Otter Globetrotters: T. Hogrefe, T. Indalecio, N. Marcel, T.

Shamrell

INTRODUCTION
The following job aid is designed to benefit a specific family in an emergency situation
that can often lead to panic; an earthquake. Although most people living in earthquake prone
areas are aware of the tasks necessary during and after the disaster, it is natural to panic and
possibly forget those tasks. This can lead to an already dangerous situation to become even more
so. A clear job aid addressing common scenarios will help people complete necessary tasks to
stay safe.
Our job aid targets a specific family comprised of two parents (one working and one stayat-home), two middle school aged children, and two dogs. In the job aid, it is assumed that the
role of parent 1 would be that of the stay-at-home parent. The job aid is designed as a two-sided
tri-fold to be kept in multiple places within the home, in each childs backpack, in the earthquake
kit, and possibly in each parents vehicle. This way, in the event of an earthquake, the job aid
will be easily accessible.

PROCESS OF CREATING THE JOB AID

Discussion: Google Hangout
To facilitate the discussion and collaborate, the Otter Globetrotters utilized a variety of
Google applications. The group conducted weekly meetings, shared various documents for each
step of the process. Each team member made notes while adding ideas in their designated text
color, as well as commenting on the others input. Communicating ideas and deciding on a
particular need was determined fairly quickly. As a group we figured out all of the job aids
details. At times the group collaboration was challenging due to our geographic locations, but

Otter Globetrotters: T. Hogrefe, T. Indalecio, N. Marcel, T. Shamrell

after the group put our heads together, the group generated a great product. All of our members
had great attributes, suggestions, knowledge, experience, and talents that they contributed to the
design and content of the job aid. Our varied backgrounds brought about a well-rounded
approach to our project.
Layout: Google Docs & Drawing
The group mainly used Google Drive and its basic products to share notes, ideas and
design layouts. The Google Drawing application allowed us to make a layout of how we wanted
the final product to look. Group members were able to share ideas in real time and make changes
to convey different looks. Google documents allowed us to keep a record of asynchronous
collaboration and progress.
Rough Draft: LucidPress
Despite all the great qualities of Google drawing, the program did not have all of the
tools to produce what we imagined as a group. Our group is more comfortable having
synchronous collaboration with a more professional look, so we researched other online
products. As a team, we downloaded a trial version of the Lucid Press Team and we were able to
create a very good rough draft together. While editing the project, we had the opportunity to
communicate with each other through a chat box or through Google Hangout. Lucid Press also
had the advantage of being linked to Google Drive, allowing us to keep the draft in our groups
folder.
Final Copy: Illustrator
The final draft of the job aid was designed in Adobe Illustrator and then saved as a pdf for
easy emailing and printing. Images were sourced from free sources and credit was given
appropriately on the final draft.

Otter Globetrotters: T. Hogrefe, T. Indalecio, N. Marcel, T. Shamrell

LESSONS LEARNED
Group meetings
As we got a couple of weeks into the project, we discovered that it was helpful to have a
meeting agenda created ahead of time to follow. This helped us make sure we covered all
questions/concerns team members had and eliminated numerous emails throughout the rest of the
week trying to address forgotten issues. To create the agenda, during the week leading up to the
team meeting, all team members added any topics they felt necessary into a shared google doc.
Design
We used Google Docs to work collaboratively during each step of the process.
Collaboration worked well having a current document each week to add to and share ideas at
everyones convenience. This allowed us to collaborate throughout the week without having to
arrange our schedules to have multiple meetings to discuss every aspect. Using Google Hangouts
for a weekly meeting worked well in getting everyone together to discuss ideas, as well as work
on the project together. For example, when creating the trifold layout, we were able to try out
various programs for designing the job aid. We found that Google Drawing worked well to set
up the basic design but was hard to work with as a double-sided (two page) design. We found
Lucid Press worked well as a different collaborative program and we were able to create a much
better mock design layout. Finally, we used the Lucid Press layout to create the job aid used in
testing and the final product with Adobe Illustrator, a professional graphic design program. We
learned that we could have skipped using google drawings for the layout and gone straight to
Lucid Press (had we known about it sooner) as a collaborative program, saving some steps.

Otter Globetrotters: T. Hogrefe, T. Indalecio, N. Marcel, T. Shamrell

Through researching collaboration tools, we were able to find many interesting apps that connect
to google drive and have a similar concept. This can be very useful in future projects where
collaboration and teamwork is essential.
Research
Since the target family for this job aid is to be located in San Diego, we sought out to find
established, in-place procedures and phone numbers. Using a variety of websites (below), we
were able to modify the job aid to meet the specific needs of this particular family.
San Diego County Office of Emergency Services: http://www.sandiegocounty.gov/oes/
Red Crosss Prepared San Diego: http://www.preparesandiego.org/
Federal Emergency Management Agency: http://www.fema.gov/
Testing
The most practical and readily available testers were pulled from family and friends of
our group. Utilizing help from family members and friends who fit the criteria or came close to
the criteria, we asked for help in evaluating the job aid and its usability. Through our testers, we
gained valuable feedback on the job aid. Once all of the comments and suggestions from our
testers were received, we utilized Google Docs to compile this information for test results. As a
result of the feedback, we were able to make needed adjustments to the design and content of the
job aid, creating our final product.
Details of testing and revisions:
The specific family had no problem following the job aid, they said it was easy to
understand. The kids really liked the dog images, but since they do not have a mailbox away
from the house, that aspect confused them. It was explained that it was a hypothetical since we
used mainly the specific familys information, but another familys mailbox location. The only

