The Basics
Maryland Institute College of Art
Capstone Project
16 Weeks
The Problem
Voting is essential to our democracy in America. Making informed decisions as a voter is integral to the future of our country, states, and counties. Across the country, voters are less likely to be involved in their state and local governments. Since 1986, voter turnout in midterm elections has averaged 20% lower than national elections specifically for young voters. In Kansas City alone, voter turnout dropped from 63% to 17% just between 2020 and 2019. Although local elections affect voters more directly, the rate of voters is drastically lower than that of national elections.With minimal and dated forms of media coverage, voters are unable to know when and where to vote in their local elections. Without modernized access to information, voters are expected to rely on dated local government websites and news outlets. This makes contributing to the government easier to avoid and overlook.
Methodology
By conducting research through the lens of a user experience designer, we will be able to implement a solution that allows voters to easily access information about elections they are eligible to vote in without the encouragement of one party over another. By creating a tool to allow voters to visualize when and where they can go vote, we’re able to increase voter awareness and hopefully voter turnout in local and midterm elections. By providing information from (left and right) news sources and public records of the running candidates, we will increase voter education and as a result, voter confidence.
Research Phase: I
Research Phase: II
Risk Management
Branding
With branding, I made the intentional decision to include gold and black as my primary colors. I avoided colors that were associated with the primary political parties of America. I included this marigold color in the CTA buttons.
User Interface Evolution
Retrospective
With more time, I would've expanded further on the user testing of this project to assure the effectiveness of my user interface.