Safe Sunscreen: An Instructional Design Project for Adults Living in Hawai’i

Individuals living in Hawai’i will often find themselves exposed to the sun when going about common everyday activities. To stay proactive, protecting their skin with sunscreen is a basic need that helps keep their skin healthy. The purpose of this instructional design project is to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a curated website for adults living in Hawaii and their attitudes about the benefits of sustainable sunscreen and the impact on Hawaii’s natural environment. Individuals living in Hawai’i will be able to see how sunscreen negatively impacts the ocean over time. Therefore, the overall goal was to spark an interest in the topic so these individuals could then bring about changes in their life and the lives of those around them.

The website was designed using John Keller’s ARCS Model of Motivation. The curated website helped provide an environment focused on learners’ attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction. Eighteen participants volunteered to explore the website and participate in completing these surveys with the designer, or on their own time. The surveys were compared and it was found that overall, individuals of all ages felt the topic to be a serious issue and were motivated to share with others. However, specifically, adults between the ages of 18 and 40 were most influenced by the website. Their demographic spent the most time at the beach and therefore felt the information to be most relevant and important. Additionally, they felt most motivated to use environmentally friendly sunscreen and other products in the future.