Local Election Voting Guidelines.
Project Overview
Specs.
February 2024
4 week project
Master’s degree assignment
Group project
UX/UI design
Problem Statement
How can we help interested voters in local elections enhance their understanding of and connection to the voting process?
The Challenge
This assignment aimed to assist interested voters in Wellington in participating in local elections by improving the accessibility and design of information on voting processes.
The objective focused on investigating people's experiences with researching and learning about the voting process for the Local Election in Wellington. Specifically, the study aimed to determine the information people need to know prior to voting and the amount of time they expect to spend finding this necessary information. It also explored how the voting process can be simplified for individuals and what factors people consider when voting in local elections. Additionally, the project examined how the Orange Guy from the general elections could be utilised as a tool to encourage familiarity and foster connections between voters and the voting process in local elections.
The Team
Gabor Kristof
Thuy Nguyen
Tomasin Patrick
Seng Wee Tan
Tianhui Wang
My Role
Background research (support)
Qualitative research (support)
Research analysis (lead)
Usability testing and analysis (support)
Report (lead)
Our Toolkit
Figma
Miro
Adobe
Teams
Canva
The Design Outcome
The design outcome of this assignment was a set of brand guidelines to be applied to infographics and social media profiles across Aotearoa New Zealand. These guidelines aim to ensure consistency among different regions and councils.
Key Learnings
Voting in Local Elections Feels Complex.
Besides citing a perception that local elections are less significant than general ones, many participants from our qualitative research expressed forgetting to vote or finding the process too complex to bother with.
The Orange Guy Appeared to Be a Useful Tool.
Incorporating the Orange Guy, a figure from general elections, seemed to enhance familiarity and engagement. Consequently, we included him as a guide in our concept and prototype.
Accessibility is Most Important.
Information needs to be concise, more visual aids need to be present, and information needs to be available across different platforms.
How We Got There…
Desk Research
Before delving into qualitative research, we conducted desk research to gain a foundational understanding of the issues people face in local election voting processes.
Key findings from our research:
Voter turnout for local government elections in Aotearoa New Zealand declined from 43% in 2016 to 41.7% in 2019, and further to 37% in 2022.
Main reasons for not voting: lack of interest, being too busy, forgetting elections.
Postal voting introduced in 1989 to combat declining turnout at polling stations, but turnout continued to decline.
Local elections use different systems ('first past the post' or 'single transferable vote') unlike the general election's mixed-member proportional representation (MMP), causing voter confusion.
Proposals to combat declining turnout: online voting, national polling day, centralised voting system.
General elections receive extensive resources from the Electoral Commission, while local elections do not, leading to inconsistent voting systems.
Suggestion: If the Electoral Commission managed local elections, it could streamline processes and increase voter awareness and participation.
Qualitative Research
To investigate people’s experiences of researching and learning about the current voting process for Local Elections in Wellington.
8 participants, between 18 - above 60 were interviewed.
Our research methodology involved conducting semi-structured interviews to explore how different people approach the voting process in the Wellington local elections. This qualitative approach provided detailed insights into participants' views on potential improvements and their interactions with existing information, as well as general attitudes towards the voting system. Participants were presented with the Wellington Council voting page and a PDF document about the 2022 local elections. They were tasked with finding information on enrolment deadlines, nearest voting locations, and voting options, then asked to compare their experiences using the two platforms. During affinity mapping, interview findings were categorised into ‘behavioural’ and ‘attitudinal’ insights to better understand participants' thoughts and actions.
Key Insights
Improvements: Participants prefer information that is succinct, concise, easy to read, with clear hierarchies and layouts, focusing on key dates. They suggest using visual aids like infographics, videos, diagrams, or images.
Engagement Locations: Participants typically seek voting information from websites, social media, and voting packages if enrolled. Older voters also rely on physical locations near their residences.
Useful but Usable Map: Participants find maps of election locations useful but feel the current version is not user-friendly, even for experienced web users.
Perception of Local Elections: Participants feel less connected to local elections, perceiving them as less important compared to general elections due to inconsistent and diluted national presence.
Negative Voting Attitude: Participants care about candidates and their plans but find it difficult to obtain clear information through current communication channels. This frustration sometimes leads to a belief that their vote does not matter, which they attribute to issues with how voting information is presented by both local government and other sources.
Concepts and Design Proposals
The Electoral Commission plans to establish a unified brand system that can be adapted for local election zones. This will be demonstrated through enhanced collaterals, using infographics or visual representations to illustrate the voting process. These materials will be strategically positioned on both physical and digital platforms to reach voters effectively.
