Article in:
Information Design Journal
Vol. 26:3 (2021) ► pp. 248–268

Designing pension communication

Lessons from the medical domain

| Utrecht University
| Utrecht University
| Utrecht University
Pension participants face complex decisions which require them to choose between multiple alternatives that have different consequences, that vary in likelihood, and that often relate to different values. In the medical domain, ample research has been conducted on how to support patients in making such decisions, yielding three important lessons. First, by emphasizing the gist of information, the information becomes more meaningful to participants. Second, value clarification methods should be used to help participants retrieve or form their own values and compare those with the decision alternatives. Third, simple static visual aids facilitate the comprehension of statistics and probabilities.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Lessons learned
    • 2.1Emphasize the gist of information to help clarify to participants what the information means to them
    • 2.2Use value clarification methods to help participants determine what matters to them and how aligns with the pros and cons of the alternatives
    • 2.3Use simple static visual aids for better comprehension of statistics and probabilities
  • 3.Discussion
    • 3.1Limitations
    • 3.2Future
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Published online: 04 August 2022
https://doi.org/10.1075/idj.21011.str
References
Autoriteit Financiële Markten
(2016) Leidraad Wet verbeterde premieregeling.Google Scholar
(2020) Het belang van een uitlegbaar pensioenstelsel.Google Scholar
Barratt, A., Edwards, A., Trevena, L., McCaffery, K., Woloshin, S., Bekker, H., … Charvet, A.
(2005) Section C: Presenting probabilities. In A. O’Connor, H. Llewellyn-Thomas and D. Stacey (Eds.), IPDAS Collaboration Background Document (pp. 11–16).Google Scholar
Blalock, S. J. & Reyna, V. F.
(2016) Using fuzzy-trace theory to understand and improve health judgments, decisions, and behaviors: A literature review. Health Psychology, 35 (8), 781–792. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Cox, J. G.
(2020) Verbal quantifiers and communicating painkiller side effect risk. Health Communication, 35 (11), 1349–1358. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Cox, R. & de Goeij, P.
(2020) Infographics and financial decisions. Netspar Design Paper, 148 1.Google Scholar
Debets, S., Prast, H., Rossi, M., & Van Soest, A.
(2020) Pension communication, knowledge, and behaviour. Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, 1–20. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
EIOPA
(2013) Good practices on information provision for DC schemes: Enabling occupational DC scheme members to plan for retirement.Google Scholar
(2021) Consultation paper: Technical advice on the development of pension tracking systems.Google Scholar
Elwyn, G., Stiel, M., Durand, M., & Boivin, J.
(2011) The design of patient decision support interventions: addressing the theory–practice gap. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 17 (4), 565–574. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Fagerlin, A., Pignone, M., Abhyankar, P., Col, N., Feldman-Stewart, D., Gavaruzzi, T., … Witteman, H. O.
(2013) Clarifying values: an updated review. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 13 (2), S8. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Fagerlin, A., Zikmund-Fisher, B. J., & Ubel, P. A.
(2011) Helping patients decide: ten steps to better risk communication. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 103 (19), 1436–1443. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Feldman-Stewart, D., Tong, C., Siemens, R., Alibhai, S., Pickles, T., Robinson, J., & Brundage, M. D.
(2012) The impact of explicit values clarification exercises in a patient decision aid emerges after the decision is actually made: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial. Medical Decision Making, 32 (4), 616–626. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Fraenkel, L., Peters, E., Charpentier, P., Olsen, B., Errante, L., Schoen, R. T., & Reyna, V.
(2012) Decision tool to improve the quality of care in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Care & Research, 64 (7), 977–985. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Hawley, S. T., Zikmund-Fisher, B., Ubel, P., Jancovic, A., Lucas, T., & Fagerlin, A.
(2008) The impact of the format of graphical presentation on health-related knowledge and treatment choices. Patient Education and Counseling, 73 (3), 448–455. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Hoeken, H., van der Geest, T., van der Goot, M., Hornikx, J., Jongenelen, M., & Kruikemeier, S.
