It’s a sign: From nocturnal kiwi to daytime heroes - The power of design in shaping conservation behaviour

Abstract

Interpretive signage is widely used in zoos and aquariums to support conservation education, yet evidence of its behavioural effectiveness remains inconsistent. I examined whether a poster designed using Big Hero Visualisation (BHV) principles functioned as an effective antecedent stimulus to increase recall of the five kiwi species. A between-subjects online experiment presented participants with existing National Aquarium exhibition signage, with the BHV kiwi poster included as an additional antecedent stimulus for the experimental condition only. The control condition viewed the same materials without the BHV poster prior to recall assessment. Participants also completed the Value Orientation Scale (VOS) and the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale to explore whether self-reported environmental value orientations predicted recall or interacted with the signage condition. The logistic regression indicated that participants who viewed the BHV poster were more likely to recall the correct number of kiwi species compared to the control condition. None of the VOS or NEP subscales, nor their interactions with condition, were associated with recall accuracy. The study provides applied evidence that antecedent manipulations in visual design may influence immediate recall of conservation information. However, the online format likely increased attending relative to naturalistic settings, and I measured only immediate recall rather than broader behavioural outcomes. Future research should investigate how BHV elements perform amongst real-world competing stimuli and whether specific design components are more effective antecedent features. Overall, the results support continued evaluation of interpretive design as a low-cost behavioural intervention for improving conservation-related learning.