The document summarizes a project exploring how voters find and use information. It discusses challenges voters face such as an overwhelming amount of information from thousands of websites, using complex language and terms, and information changing quickly. Voters feel frustrated spending a lot of time researching candidates only to find they are unreliable or that the information is hard to understand and apply to their lives. The document also outlines the project's research methods, including user tests, literature reviews, surveys and interviews, to understand these challenges and how to make political information more accessible and understandable to voters.

1. Voting and Information
A project on how voters find and use information
! Group Members
Emily Sappington
Kyree Holmes
Mark Choi

2. {why voting} the problem research process research synthesis summary next steps
What Does “Luke” Think?
Finding out the Political Stance of Pittsburgh’s Mayor
Small Business ?
6 websites
“I didn’t find out where he stands, I found a booklet and
skimmed it... so I assume he is for small businesses.”
Fracking ??
14 websites
“I guess I have an idea how he feels...it’s vague.”
Public Transportation ???
28 websites
“I never got a definitive answer, just a town hall meeting.”

3. {why voting} the problem research process research synthesis summary next steps
woah... ?

4. {why voting} the problem research process research synthesis summary next steps
What This Looks Like:
A Frustrating Process
“It would be nice to spend more time getting to
know a candidate, but a lot of times, information
isn’t available, or hard to get, or I simply don’t have
time to dig- and things change so rapidly.”
-Online Survey
“It gets frustrating to spend that much time con-
centrating on candidates who are just full of it any-
way. And generally the information you can find is
too hard to synthesize and make relate to your life.”
-Online Survey

5. {why voting} the problem research process research synthesis summary next steps
The State of Information
Sophisticated Extraneous Information
Language
“ Pittsburgh Mayor Luke
Ravenstahl will not sign the
City Council bill calling for
a referendum that would
amend the City Charter to
ban gas extraction.”
? what?!?

6. {why voting} the problem research process research synthesis summary next steps
Why Voting?
People feel the need !! # ! ##
& @
to be involved in the
political process now.

7. why voting {the problem} research process research synthesis summary next steps
Information Overload
Excess Information
Thousands of websites & documents, very few that are useful
Unapproachable Vernacular
Terms and jargon that the average person doesn’t understand
Difficulty in Keeping Current
Information changes too quickly to stay up-to-date

8. why voting {the problem} research process research synthesis summary next steps
Information in My World
Uninformed and Uninvolved Voters
Feelings of being overwhelmed by information leads
people to give up and either vote uninformed or not at all.
Triggers Information
(Overwhelming) IN MY
Information
WORLD

9. why voting {the problem} research process research synthesis summary next steps
Identifying a Problem Space
policy personal
impact voter
understand barriers to voting
how do they the system
issue details lack of knowledge
lack of care
Lack lack of trust
Transparency lack of time
stanceof Information ability to find
stance
Track
character Record
follow
through
candidate

10. why voting the problem {research process} research synthesis summary next steps
Research
Methods
User Enactment
“What does Luke think?”
Literature Review
Articles
Surveys
40 Participants
Interviews
Think Aloud Exercise

11. why voting the problem research process {research synthesis} summary next steps
Target Audience
18-24 Voter
• TV
• Radio
• Internet
“ You can’t become informed about everything. What you can ask
of people is that they be aware and have an idea of the issues on
hand or on a ballot.”

12. why voting the problem research process {research synthesis} summary next steps
How People become “Voters”
Family Influence
“It would be hard for a Republican to marry into our family.”
Socio Economic Influence
“I grew up during the Vietnam war. My friends were being
drafted and dying in the war.”
Reaction
“I voted in this election because there was a DA who was
involved in a case against my friend.”
Campaign
“Rock the Vote”, Prop 8 (California)

13. why voting the problem research process {research synthesis} summary next steps
What People Want to be...
Understood & Effect Change

14. why voting the problem research process {research synthesis} summary next steps
Drawing Parallels
Voters Government
Effect Follow
Change Through
“I want it to mean some- “When we stopped the
thing when I vote.
” Vietnam War, I felt
my voice was heard. ”
Understood Policy
“Is there a candidate out “When I see improvements in
there who represents me?” my neighborhood, I have more
confidence in the system.
”

15. why voting the problem research process research synthesis {summary} next steps
Where We Work
Making Information Accessible
Understood Change
Informed Heard

16. why voting the problem research process research synthesis summary {next steps}
Next Steps
Understanding & Designing for our Users
political polls
don’t vote
candidate
ads
news
debates
vote
vote!
make an
informed
decision
media voter
news
campaigns
learn more about
the candidate
friends & self-elected
family search
arguing reading
talking searching
sharing

17. Thank you.
?
Questions?