Brooklyn, NY - Project to Engage Local Community Residents
VOTER
A Voting App
I designed a cross-platform tool to help people register to vote and learn about all voting resources.
Project Duration: 1 month, January 2023
The Problem:
Among the millions of U.S. citizens who are eligible but not registered to vote, nearly 62% have never been asked to register to vote.
The Goal:
This cross-platform service VOTER aims to bridge the gap and attract more people to learn how to register to vote among other voting essentials like polling info, ballot measures, how to volunteer and get involved in the community, etc.
My Role + Responsibilities
UX Researcher - user research via moderated and unmoderated usability studies, wireframing, prototyping
User Research
I conducted research for VOTER mainly through moderated usability studies, analyzing voting statistics and competitive audits. I assumed there were plenty of apps available on the market with resources on voting but found that most rely on website traffic, whether mobile or desktop. After conducting research, I found that most potential voters simply did not know how to access voting materials and information. My research sought to bring these users closer to feeling engaged in their communities.
Personas
Competitive Analysis
I selected 3 non-profit organizations websites to understand whether our users’ priorities like voting registration and information are quickly accessible. While these competitors varied in visual design and information architecture, I chose to prioritize hyper-simplification of user flow for VOTER’s app and website to reflect users’ primary pain points.
Design
Initial Sketches
Ideating numerous iterations of paper wireframes allowed me to flush out initial ideas and identify patterns between them, highlighting necessary features.
Wireframes
Mobile wireframes
Usability studies
I conducted one usability study with 10 potential users to observe their app interactions. As this is a simple resource app and full voting registration can only be continued on government websites, I conducted one initial study but increased the user pool to 10 people. Through this, I identified missing necessary features and flaws in my wireframes.
Upon receiving feedback from this usability study, I updated my wireframes to reflect findings and pain points from user research.
Final Designs
High Fidelity Wireframes
The final high-fidelity wireframes and prototype presented cleaner, more polished user flows for voter information and registration.
Mobile
Desktop
Accessibility Considerations
I utilized bright colors against a simple white screen for users who experience color differently.
Results
I implemented a feature for users to select their language preference with an icon to represent the globe in case they are unable to read the English text
The service allows potential voters to feel like the voter registration process is simple and accessible. We also aim to increase community involvement and education.
One quote from peer feedback:
“This website was super exciting to use - I loved the colors and and website the most - now I want to go help people register to vote!”
While designing VOTER across various platforms, app and website alike, I learned that first ideas for the website are merely the beginning and serve as guidelines for the process. Usability studies and peer feedback influenced each iteration of the website’s designs.
Next Steps…
Conduct another round of usability studies to determine further pain points/areas for expanded design.
Conduct more user research to determine any new areas of need for users.
Provided options for non-US citizens to continue to learn more info about voting
Enroll in UC Irvine’s MHCID ICS program to expand upon and improve my initial knowledge of UX research and design.