Motivation and Experience Study Instrument

Smoke Sense User Experience Project Semi-Structured Interview Guide

This interview guide serves as a semi-structured plan for conversations about wildland fire smoke with organizational representatives in local, state, and tribal governments. The interview includes three main parts: background; personal and community-level perspectives on Smoke Sense; and opportunities going forward. This guide is semi-structured in the sense that while most questions will be asked of each participant, not each question will be asked of each participant in this exact order. Contrasted with a closed set of response options that are typically used in a survey approach to data collection, a semi-structured interview approach to data collection allows for tailoring the conversation and allowing respondents to share their perspectives in an open, conversational way and for exploring the reasons and factors associated with these perspectives.

Part I – Background Information

1. What is your field?

   1. How long have you worked in your field?

2. What organization do you work for?

   1. How long have you worked for that organization?

3. What is your position in your organization?

   1. How long have you had that role?

4. Do you have other experience in fire or smoke response? This might include other professional positions, or involvement in other community initiatives. If so, please tell me about that.

5. What does it look like when your community is faced with a wildland fire event?

   1. How often does your community experience smoke?

   2. How would you characterize that intensity?

   3. REPHRASE: What does the fire response look like in your community?

   4. REPHRASE: What does smoke event response look like in your community?

   5. What does communication around smoke events look like in your community?

      1. Who sends the communication?

      2. How does it get sent?

      3. What factors influence that communication – facilitators or barriers?

6. Where does wildland fire smoke management fall in terms of your community’s priorities?

   1. To what extent are leaders in your community aware of issues around wildland fire?

   2. To what extent are other leaders in your community aware of issues around smoke exposure?

      1. Are folks on the same page in their understanding? If not, where are the points of divergence?

   3. To what extent are other leaders in your community interested in smoke response?

   4. Are folks on the same page in their interest in addressing smoke exposure? If not, where are the points of divergence? What is driving that divergence?

7. When you think about what your community and its response to smoke – in what ways could you envision improvements?

8. Who needs to be at the table in order to make significant in-roads on smoke exposure issues – what comes to mind?

   1. Are there community leaders who are important to engage?

   2. For organizations – who are the people who need to be brought in – what is their role?

   3. Are there informational or communication needs?

Part II – Section A: User Smoke Sense Story

9. Have you had a chance to use the Smoke Sense app?

1. Can you please describe how you’ve used it?

10. Please describe the story for how you learned about Smoke Sense.

1. Did you have a prior relationship with the individuals who first shared information with you about the initiative?

2. What has been the nature of your involvement?

   1. When did you become involved?

11. Have you recruited or approached anyone else about becoming involved with Smoke Sense?

4. If so, please describe?

5. What factors influenced your decision to share this initiative within your personal or professional network?

6. How do you know them?

Part II – Section B: Personal Motivations and Impacts

12. When you first learned about Smoke Sense what came to mind that led to your decision to get involved?

1. REPHRASE: What influenced your decision to participate?

2. REPHRASE: From a personal perspective, what motivated you to participate?

13. From a personal perspective, what did you think Smoke Sense would mean for you?

14. When you think about your use of the app – has that had any impact on you personally or professionally?

1. REPHRASE: Has your use of the app changed your insights or led to any changes for you, personally or professionally?

2. If so, please describe.

   1. What was it about Smoke Sense initiative led to this impact for you?

   2. REPHRASE: in what ways did Smoke Sense have a role in that outcome?

3. Have these impacts/insights translated into changes for you personally – into personal actions?

   1. What was it about Smoke Sense initiative led to this impact for you?

   2. REPHRASE: In what ways did Smoke Sense have a role in that outcome?

15. Any other insights, skills, or networks that you have personally gained out of your participation in the Smoke Sense initiative?

6. If so, please describe. Note: clarify what specifically about Smoke Sense initiative led to this impact for them.

Part II – Section C: Community Motivations and Impacts

16. What did you think Smoke Sense would mean for your community?

1. What do you think would be an outcome for your community that you would like to see – even inspirational or vision that could happen for your community?

2. What were your hopes for what this kind of citizen science project could bring to your community?

   1. How would or could a project like Smoke Sense go about creating that for your community?

17. What impacts has Smoke Sense had on your other individuals in your community – either overall or for specific subgroups within your community?

1. Has involvement brought about changes in your community system related to responding to community exposure to wildland fire smoke and health outcomes?

   1. If so, please describe. Note: clarify what specifically about Smoke Sense initiative led to this impact for them.

2. To what extent do you think members of your general community are aware about the relationship between smoke and other community health issues like cardiovascular disease?

3. Do you think that involvement in smoke sense can change understanding on the problem or issue about exposure to wildland fire smoke and health outcomes among the community members you serve? – reword: does others’ use of smoke sense improve their understanding?

   1. If so, please describe. Note: clarify what specifically about Smoke Sense initiative led to this impact for them.

18. Any other insights, skills, or networks that you have seen in your community as a result of its participation in the Smoke Sense initiative?

6. If so, please describe. Note: clarify what specifically about Smoke Sense initiative led to this impact for them.

Part III – Opportunities for the future – how communities can bring about system change in the system that provides guidance and response to wildland fire

19. Smoke Sense is in its pilot year; how can you envision your community engaging in this process in the future?

1. What might the process be for how your community uses Smoke Sense?

2. What would motivate broader participation?

3. What types of technical assistance would your community need to leverage Smoke Sense in that way?

20. We’ve heard from community members about how they might like to access the data – what might that process look like for your community?

4. How could we send you the files?

5. What kinds of activities would you do with it?

CONTACT NAME: Mary Clare Hano or Ana Rappold (Smoke Sense PI) EMAIL: [email protected] / [email protected]