Otter Globetrotters: T. Hogrefe, T. Indalecio, N. Marcel, T. Shamrell

addition was that Parent 2 mentioned to add personal medications to the supplies list. Other
family members, such as a sister in-law, mother in-law and niece reviewed the job aid. They said
it was easy to follow and could be easily adapted for their family with just a few minor edits (i.e.
meeting locations). In general, everyone really liked the layout and thought having a personal
(not generic) family plan was a really good idea.
*See additional Tester notes in Appendix A
RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONTRIBUTIONS
Our team has discovered we work well by frequently collaborating and sharing all tasks and
responsibilities. Each team member contributed tremendously to every aspect of this project. As
discussed above, most of our collaboration and work can be seen in the numerous shared Google
Docs for this project (see Appendix A for a sample). Below you will find a table of time spent on
weekly meetings as well as a chart showing how our shared tasks and responsibilities were
divided and rotated throughout the project.
Weekly meetings:
Date & time

Topic

duration

10/27 @ 2pm

Report #1: Job Aid idea, 1 paragraph

1:00

11/06 @ 2pm

Report #2: Job Aid Proposal, 1 page

0:45

11/13 @ 2pm

Complete research, finalize all info to be included

1:45

11/20 @ 2pm

Rough design; discuss testing

1:30

11/21 @ 10am

Compete rough design; begin testing

1:30

12/2 @ 12pm

Edit and publish final document

5:30

Overall

Time spent on and off group discussions as a team

~40:00

Otter Globetrotters: T. Hogrefe, T. Indalecio, N. Marcel, T. Shamrell

Shared Tasks and Responsibilities:
Date

Lead
discuss.

Outline
prep

Note
taking

Writer
(final)

Add
notes

Edit
report

Research

Contribute
to final
doc

meet for
group
discussions

10/27

Tom

Nikki

Traci

Tina

ALL

ALL

ALL

ALL

ALL

11/06

Tina

Tom

Nikki

Traci

ALL

ALL

ALL

ALL

ALL

11/13

Traci

Tina/Tom

Nikki

ALL

ALL

ALL

ALL

ALL

11/20

Traci

Tina

Tom

Nikki

ALL

ALL

ALL

ALL

ALL

11/26

Nikki

Traci

Tina

Tom

ALL

ALL

ALL

ALL

ALL

Otter Globetrotters: T. Hogrefe, T. Indalecio, N. Marcel, T. Shamrell

REFERENCES
All Hazards Emergency Kit. Retrieved November 29, 2014, from
http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/documents/learn/Emergency_Checklist.pdf
Free Vector graphic art, free photos, free icons, free website templates, psd graphic, photoshop
brush, font, free download. (n.d.). Retrieved December 02, 2014, from http://all-freedownload.com
Earthquake Safety Checklist. (n.d.). Retrieved December 01, 2014, from
http://www.redcross.org/images/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m4240216_Earthquake.p
df
Family Disaster Plan and Personal Survival Guide: San Diego County.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved
December 02, 2014, from
http://www.sandiegocounty.gov/oes/docs/FamilyDisasterPlan.pdf
Protect yourself during earthquakes, wherever you are! (n.d.). Retrieved December 02, 2014,
from http://cope-preparedness.org/archives/2680
Family Emergency Plan: Emergency Supply Kit. (n.d.). Retrieved December 02, 2014, from
https://www.sdge.com/sites/default/files/documents/1706321145/11482_
FamilyEmergPlan_SupplyKit%20.pdf?nid=10476

