UI/UX Design
Vote Info Case Study
Voting information mobile app where users can check they eligibility to vote, register to vote, and get informed for the next elections.
Aleksandar Simov
The Product
Vote Info is a UK based organization focused on helping people to register to vote. The organization needs a tool that helps people check their eligibility to vote, as well as register to vote. Food Savers’ primary target users include young adults and immigrants.
Project duration
October 2021 to November 2021
Project Overview
The problem
Many young adults, immigrants from the EU and new citizens have trouble registering to vote. They need an easy way to (1) check their eligibility to vote, (2) register to vote and (3) get notified when the next election are held.
The Goal
Design an app and website that will make it easy for users to check their eligibility to vote and register to vote.
My Role
UX designer leading the app and responsive website design from conception to delivery
Responsibilities
Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, iterating on designs, determining information architecture, and responsive design.
Design Process
Understanding The User
User Research
I used Vote Info’s data on voter registration to develop interview questions, which were then used to conduct user interviews. Most interview participants reported feeling uneducated on how to register to vote, but they didn’t actively try to research this topic. The feedback received through research made it very clear that users would be happy and grateful to have an app or website where they can easily register to vote, especially if the process is simple and straightforward
User Persona
Problem statement 1
Noor Khan
Noor Khan is an unemployed UK resident who want to be able to easily register to vote because they recently got a UK citizenship and are confused with the process.
Problem statement 2
Amy Moore
Amy Moore is an student and UK national who want to be able to easily check and register to vote because they are soon turning 18 and never voted before.
Noor Khan
Quote:
“I recently got my UK citizenship and now I would like to register to vote for the next election”
- Age: 51
- Education: High school
- Hometown: London, UK
- Family: Husband and sons
- Occupation: Unemployed
Bio:
Noor Khan is a wife, mother and grandmother which recently got a UK citizenship. She is unemployed and living in London, and never voted in the UK.
Now that she has a citizenship and has the right to vote in the general elections, she is ready to register to vote, but doesn’t know how and seeks for an easy explanation online.
Goals:
- Want to register to vote easily online
- Would like to get notifications when the next elections are held
Frustrations:
- Never voted before
- Feeling annoyed she needs to register to vote
Amy Moore
Quote:
“Soon I’m going to be 18, so I would like to check online if I’m registered to vote”
- Age: 17
- Education: High school
- Hometown: Liverpool, UK
- Family: Parents and siblings
- Occupation: Student
Bio:
Amy Moore is a student and lives with her parents and siblings. She is going to turn 18 years in two months, so she want to register to vote on time, before the next election next year.
She want a straightforward way to check if she is already registered to vote, and if she's not, then she wants to register to vote easily.
Goals:
- Wants to check if shes registered to vote
- She wants to easily register to vote for the next elections
Frustrations:
- Soon will turn 18 and doesn’t know if she’s registered to vote
- Never voted before and don’t know how to check if she is registered
Ideation
User Research
I did a quick ideation exercise to come up with ideas for how to address gaps identified in the competitive audit. My focus was specifically on simple navigation and easy registration to vote.
Design
Digital wireframes
After ideating and drafting some paper wireframes, I created the initial designs for the Vote Info app. These designs focused on delivering easy way or users to check eligibility and register to vote
Low-fidelity prototype
To prepare for usability testing, I created a low-fidelity prototype that connected the user flow of checking the eligibility, registering to vote and subscribing for election notifications.
Feedback
Usability study: parameters
Study type
Unmoderated usability study
Location
UK, remote
Participants
3 participants
Length
10-30 minutes
Usability study: findings
These were the main findings uncovered by the usability study:
Navigation
People want a clear and visible way to go back to the home page.
Functionality
People had difficulty filling the form and want a smaller and simpler forms.
Notifications
People want to have a way to register for notifications or alerts for the next elections.
Refining the design
These were the main findings uncovered by the usability study:
Mockups
Based on the insights from the usability studies, I applied design changes like providing a clear navigation to the home screen by adding a visible menu, as well as simpler and smaller forms.
Before usability study
After usability study
Mockups
Additional design changes included adding an option for users to get notification before the next elections are held.
Before usability study
After usability study
Home
Check your eligibility
Register to vote
Get alerts
Confirmation
Menu
Accessibility considerations
Clear labels for interactive elements that can be read by screen readers.
Initial focus of the home screen on heading elements to help define the primary task or action for the user.
Sitemap
With the app designs completed, I started work on designing the responsive website. I used the Vote Info sitemap to guide the organizational structure of each screen’s design to ensure a cohesive and consistent experience across devices.
Responsive Design
Responsive designs
The designs for screen size variation included mobile, tablet, and desktop. I optimized the designs to fit specific user needs of each device and screen size.
Going forward
Takeaways
Impact
Users shared that the app made the process of registering to vote very easy. One quote from peer feedback was that “the Vote Info app helped my check my eligibility to vote and also did registered me to vote.”
What I learned
I learned that even though the problem I was trying to solve was a big one, diligently going through each step of the design process and aligning with specific user needs helped me come up with solutions that were both feasible and useful.
Next steps
Conduct research on how successful the app is in reaching the goal to help people to register to vote.
Add more educational resources for users to learn about elections in the UK and voter registration.
Provide incentives and rewards to users for successfully registering to vote.
Let’s connect!
[email protected]
Thank you for your time reviewing my work on the Vote Info app! If you’d like to see more or would like to get in touch, my contact information is provided below.
