1. Usability of election websites
Dana Chisnell
@danachis
@ChadButterfly

2. What questions did you have
about the election?

3. How did you find out the
answers?

4. Cataloged 147 election websites
Conducted 41 remote moderated
usability tests

5. Cataloging

9. Thank you
Michelle Milla Erin Liman
Karen McGrane Alessandra Brophy
Krysta Chauncey Cyd Harrell
Karen Bachmann Whitney Quesenbery
Rosa Moran Andrea Fineman
Josie Scott
Rachel Goddard
Samantha LeVan
Kate Aurigemma

10. Factoids
94% of the population lives in a county that has an
elections website
Of 3,057 counties or equivalent, 966 didn’t have
websites (31.5%)
“election department” varied by region

11. Remote moderated
usability testing

12. What questions did you have
about the election?

13. What questions did you have
about the election?

16. Just follow the script.

17. Thank you
Andrea Moed Josh Keyes
Kristen Johansen Josh Bright
Boaz Gurdin Doug Hanke
Ashley Pearlman Cyd Harrell
Donald A. Cox Whitney Quesenbery
Kamaria Campbell Andrea Fineman
Paul Schreiber
Jenn Downs
Jacqui Adams

18. Factoids
33 of 41 participants looked online for answers
23 went to county websites

19. Voters are
ballot-centric
they’re focused on that act,
not conscious of the overall process

20. What’s on the ballot?

21. ?
?
?

22. ?
?
?

23. !
?

25. If voters don’t know what
is on the ballot
they are more likely to go to third-party
sources
they are less likely to show up at the right
polling place
they’re likely to undervote down-ballot
they are less likely to turn out

26. Website design problems are
well understood
sites are hard to find find other sources
navigation reflects
don’t know where to go
department
don’t know how to get to
labels are jargon
content
dates and deadlines
don’t know when to act
are vague
get distracted or lost in the
graphics are gratuitous
site, lose trust
sites are not accessible disenfranchisement

27. What’s on the ballot?
What are my options for voting?
absentee early voting Election Day
what’s the where do I vote? where do I vote?
deadline to apply?
what do I have to
do to get one?
when is it due?

28. what’s the where do I vote? where do I vote?
deadline to apply?
what do I have to
do to get one?
when is it due?
who is in office now?
do I need ID to vote?
what’s the deadline for registering?

29. Elections = process
1. register
2. voting options
3. polling place location
4. voter ID
5. current office holders
6. military and overseas voters
7. sample ballot

30. Establish...
you’re on a government
website
it’s the election website
this is the source you
want
when the next election is

31. Priority content
What’s on the ballot?
How do I vote if I can’t
get to the polling place?
Who are my reps now,
and what districts am I
in?
Where do I vote?
Do I have to show ID?

32. Information architecture
the ballot
voting options
current office holders
where to vote
voter ID
registering to vote
what to expect
how to vote
military and overseas voters
election results

34. New tools.

35. Field Guides series
Research Research Usability and Civic Research
commissioned by commissioned by Life Project commissioned by
EAC NIST NIST

37. Coming soon
Designing Writing voter Guiding voters Poll worker
election education through the security best
department materials polling place practices
websites
Research partially Research partially From research Research to be
funded by funded by funded by EAC funded by the
MacArthur MacArthur and work by National Science
Foundation Foundation Design for Foundation
Democracy

38. Coming
soon
Anywhere
ballot
funded by ITIF
(EAC AVTI)

39. Field Guides
To Ensuring
Voter Intent
civicdesigning.org
/fieldguides

40. Thank you.

41. Dana Chisnell
dana@usabilityworks.net
civicdesign@usabilityworks.net
civicdesigning.org
@danachis
@ChadButterfly