Otter Globetrotters: T. Hogrefe, T. Indalecio, N. Marcel, T. Shamrell

APPENDIX A
Earthquake kit should have some kind of knife of some sort...? No? I agree, there should be a knife in the
kit - I can add it- Not just any knife will do. A pocket knife and a swiss army type knife will work. Perhaps
we could say survival knife (small) Any small, sharp knife will do. Other knives might be too handy and
might be taken out for regular use and not replaced.
Safety Checklist
Missing additional instructions for items such as no running water, no
electricity, or structural damage. Should follow the same flow as gas leak item (what to
do if yes, what to do if no)
This, I agree with and I actually thought about that the
other day. I think it should read along the lines of: (water: yes- proceed to next item,
no- turn it off (or call water company?? what's the protocol?) electricity: yes- proceed
to next item, no- call electric company SDGE, structural damage: safe (leave safe as
is since it fits with our text for parent steps) not safe- alternate shelter
I think this is where you have to assume the learner comes to the table
with some prior knowledge, otherwise we find ourselves creating two job aids or one
really big one. For example, in this scenario I would be parent one - I have lived in CA
most of my life, I have seen tons of job aids and been through a ton of earthquake
drills. I also know how to turn off the gas, check for water, etc. I just need a quick tip
reminder list, not a detailed procedural list. Also you would need to assume we cannot
call SDGE, because phones may not be working, we would need to just turn off the
gas.Alright, we can include this in the report.
Should be more prominent on the page
If there is a way to make it
slightly bigger without causing a design problem (Tina this is up to you, in my opinion)
then I would agree, however for our purposes it's probably fine
I think because the main purpose of the job aid is for the family plan, not
the safety checklist we should keep that the focus and everything else smaller
The safety checklist looks like a good quick reference
The first page was a little hard to follow, in that I wasn't sure where to start. My eye was drawn to the
middle column ("What to Do During an Earthquake") because the column title's font is the largest of the
three, and it's in the center. But after reading it, I realized I was probably supposed to go from left to right,
starting with "What to Do Before an Earthquake." This does not need to be changed. I think the reviewer
forgot it was a trifold design and meant to be viewed folded rather than as a flat page.
yep I agree with Nikki - it is a tri-fold so it would be read as it is opened, no need to change
yup
Also, I was confused about the instructions in "What to Do During an Earthquake" because the first
instructions say to "drop, cover, and hold on," but then the second step says to go to high ground. The
first thing my brain thought was "how can I drop, cover, and hold on, and THEN find high ground?" This, I
can see being confusing because there is a #1 but no #2. Perhaps separating the two steps by adding a
space between the images of "drop, cover, hold on" and "go to higher ground", then in that space add the
text "2. When the shaking stops..."
I will just remove the numbers, end of confusion :)
Good.

Otter Globetrotters: T. Hogrefe, T. Indalecio, N. Marcel, T. Shamrell

For the supplies to have, utensils might be a good thing to add, and also possibly bottles of water. You
can't always guarantee running water, so having the bleach to disinfect it doesn't do any good if there isn't
any nearby. And the bottles would be good for carrying water you do find. We have water listed as the
first item in our checklist so I think we're fine there. Near the bottom of the checklist, for
"paperplates/cups/etc." maybe replace "etc." with "utensils"?
I think that is implied (the etc part) and keep in mind this would already be a kit that is packed, not one we
are packing that day Agreed So, the utensils are probably good to have in there beforehand.
Because of the punctuation, these instructions were unclear about the ratio for disinfecting vs. drinking
water: "pure chlorine bleach for purifying water-1:9 bleach: water for disinfectant; 16drops bleach/ 1 gal.
water." Is it 1 part bleach to 9 parts water to disinfect, but 16 drops of bleach per 1 gallon of water for...
drinking? I agree this is very confusing, especially in an earthquake aftermath situation where the
information would be needed. My suggestion, since it takes up a few lines in the checklist as it is
currently written anyway, make the "recipes" bulleted separately under the check item of "pure chlorine
bleach for":
purifying - 1 gal water: 9 drops bleach
disinfectant - 1 gal. water: 16 drops bleach
I recommend we just change this to water filter or water purifying drops - as an avid backpacker, I
actually have 2 water filters. Im fine with that solution Perhaps putting in that a 3 day supply of food and
water per person A water filter is a good solution to this and takes away the worry of using bleach. How
essential is it to have a disinfectant?
For the 2nd page (inside), the info looks good, except I wanted to know what to do in the event that BOTH
parents work. In the job aid's scenario, Parent 1 seems to be a stay-at-home parent. I think nowadays,
and particularly in our area, it's more common that BOTH parents work outside the home. What do you do
then? This portion does not need to be changed as I think the reviewer forgot that this job aid is created
for a specific family with one parent home.
I agree with nikki, it is for one particular family so the info would only pertain to them
Some of the participants are quite detailed. Very critical, but good feedback
Not sure if you also wanted feedback on typos. If so, on outside page, the bleach ration needs to read "16
drops" (add a space before "drops") yes, this should be fixed. On the inside page, the instructions under
Parent 1 should read "Secure home and dogs, and pick up kids" (add the word "and" and move the
comma outside of "dogs") this feedback confused me at first but then I realized they are referring to the
subtitle directly under "Parent 1" before the actual steps. Yes, this should be changed to read "Secure
home and dogs, and pick up kids". And on step number 2, it should read "evacuation" rather than
"evaquation." yes
Ill go back and review for all typos - good catch! Super!
-Good flow otherwise. Easy to follow, could be translated to my home, Nice graphics.
-Other than these points, though, the job aids look great! They're visually appealing and contain a lot of
info in a compact space--no small feat!
Remember that all of these are just suggestions and we dont need to stir the pot too much. There is no
way we can incorporate everything or accommodate everyones desires. Overall everyone liked the job
aid and I think that they were secretly taking notes for their families.
Definitely good to get an outsiders opinion