Design Proposal includes:
A basic brand guide for local elections across New Zealand
Infographics (available in physical and mobile formats) illustrating the voting process from enrolment to casting a vote
Enhanced static maps displaying locations for returning votes
Instagram posts providing essential information about the local voting process
Usability Testing
After refining the prototypes for usability testing, the structure of the usability tests was established.
Five participants were recruited to participate in these tests. They were tasked with navigating the prototype infographic to locate information about enrolment dates, nearest voting locations, and various methods of returning voting papers. Upon completing these tasks, participants were asked to share their experience in finding the information, their impressions of the presented information, and their initial response to the inclusion of the Orange Guy from the general election.
Key Insights
Orange Man Usage: Most participants recognised the Orange Man as a powerful and memorable symbol from the general election, and they support its use to raise awareness and visibility for local elections. However, some expressed concerns that it could potentially confuse people with the general election context.
Ease of Information Search: All participants agreed that the infographic with a step-by-step guide significantly improved the ease of finding information. They appreciated the integration of information across physical and online spaces.
Visual Elements Enhance Clarity: Participants highlighted the effectiveness of various visual elements such as arrows, numbers, and the Orange Man in directing attention and enhancing clarity. They emphasised the importance of using distinctive and relatable visuals, as some participants rely heavily on these images as primary visual cues.
Final Prototypes and Supporting Report
The final design outcome begins with the brand guide which is for the various councils across Aotearoa New Zealand, this initiative ensures that each council adopts appropriate guidelines while maintaining their individual branding styles. This approach fosters a sense of connection for voters during elections, irrespective of their location or the specific voting processes involved.
Following the brand guidelines is the A2 poster infographic which provides visual guidelines with concise information and clear directions for the voting process. Colour schemes are adaptable, allowing councils to align the infographic content with their unique branding and identity.
In its mobile format, accessibility is enhanced through a QR code printed on the poster, enabling easy access. The mobile version is designed to be scrollable and interactive. Alternatively, essential information can also be accessed via hyperlinks instead of QR codes.
Additionally, buttons under Step 1 allow voters to skip directly to Step 3 if Step 2 is not required for their voting process, streamlining the user experience.
To resolve issues with the original map, the enhanced map focused on interaction and icon clarity, making it more accessible and easier to navigate. Additionally, the voting process is now featured on Instagram, effectively reaching active social media users to raise awareness about local elections. This platform highlights key dates and essential information to engage a broader audience.
To ensure a comprehensive overview, I led the design of the final report, consolidating all information into a cohesive narrative that explains the project's process in detail.
Reflection
What’s Next?
Due to the time constraints of this project, there are still many aspects of the design that would be beneficial to explore.
Further Usability Testing:
Conduct usability testing for the final design outcome, particularly focusing on residents who have relocated across the country. This will deepen understanding of voters' engagement with local elections regardless of their location, ensuring the intended reception and clear differentiation across councils.
Orange Guy:
Explore further applications of the Orange Guy, adapting its use to fit the branding elements of various councils beyond just colours.
Expand Brand Guide:
Refine and expand the brand guide to include additional collaterals and detailed guidelines adaptable for all 78 councils in Aotearoa New Zealand. This guide will serve as a comprehensive tool for councils to implement these changes effectively.
Social Media:
Investigate the potential of social media platforms for more interactive engagement with young voters.
How to Improve
This assignment addressed a large and complex topic within a short timeframe. As with any project, there is always room for improvement.
What I Would Do Differently:
Work in Parallel - given the time constraints during this project, many aspects felt rushed. In the future, I aim to conduct different stages of the design process in parallel to facilitate a more thorough and iterative approach.
Mitigate Bias - to enhance our qualitative research, it would be beneficial to create a plan to acknowledge and address our assumptions and biases. Taking a neutral approach could potentially yield a more diverse set of results, ensuring a more comprehensive understanding of perceptions towards local elections.
Ideas to Grow and Learn:
Utilising design ethnography - as a designer with a background in anthropology, I believe that applying ethnographic practices would provide deeper insights. Although time constraints made this approach unfeasible, adopting a reflexive approach in the future could yield diverse results and help mitigate bias. This would also assist with strengthening my skills in qualitative research methods.
Participatory design – conducting workshops for usability testing and gathering feedback on design outcomes would not only improve the designs but also create a collaborative environment to develop more ideas and solutions. Additionally, it would provide an opportunity for me to enhance my workshop facilitation skills as a designer.