Product Manual Safety Warnings: The Effects of Ordering

Abstract

This study examined whether the ordering or sequencing of hazard warnings in product manuals affects users' acquisition of safety information. Participants were given one of five manuals that differed only in the warning sequencing. Warnings were ordered according to importance, obviousness, nonobviousness, the manufacturer's (original) ordering, or no warnings were present. Participants examined the manual for three minutes or had unlimited time. Later, participants were tested on their knowledge of warning-related material. Analysis showed that males and females produced different patterns of results. For males, the manual with the least obvious hazards first was best; for females, the manual with the most obvious hazards first was best. It is suggested that these results may be at partially due to product familiarity. The results indicate that the ordering of warnings can influence the amount of warning information that people acquire and that the best ordering might depend on such factors as the demographics or familiarity of the users.