Ballot Recap
Desktop + Mobile
Desktop + Mobile
UX Designer
3.5 Weeks
Figma
Google Forms
Notion
In the United States, we've seen a slight increase in eligible voter turnout rates. However, even with an increase in voter turnout, only 40% of voters showed up during primary elections. So why aren't more voters coming out to vote?
Part of the problem is that most voters don't know all of the candidates on their ballot. People don't have time to follow the news on political leaders and read through proposed legislation. Those without a background in law or politics will struggle to understand the language used in ballot measures.
Voters in the U.S. struggle to fill out their ballots because there are no resources that have information on candidates and ballot measures organized in a way that's easy to navigate and comprehend. If we can solve this problem, it would impact voters positively because they would be equipped with the content they need to cast an informed vote.
Ballot Recap's users are United States voters or citizens of the United States that are interested in becoming a registered voter. They are between the ages of 18 - 65. These users also live in both suburban and urban areas.
Ballot Recap is an online voting resource that gives you a breakdown of all the contents on your ballot. Users will get access to candidate profiles, candidate voting records, campaign donors, and local and statewide ballot measures.
Click the buttons below to view and interact with the final prototype!
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The user research conducted over the course of this project was vital in developing the final solution. To start off, I created and distributed a user survey.
of respondents use a mobile device to view election information, solidifying the need for this product to be available on both mobile and desktop.
of respondents stated that they would be interested in learning more about candidates if the information was readily available to them.
When deciding what candidate to vote for, respondents were most interested in learning about a candidate's stance on major political issues, voting records, and their campaign donors.
In order to understand ballot measures better, respondents were most interested in an explanation for both "Yes" and "No" votes, getting a simplified summary of the ballot measure, and supporting/opposing arguments for the ballot measure.
I created user personas to represent the different types of users that would interact with Ballot Recap. These user personas have varying levels of voting experience and would use the product on different devices. Although they all have various stances on political topics, all of these users would be able to get the information they need in order to better understand what they are voting for.
Albert lives with his roommate in downtown San Diego. He reads up on the latest news in government and politics frequently on his phone. He also tries his best to vote in every election in his area.
"I take a lot of time to research candidates and I think more people would be more inclined to do so if it didn’t take so much time."
Dianne and her husband are homeowners in a suburban neighborhood. On her days off, she generally watches TV shows, browses social media, and chats on the phone. She watches the news on government and politics almost every other day. Dianne will typically vote in person when it is most convenient.
"A candidate’s stance on different policies will have an effect on the economy and the economy is a big issue as well."
In order to get a better idea of what users may already expect from an online voting resource, I analyzed a few competitors.
I conducted a SWOT analysis to take a closer looks at what competitors are doing well and where they can improve.
Users can find information on all things government and politics on Ballotpedia. The screenshot below is taken from Ballotpedia's official sample ballots.
Vote411 offers a feature of looking up your ballot in upcoming elections. Vote411 reaches out to candidates in order to get more information on their stances and priorities while in office.
After completing a good amount of user research, I began to create user flows and visualized how a user would navigate through this site. I referred back to my project requirements and focused on the priority features.
After creating the user flows for the site, I began laying out the site map. I wanted to keep the navigation as simple as possible. Overall, I felt that two main sections, ballot search and voting resources, would be the simplest way to lay out the entire site.
As I was sketching and creating wireframes of potential layouts for every screen, focusing on the most important content was my top priority. Designing an information-heavy screen on mobile was challenging but focusing on the essential information helped me lay out everything as efficiently as possible.
After finalizing my hi-fi wireframes, I began exploring different color palettes, typefaces, and themes. I wanted to use a color palette that would appeal to many users. I opted for a dark teal color and used a light blue background color that would be easy to view for most users. I selected a typeface that was easy to read and had many weight options available. Varying typeface weights would help in organizing the hierarchy of the content.
In order to find out if my prototype was usable and functions as intended, I conducted usability tests with potential users.
I tested five different users on the mobile screens. They were given a scenario and 14 tasks to complete.
Average % of successful tasks
Average time spent on tasks
After conducting usability tests, there were a few issues and concerns that came up with multiple users. I analyzed my findings and prioritized the most crucial issues that needed immediate attention.
After participants entered their address and received their ballot search results, some did not know the difference between "Primary Election" and "General Election". Newer voters may also struggle to pick a ballot to view without knowing what is on each ballot.
An "i" icon was added to the top right corner of each ballot card. When a user clicks on the icon, a modal window will appear listing out the items a user will see on that particular ballot.
Older Iteration
Final Prototype
Final Prototype
During the development of this project, I learned how important it is for user research to guide the content of a product. Every step in the user research and user testing process has brought Ballot Recap a step closer to the perfect product. If given more time, I would do another round of usability testing on the desktop screens.
In the end, I hope that Ballot Recap will encourage all voters to stay informed and find value in voting for something they truly believe in and support.
If you like what you see and are interested in working together, let's get in touch!
Let's Connect!