Combating Voter Suppression with Rock The Vote

Overview
Worked individually over the span of 6 weeks to provide an innovative solution to make democratic participation more accessible for young people by setting them up with everything they need to make the process as painless as possible.
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‍Problem
Young voters are new voters. As new voters, they face unique obstacles to voting which result in turnout that is historically 20 to 30 points lower than older voters. This discrepancy is even greater in midterms, state, and local elections. As a result, our democracy continuously fails to represent youth, generation after generation.

Solution
Young voters have become the target of voter suppression efforts and must overcome these challenges to break turnout records. I wanted to help Rock the Vote in their mission to uplift and empower the largest, most diverse generation in U.S. history. From the rise of voter ID laws to removing polling sites from college campuses, young people must navigate obstacles designed to keep them from making their voices heard.
ROLE
UX Designer
User Research, Interaction, Visual design, Prototyping & Testing
TIMELINE
6 Weeks
PROJECT TYPE
Individual
OBJECTIVE
Make democratic participation more accessible for young people

Research

Fewer than half of Americans ages 18-29 voted in the 2016 presidential election.

Rock the Vote draws on decades of experience to deploy the most effective and impactful messages, tactics, and technology to uplift and empower the largest, most diverse generation in U.S. history. Leveraging Rock the Vote's influence, I wanted to help provide an innovative way to make democratic participation more accessible for young people.

Interviews

I asked college students ages 20-30 what their fears were when it comes to the current voting process.

Interview script:
1. In your opinion, what stops qualified individuals from voting?
2. Do you feel informed when it comes to the candidates offered to you?
3. Do you know how to find your polling place and have reliable transportation?
4. When you voted for the first time, what made aspects made you feel the most anxious?
5. If you could change anything about the current voting process, what would it be?
6. What is one question you have about the voting process?

Here's what they had to say...

I have reliable transportation, but it's always a pain to figure out what is my specific polling place. It’s frustrating that I can't just vote anywhere.
I’m afraid that I could walk into the voting room and be denied the right to vote because my registration did not go through OR that if I could vote, the system could be hacked and my vote would not be counted.
There are definitely better ways to present the candidates and their stances —especially for smaller elections. Also, voter suppression is real. People shouldn't have to wait in lines for HOURS to vote. Some people have jobs and duties which can deter people from voting. Not to mention the machines are pretty complex and could be misunderstood.

Key findings

Fixable pain points of the process include locating polling places, checking registration status, and understanding how candidates compare.


Journey mapping


Problem

Young voters are new voters. As new voters, they face unique obstacles to voting which result in turnout that is historically 20 to 30 points lower than older voters. This discrepancy is even greater in midterms, state, and local elections. As a result, our democracy continuously fails to represent youth, generation after generation.


Solution

Young voters have become the target of voter suppression efforts and must overcome these challenges to break turnout records. I wanted to help Rock the Vote in their mission to uplift and empower the largest, most diverse generation in U.S. history. From the rise of voter ID laws to removing polling sites from college campuses, young people must navigate obstacles designed to keep them from making their voices heard.

Young people shouldn't have to navigate these obstacles on their own.


So... how can we help?

After my initial research, I lowered it down to what actionable blockers stop young people from voting.

Once these pain points were identified, it was time to start designing!

Develop


Lofi Prototype

Key features
- User is able to earn points by encouraging friends to register
- Points can be used to earn Doordash credit, Spotify subscriptions, Uber credit, etc.
- Mapping feature allows user to easily navigate to polling place
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Lofi testing

The goal
See user reactions to my lo-fi prototype. I wanted validate or invalidate assumptions I had made along the way and gather insights.

Key Findings
- Get more people involved by adding an “I voted” sticker to their social    media profile
- Points should be able to go towards Doordash credit, Spotify    subscriptions, Uber credit etc.
- App should be able to utilize Waze’s “go later” feature so users can    better plan their voting strategy


Midfi prototype

Key features
- Social media sticker works as a reward to encourage others to register/vote
- Utilizing Waze’s “go later” feature, as well as the addition of the “add to calendar” button help user create a personal voting plan that works with their    schedule
- Checklist ensures user’s show up at polling place with everything they need as well as provides necessary information about I.D.
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Midfi testing

The goal
The goal of this second round of usability testing was to test the changes I made after re-designing my original prototype. Changes were made based on user responses and painpoints.

Key Findings
- Explore how to get more people involved using the social media stickers.
- Points should be able to go towards Doordash credit, Spotify    subscriptions, Uber credit etc.
- In the future, it would be interesting to further explore more options    regarding the planning/scheduling of times for individuals or groups to    vote.

Conclusion

Rock the Vote draws on decades of experience to deploy the most effective and impactful messages, tactics, and technology to uplift and empower the largest, most diverse generation in U.S. history. My design provides an innovative way to make democratic participation more accessible for young people by setting them up with everything they need to make the process as painless as possible.
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In 2020, Millennials and Gen Z will comprise of nearly 40% of American voters.

Let’s help make sure their voices are heard.