I can't find what i'm looking for

I can’t find what I’m looking for! How to answer voters’ questions on your website

Dana Chisnell@danachis@ChadButterfly

What questions did you have about the election?

How did you find out the answers?

Cataloged 147 election websites

Conducted 41 remote moderated usability tests

Cataloging

• Michelle Milla

• Karen McGrane

• Krysta Chauncey

• Karen Bachmann

• Rosa Moran

• Jenny Greeve

• Josie Scott

• Rachel Goddard

• Samantha LeVan

• Kate Aurigemma

• Erin Liman

• Alessandra Brophy

• Cyd Harrell

• Whitney Quesenbery

• Andrea Fineman

Thank you

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

Factoids

Remote moderated usability testing

What questions did you have about the election?

What questions did you have about the election?

Just follow the script.

Andrea Moed

Kristen Johansen

Boaz Gurdin

Ashley Pearlman

Donald A. Cox

Kamaria Campbell

Paul Schreiber

Jenn Downs

Jacqui Adams

Josh Keyes

Josh Bright

Doug Hanke

Cyd Harrell

Whitney Quesenbery

Andrea Fineman

Thank you

What happened?

33 of 41 participants looked online for answers

23 went to county websites

Factoids

Voters are ballot-centricthey’re focused on that act,not conscious of the overall process

What’s 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

If voters don’t know what is on the ballot

Website design problems are well understood

sites are hard to find find other sources

navigation reflects department don’t know where to go

labels are jargon don’t know how to get to content

dates and deadlines are vague don’t know when to act

graphics are gratuitous get distracted or lost in the site, lose trust

sites are not accessible disenfranchisement

What’s on the ballot?

What are my options for voting?

absentee early voting Election Day

what’s the deadline to apply?

what do I have to do to get one?

when is it due?

where do I vote? where do I vote?

what’s the deadline to apply?

what do I have to do to get one?

when is it due?

where do I vote? where do I vote?

who is in office now?

do I need ID to vote?

what’s the deadline for registering?

But sites showed nearly the opposite process.

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

What to do

you’re on a government website

it’s the election website

this is the source you want

when the next election is

Establish...

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?

Priority content

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

Information architecture

Help voters find your website.

Connect your website to other government sites.

Answer the question: ‘What’s on the ballot?’

Group navigation to answer voters’ questions.

Help visitors know what site they are on and what will be covered there.

Write links that use words voters use.

Put the most important information in the main menu or the center.

Help voters find ballot information.

Use words that voters use in links, headings, and graphics.

Help voters see at a glance what each chunk of information is about.

New tools.

Research commissioned by NIST

Usability and Civic Life Project

Research commissioned by NIST

Research commissioned by EAC

Field Guides series

Research funded by Kickstarter and MacArthur Foundation

Research funded by Kickstarter and MacArthur Foundation

Coming soon

Communicating with voters

Designing voter ed booklets & flyers

Designing election department websites

Research funded by Kickstarter and MacArthur Foundation

Guiding voters through the polling place

Research funded by Kickstarter and MacArthur Foundation

Coming soonAnywhere ballotfunded by ITIF (EAC AVTI)

Field Guides To Ensuring Voter Intent

civicdesigning.org/fieldguides

Thank you.

Dana Chisnelldana@civicdesigning.org

civicdesigning.org

@danachis@ChadButterfly