Absentee Voting, Made Digital
Making voting easier, safer and more accessible.
A Brief Overview
Bringing together our expertise in product, design, and engineering, Nearform’s cross-functional team navigated a complicated set of requirements to build VoteHub, an intuitive app that allows disadvantaged voters to digitally and securely submit an absentee ballot with help from the accessibility tools they use every day.
Breaking Voting Barriers Through Accessibility
In 2017, Tusk Philanthropies embarked on a groundbreaking initiative to create a digital voting solution, now known as VoteHub, designed specifically to serve disadvantaged voters who encounter obstacles with traditional voting methods. VoteHub offers a mobile-friendly, digital version of absentee voting that is cryptographically secure and verifiable from end to end. In 2022, NFC joined the project to enhance the backend components of this solution, which were already in progress, and to refine the alpha version of the ballot-casting app that had been developed. However, user feedback, particularly from disabled voters, highlighted significant concerns about the user experience of the alpha. Our mission was to apply our design and mobile expertise to develop the beta version of VoteHub’s ballot-casting app, addressing these challenges to deliver a more accessible and intuitive experience.
Discovering VoteHub’s User Journey
NFC’s first priority was a deep-dive discovery with the Tusk team to analyze the alpha app’s workflow. They identified several “barriers to entry,” such as verifying voter registration and handling jurisdiction-based conditional rules, which led to frequent abandonment. With the app unable to save data between sessions, users faced frustration when returning. Working alongside election experts, the NFC team streamlined the process by organizing barriers from general to specific and adding clear signposts. This approach aimed to reduce unnecessary steps and lower abandonment rates by simplifying the path from ballot marking to casting.
Designing the Beta: Prototypes & Systems
To design the beta app, the NFC team started with requirements from the US Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG). A wireframing component library was created, incorporating existing elements from the alpha version and adding new ones essential for the updated workflow. This resulted in a clickable prototype, crucial for timely validation and testing of workflow revisions with Tusk.
After validating the wireframe prototype, the focus shifted to designing system elements. Google’s Noto Sans typeface was chosen for its clarity and broad international support, and a high-contrast grayscale color palette was selected for its usability and flexibility for jurisdictional customization. The Tokens Studio Figma plugin was used to manage design tokens for colors, spacing, and typography, streamlining the design process.
Optimizing VoteHub for Accessibility
The primary goal was to improve the user experience for voters needing accessibility accommodations. Regular consultations with these users guided the design and engineering processes. Early feedback on the wireframed prototype led to screen reader optimizations, such as placing input errors above fields before coding began. The team also addressed issues with how screen readers interact with options like radio buttons.
A key insight was that most users with accessibility needs already have device settings for contrast and text size. Therefore, reimplementing these settings in the app risked conflicts. The team simplified the approach by using default device settings and allowing minor adjustments.
Building Accessible Solutions with React Native
Developing the VoteHub app presented unique challenges as it replaced an existing app with known accessibility issues. Recognizing that the framework likely contributed to these problems, the NFC team transitioned to React Native for its superior accessibility support. Using Nearform’s open-source library react-native-ama, an accessible UI component library was created, integrating accessibility from the start. This approach allowed efficient component building and scaffold development. Challenges such as radio button accessibility were carefully addressed.
For signature collection, crucial for many jurisdictions, a custom signature pad was developed using React Native Skia. This pad featured multi-touch support, compatibility with various screen orientations, and options for typing or speaking names, overcoming limitations in existing open-source libraries.
The Impact - Empowering Diverse Voters: The Future of Inclusive Voting
The ImpactEmpowering Diverse Voters: The Future of Inclusive VotingLeveraging NFC’s expertise in product design and mobile solutions, VoteHub's challenging alpha was elevated to a robust beta app, enabling underserved voters to securely and digitally participate in elections. Despite complex constraints, the app delivers a seamless and intuitive experience. VoteHub exemplifies the power of inclusive design and user feedback and is now active in pilot programs across the U.S.
100%
mock election voter confidence
Feedback from 2023 mock election users was overwhelmingly positive, with nearly 100% of over 400 users saying they would want to use the technology to vote in the future.
~200%
Faster voter registration lookup flow
The alpha app’s first three screens took blind voters between 5 and 6 minutes to traverse. VoteHub’s beta version takes roughly half that time.
“Amazing to work with on our project to develop mobile voting technology. [NFC’s] designers understand how to meet the needs of the populations we're seeking to serve, with user-centered design and a focus on accessibility. And their engineers brought creative ideas and solutions to help ensure we have the best product possible.”
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