Govern App

An online resource that provides easily digestible information regarding local and state politics and legislation with an emphasis on increasing citizen involvement

Project duration: June 21- July 22 2023

My role: 

• Lead UX Designer

• Lead UI Designer

• Lead UX Researcher 

User research: Summary

Before starting the research, I knew that there was a problem with accessibility to certain government institutions designated to serving the citizens. In my research however, I found out that was a gross understatement. Through market research and interviewing different people in the local Fredericksburg area to understand what drives and deters people to participate in government activities. In my findings, many found the websites to be too convoluted or too wordy to keep the attention of the everyday user. 

Competitive audit

My goal in conducting the competitive audit was to gain an understanding of what the users are currently working with in regards to finding information regarding voting, what bills and legislation is set to go through the general assembly, who the representatives are, city council and local government information, and avenues to contact your representatives and get involved in government. 

Ideation

Through the ideation phase, my goal was to understand what users needed to understand how to find necessary information in the easiest manner possible while emphasizing important elements such as grouping the selections into subsections of the app.

Initial Ideations

Clearly segmented landing page was intended to allow the user to have a strong direction from the jump

Easily accessible search button allows users to quickly find information they are looking for 

Usability Study Paramaters

Study type:

Unmoderated usability study

Clickable Items

Users seemed to have some difficulties with deciphering between cilcable and non-clickable items. To solve this, I elevated certain items as well as added dimension to clickable items.

Updated Designs

Color

I ensured all colors were AA compliant and were used in a consistent manner with regard to specific actions each item preforms.

Conduct another usability study to understand if there are any further points of contention or new features that would be beneficial to the process.

The problem: 

Citizens of the United States tend to get bogged down with indigestible information regarding their local and state governing bodies. In accompaniment to this is the lack of overall interest in becoming involved to help enact change they would like to see.

Responsibilities: 

• User research

• Market research

• Conducting usability studies 

• Low & high fidelity mockups 

• Low & high fidelity prototyping

• Iterating on designs & responsiveness

• Paper and digital wireframing

Users tended to get caught up on long lists of options. To solve this, I broke lists up into more dynamic and visually enjoyable selections

In my findings, users were unable to quickly decipher lists of items as well as clickable items. To solve this I implemented elevation of button elements, added iconography, and included a brief summary of what you would find in each section of the app.

By creating the list to be more dynamic and visually appealing users were able to quickly navigate and decipher between chunks of information. Users also have a responsive bottom task bar which indicated where they are within the app.

From the feedback that was overwhelmingly coming from users, I implemented changes to large lists, animated specific interactive elements, and allowed users to swipe back to the previous screen.

In my breakdown of information, I believed it would have been most useful to have a homepage that branched out into four separate subsections, which then branched further. This was to allow for increased accessibility using assistive technology.

Accessibility considerations

Across all platforms, you can see a visually consistent design. The main difference is the capabilities of the profile and notification that would be better suited for a consistently used product such as an app. This leads to a slightly more simple and direct main menu. 

Headers & Subheaders

I have clearly labeled each page using headers and subheaders to allow for screen reader accessibility.

Impact: 

This app and coordinating website allows users to easily find ways to get involved with their local and state governing agencies and increase civic involvement. This also allowed users to easily register to vote, find their polling location, and understand the steps involved in voting. 

The goal: 

The goal was to create an online resource that provides easily digestible information regarding local and state politics and legislation while empowering everyday citizens to become involved in their local governing bodies.

Notification on the upper-right allows users with a profile to track certain topics or legislation as well as upcoming meetings

The home button allowed users to easily toggle without having to go to the home page.

What I learned:

Although technically there may be short clickpaths within a user flow, it will significantly held up if there are dynamic or entertaining visual components. This will ensure the user does not drop off. Gestures also significantly help with accessibility and ease of use for all users.

Further ideate on how to best streamline the completion of forms.

Conduct further research to understand what professionals within local and state governing bodies are looking for to connect with their constituents.