VIEW: Voter Information and Engagement Website

Inspiration

We were inspired by the challenges many voters face in accessing reliable, comprehensive information about elections. Whether it's a first-time voter unsure of where to start, a disengaged voter frustrated by the complexity of the system, or an informed voter seeking in-depth analysis, we wanted to create a platform that addresses these needs and fosters civic engagement.

What We Learned

Through our research, we learned that a significant barrier to voting is the lack of accessible, understandable information. By conducting surveys and interviews, we gained insights into the specific needs and frustrations of different voter personas. This helped us tailor our features to provide maximum value and ease of use.

Key Insights

Detailed candidate information and policy comparisons are crucial: The survey shows overwhelming support for detailed candidate information, with 88.9% of respondents considering it very important or important. Additionally, all respondents find side-by-side comparisons of candidates' policies helpful. This indicates that providing comprehensive, easily comparable information about candidates and their positions should be a top priority for the platform.

Localized voting guides are highly valued: All participants find a step-by-step voting guide tailored to their state and county to be very useful or useful. This unanimous response underscores the importance of offering comprehensive, localized voting information to users. Implementing this feature could significantly enhance the platform's value to voters.

Maintaining unbiased and reliable information is essential: All participants consider access to unbiased and reliable election information important. This highlights the critical need for the platform to prioritize impartiality and accuracy in all its content. Establishing and maintaining a reputation for trustworthiness should be a cornerstone of the platform's strategy.

How We Built the Project

We used a combination of Miro for brainstorming and ideation, Figma for designing wireframes and prototypes, and Google Docs for collaborative writing and documentation.

Our development team might utilize frameworks like React and Node.js, cloud services like AWS, and databases like MongoDB. APIs for polling place locations and candidate information would be integrated to ensure up-to-date data.

Challenges Faced

Building the VIEW platform presented several challenges:

Ensuring Accessibility: Making the platform accessible to all users, including those with disabilities, is a priority. We adhere to ADA and WCAG guidelines to ensure the platform is usable by everyone.

Real-time Data Integration: Integrating real-time data for polling locations and candidate updates is complex. Implementing automated data-fetching processes and establishing multiple data sources will ensure the information is current and accurate.

Comprehensive Candidate Information: Gathering and verifying detailed information about candidates and their policies requires significant effort. We anticipate collaborating with various data providers and fact-checking organizations to maintain accuracy and impartiality.

Interactive Visualizations: Creating interactive tools and visualizations that are both informative and user-friendly requires extensive design and development work. We focus on usability testing to refine these features.

Feedback Loop: Establishing a robust feedback loop to continuously improve the platform based on user input was essential to validate the solution. We implemented user surveys, feedback forms, and frequent updates to address user concerns and suggestions.

Personalization: Developing a system that adapts to each user's location and preferences involves complex backend development. Utilizing AI and machine learning algorithms provides a personalized experience for each voter.

Resource Constraints: Working within the constraints of a limited budget and a small team in three time zones requires careful prioritization of features and efficient use of resources.

By overcoming these challenges, we aimed to create a platform that empowers voters with the information they need to make informed decisions and actively participate in the electoral process.

What’s next

Approval of this project will enable us to secure the necessary resources, such as a development team and usability research, to bring this vision to life.