(2011) De rol van begrijpelijke taal in een digitale context: Ontwikkelingen op de domeinen Leven Lang Leren, complexe financiële producten, bestuur en politiek, en gezondheid. Tijdschrift voor Taalbeheersing, 33 (3), 266–286. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Kause, A., Bruine de Bruin, W., Fung, F., Taylor, A., & Lowe, J.
(2020) Visualizations of projected rainfall change in the United Kingdom: An interview study about user perceptions. Sustainability, 12 (7), 2955. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Klapper, L., Lusardi, A., & Van Oudheusden, P.
(2015) Financial literacy around the world: Insights from the Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services Global Financial Literacy Survey. World Bank. https://​responsiblefinanceforum​.org​/wp​-content​/uploads​/2015​/12​/2015​-Finlit​_paper​_17​_F3​_SINGLES​.pdf
Knoll, M. A. Z.
(2011) Behavioral and psychological aspects of the retirement decision. Social Security Bulletin, 71 (4).Google Scholar
McCaffery, K. J., Holmes-Rovner, M., Smith, S. K., Rovner, D., Nutbeam, D., Clayman, M. L., … & Sheridan, S. L.
(2013) Addressing health literacy in patient decision aids. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 13 (2), S10. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Meppelink, C. S., Smit, E. G., Buurman, B. M., & van Weert, J. C.
(2015) Should we be afraid of simple messages? The effects of text difficulty and illustrations in people with low or high health literacy. Health Communication, 30 (12), 1181–1189. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Nell, M. L.
(2017) Multichannel pension communication: An integrated perspective on policies, practices, and literacy demands (Doctoral dissertation, Utrecht University).
Peters, E., Dieckmann, N., Dixon, A., Hibbard, J. H., & Mertz, C. K.
(2007) Less is more in presenting quality information to consumers. Medical Care Research and Review, 64 (2), 169–190. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Reyna, V. F.
(2008) A theory of medical decision making and health: Fuzzy Trace Theory. Medical Decision Making, 28 (6), 850–865. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Reyna, V.
(2018) When irrational biases are smart: A fuzzy-trace theory of complex decision making. Journal of Intelligence, 6 (2), 29. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Smith, S. G., Raine, R., Obichere, A., Wolf, M. S., Wardle, J., & von Wagner, C.
(2015) The effect of a supplementary (‘gist-based’) information leaflet on colorectal cancer knowledge and screening intention: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 38 (2), 261–272. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Stacey, D., Légaré, F., Lewis, K., Barry, M. J., Bennett, C. L., Eden, K. B., … Trevena, L.
(2017) Decision aids for people facing health treatment or screening decisions. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (4). CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Tait, A. R., Voepel-Lewis, T., Zikmund-Fisher, B. J., & Fagerlin, A.
(2010) Presenting research risks and benefits to parents: Does format matter?. Anesthesia & Analgesia, 111 (3), 718–723. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Verbond van Verzekeraars
(2018) Handleiding Standaardmodel ‘vast-variabel pensioen’ voor pensioenverzekeraars en PPI’s. https://​www​.verzekeraars​.nl​/media​/5586​/handleiding​-standaardmodel​-december​-2018​.pdf
Witteman, H. O., Julien, A.-S., Ndjaboue, R., Exe, N. L., Kahn, V. C., Fagerlin, A., & Zikmund-Fisher, B. J.
(2020) What Helps People Make Values-Congruent Medical Decisions? Eleven Strategies Tested across 6 Studies. Medical Decision Making, 40 (3), 266–278. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Wolfe, C. R., Reyna, V. F., Widmer, C. L., Cedillos, E. M., Fisher, C. R., Brust-Renck, P. G., Weil, A. M.
(2015) Efficacy of a web-based intelligent tutoring system for communicating genetic risk of breast cancer: A fuzzy-trace theory approach. Medical Decision Making, 35 (1), 46–59. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Zikmund-Fisher, B. J., Dickson, M., & Witteman, H. O.
(2011) Cool but counterproductive: Interactive, e60. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Zikmund-Fisher, B. J., Fagerlin, A., & Ubel, P. A.
(2010) A demonstration of ‘‘less can be more’’ in risk graphics. Medical Decision Making, 30 (6), 661–671. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Zikmund-Fisher, B. J., Witteman, H. O., Fuhrel-Forbis, A., Exe, N. L., Kahn, V. C., & Dickson, M.
(2012) Animated graphics for comparing two risks: A cautionary tale. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 14 (4), e106. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Designing pension communication