BallotBuzz
Powered by KQED
A mobile application designed to engage the younger generation by actively motivating them to participate in their local communities and the electoral process
Timeline
Spring 2023
Group Project
KQED Mentorship
PROBLEMMy Role
Primary research, user interviews
UX design: crazy 8s, wireframing
Concept building, storyboards
Encouraging students to participate in local and state elections is imperative for social change
The youth plays a vital role in shaping our evolving society. It's essential to ensure individuals from diverse backgrounds have equal opportunities to engage in the voting process. As we delved into this issue, we asked - what prevents youth participation?
THE APPROACHPromoting education and the benefits of accessible content tailored for younger audiences can streamline the process of voting
Customization
To promote voter engagement, people can customize their feed according to their interests and edit it in their profile later on.
Tailored News
Topical stories linked to KQED’s website, local events, and upcoming volunteering opportunities appear here, additionally, quick, at-a-glance voting resources are provided.
The news tab offers a glimpse into global events, breaking down stories into concise bullet points to capture and retain attention.
Mimicking it in the style of other social media apps can allow the younger audience to engage with the content more actively.
Partnering with Headcount, voters can see their favorite artists while engaging with their communities.
Volunteers will register people for upcoming elections and increase awareness in exchange for free concert tickets!
The voting resource page is a centralized source for everything a voter might be interested in related to their ballot. General information about the upcoming election is just a click away.
Community Building
Local events are happening all the time, BallotBuzz shows interest-related events and organizations to make it easy to get involved.
USER INTERVIEWS18–29 year-olds account for nearly 22% of the voting-age population
In 2018, voters in this age range constituted only 13% of the electorate. Although young people are interested in politics and express the intention to vote, they often face personal and institutional obstacles that hinder their follow-through. We conducted 7 interviews and were able to get a better grasp on what keeps the youth away from the voting booths.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS:
How were you introduced to the concept of voting when you were a kid? Has it impacted your voting habits?
How do you view class in the Bay Area? Can you tell me about how it impacted your experience with voting?
How would you differentiate general vs. primary elections, do you participate in either/both?
Do you feel or have you ever felt any kind of pressure about voting in a certain way?
Where do you get most of your news from, how do you check for credibility?
59%
Family Influence
56%
Information Consumption
25%
Voted in the last election and/or mentioned that they always vote
Voter Participation
Agreed that their family influenced political views or voter participation
Mentioned that they receive information about news or elections from social media
SYNTHESIZING THE DATATackling misinformation, upbringing, and lack of motivation amongst young voters
After discovering the voting experiences of fellow young individuals, I developed the following journey map. This map helps identify pain points and presents design opportunities.
Clustering the themes
As we crafted empathy maps and dissected themes from our interviews, our team gained greater confidence in pinpointing key factors. These factors, such as lack of incentive, limited media coverage, personal barriers, and a sense of disconnection from sources, emerged as primary deterrents that discourage college students from voting
COMPETATIVE ANALYSIS + THE GAPTackling misinformation, upbringing, and lack of motivation amongst young voters
Following a comprehensive examination of the current solutions available in the market, I conducted multiple SWOT analyses to identify the strengths and weaknesses of applications designed to enhance electoral involvement. We learned that common sources were text-heavy and unintuitive for first-time voters. These solutions failed to resonate with the younger generation and had overstimulating Ui.
CONCEPT BUILIDNG + IDEATIONIdeating from real-life contexts
Our ideation process started with immersing the user in real-life contexts, crafting scenarios that encouraged them to reflect on the project's questions and opportunities.
FEEDBACK AND GUIDENCESupport from KQED designers
Design mentors from KQED offered us valuable insights into the limitations of news outlets and media. Collaborating in brainstorming sessions, we explored methods to link BallotBuzz with their database and enhance our project.
Kimberly Low, Senior Product Designer
Bryan Bindloss, Director of Product Design
PROTOTYPE