3
Strategies to improve voting
55%
Of US citizens voted in 2016
The voting system, which was already critically failing many communities even before the outbreak of coronavirus, is in need of interventions and digital services to increase voter turnout.
Voting is a citizen’s right, and being that only 55% of citizens voted in 2016, the existing system makes voting a privilege. There are several factors within the voting process that deter individuals from participating. This project evaluates the existing voting process and provides a series of interventions to address the paint points voters encounter.
To gather anecdotal evidence and understand the largest priority pain points in the process, 13 New Yorkers were asked a series of questions regarding their voting experience, common barriers to entry around voting, and rank the most inconvenient parts of the voting system.
Testimonials of New Yorkers thoughts on voting.
Survey Data on the part of the voting process survey participants rated as the most inconvenient.
Mapping feedback from the survey data to a visualized journey of the entire voting process, I located the pain points and compared the journey of two different user types: 1) An individual who's familiar with the voting process and has a support network 2) An individual who has never voted in the past and was never introduced to the process. This map helped to determine which points of contact are in need of a re-design.
The Current Voting System visualizing the process and highlighting the paint points different users encounter.
Answering the question: How might we provide a safe and rewarding voting experience during the pandemic and into the future? Based on the responses to my survey and the pain points highlighted in the user journey, I recognized three main areas to impact.
To champion who suffer from inequity in the voting process, I determined two personas 1) A veteran who, do to his physical impairment, has difficulty making it to a polling place 2) A first generation American who is tech-savvy, but has never been introduced to the voting system.
Hypothetical User Types to drive decision making when creating an inclusive voting system.
As a form of democratic concept generation, I distributed surveys in Pratt Institute’s student union gathering concepts to improve the voting system from a diverse set of perspectives (with the resources available). I condensed the ideas into directions.
Ideation of ways that would help individuals to be able to vote more efficiently and effectively.
It's very clear that a one-size-fits-all approach is not effective. Three strategies were devised to address issues with existing and pandemic response voting.
The existing vote by mail system follows a strict request process with rigid deadlines for request and return of the absentee ballot. Additionally, the ballot is much like an exam scantron and generally tailored for those with a higher education. My solution aims to simplify the physical ballot, the request process, and the steps to cast and return the ballot.
Contents included in the redesigned absentee ballot.
With increasing fear of cyber attack after the 2016 election, this voting booth (much like an ATM machine) provides a solution to collect physical ballots in dispersed within a polling area and introduce voting to an individuals daily routine.
Components of the off-site voting booth.
Design for Inclusion observing ADA guidelines for knee clearance, work surface height, and reach ranges so any individual can cast their ballot without assistance.
The existing United States Postal Service in place is not designed to handle the number of ballots within the time frame for an exclusive vote by mail election. In response, I designed a digital product that would allow citizens to vote remotely from their mobile device.
To determine the flow a user goes through to cast a ballot, and accommodate ancillary features.
To determine the most successful approach to marking a ballot digitally, 8 users were asked to complete the voting process on both of the UI directions. I monitored their completion rate, and noted their preferred direction.
A. Long Scroll
All positions up for election are presented on a singular frame. The user scrolls to complete the entire digital ballot.
90% Success Rate
2 Participants Preferred
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B. Frame by Frame
Each position up for election is separated onto a separate frame. The user selects a candidate for the position, then continues to the next position until the entire digital ballot is completed.
100% Success Rate
6 Participants Preferred
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To make the product easily usable by as many citizens as possible, regardless of their ability, I observed the WCAG standards and payed special attention to the following.
Welcome Flow
An introduction illustrates the voting process through the app and highlights security features built in to the service to gives users a sense of trust.
Onboarding
Quickly sign-up by scanning a voter ID. The service uses a password and FaceID for account security.
Casting a Vote
The home screen displays open and upcoming elections. Tap to select candidates. Review selections and cast ballot with OTP.
Comparing Candidates
Avoid sifting through pages of articles for candidates positions on specific issues by comparing candidates policies directly in the app.
Check Results
After the election, a user can see how their vote factored into the final results. Seeing the impact of a user’s vote can encourage them to participate in future elections.
Candidate Portal
A candidate can manage posts and view demographic analytics in the app to help their campaign.
Newsfeed
Voters can view/like candidates’ posts and follow the latest election updates in the newsfeed.
