Ballotbuzz
Deliverables
UX/UI
Mobile App
Mentorship Project (KQED)
Role
Primary Research
User Interviews
Visual Design System
Inspiring younger generations by actively motivating them to participate in local communities and the electoral process.
A community-based mobile app where youth-vote, promoting education, and accessible content are tailored to younger adults.
Topics of Focus
32 survey participants and 7 interviews
Civic learning is not reaching all youth. Youth voter turnout between ages 18-24 remains low at 48%, despite reaching one of its highest levels ever in 2020.
Tackling lack of digestible data
Going about the challenges and opportunity in youth-voting misinformation, upbringing, and lack of motivation, we constructed a journey map that helped us identify the pain points and recognize design opportunities in a bigger picture.
Constructing the user flow
From concept to wireframes
From stack-swipe to "tap to change" gesture
Our initial thought was a stack-swipe feature to make the app more engaging
However we realized that this can contribute to user-overstimulation when reading the news which makes it harder to digest content.
Customizable experience
Getting to know young voters better by asking to select topics they are interested in.
The app is able to tailor their feed to give them stories, events, and organizations that are better paired with their passions.
Personalized dashboard
Acts as the main hub of all information and tailored news according to the individual's interest.
Topical stories and upcoming volunteering opportunities accessible on the dashboard.
"Viewing Keypoints" to tackle information overload.
Viewing "key points" leads to the news tab which gives a glimpse into global events and stories into a short and concise bullet points to capture and retain information got more digestible experience.
Tailored content
Topical stories are linked to KQED's website, local events, and upcoming volunteering opportunities, additionally, quick at-a-glance voting resources are provided.
Engagement through volunteering with Headcount
Volunteers will register people for upcoming elections and increase awareness in exchange for free concert tickets.
Voters can see their favorite artists while engaging with their communities.
Registering to Vote
Getting Involved
Going about the challenges and opportunity in youth-voting misinformation, upbringing, and lack of motivation.
Constructing a journey map helped us identify the pain points and recognize design opportunities in a bigger picture.
What we learned
With the help of our mentors from KQED, we were able to gather valuable insights on civic learning including some limitations we came across as designers when it comes to news outlets and media.
Our next steps as a team if were to continue on the project is addressing the risks of over-simplifying information and engagement fatigue within the platform.
