify a risk (as “borderline high,” “below average,” or “excellent”).

For example

Putting the results of a risk calculator, or a test result, into context.

Consider

Do you want people to be able to classify the level of this risk or simply make them more or less concerned about the risk? close

To help people identify how much risk can change because of actions they take or because of a risk factor.

For example

Showing how the baseline lifetime risk of dying of colon cancer is reduced with regular screening tests, or explaining how weight loss might lower someone’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Consider

Do you intend to have people compare the levels of a single type of risk or to compare between different types of risk? close

To show differences in risk between groups.

For example

Communicating racial disparities in rates of colorectal cancer.

Consider

Do you intend to have people compare the levels of a single type of risk or to compare between different types of risk? close

To help people compare options that differ in their degree of risk.

For example

Helping people compare across multiple side effects of a drug or treatment.

Consider

Do you intend to have people compare the levels of a single type of risk or to compare between different types of risk? close

To help people recognize a risk tradeoff (situations where one option has more of one risk and less of another than another option)

For example

Communicating how the risks of different treatment options, like surgery versus radiation for prostate cancer, change over time and compare to one another.

Consider

Do you intend to have people compare the levels of a single type of risk or to compare between different types of risk? close

Do people need to know or remember exact risk numbers or is it enough for them to get the basic idea (the gist) about the risk?

The basic idea Exact risk numbers

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