The view from the scanner
Experiences as a poll worker in New York City. Continue reading
Articles in category: Elections
A better ballot for New York
In 2010, New York State used paper ballots for the first time. Unfortunately, a NY League of Women Voters survey after the election found that many voters found the ballots hard to use because of small text, missing instructions, weak separation of contests We’ve created a design concept for a … Continue reading
Plain language is a process
There are great lists of guidelines and tips for writing in plain language, but when you are faced with making confusing instructions clear, where do you start? One way is to think about plain language as a process. Instead of trying to get the whole thing right in one try, … Continue reading
Saving your budget with plain language
At the annual gathering of county clerks, recorders, election officials, and treasurers, the closing keynote featured tips on how writing that everyone can understand can help officials do their work better, and save their budgets at the same time. Whitney Quesenbery’s presentation featured examples of improved materials from form letters … Continue reading
Hello, New York. What will your ballot look like in November?
The business of trying to design better elections has it’s ups and downs. What’s going on in New York State is a good example. Good news. In 2010, New York State switched from lever machines to paper ballots. Bad news. The ballots were, to put it mildly, difficult to read. … Continue reading
When the Audience is Citizens – UPA 2012 Workshop
A group of user experience (UX) professionals grappled issues surrounding design for civic purposes in a workshop: “When the Audience is Citizens,” conducted at the User Experience Professionals’ Association’s 2012 annual conference this June. The group gathered to share the common challenges and enablers that are unique to the world … Continue reading
Engaging U.S. policy makers – SIGCHI 2012
At the CHI 2012 conference in Austin, Whitney joined Janice Tasi, Ben Bederson, Lorrie Faith Cranor and Herb Lin for a panel discussion – Occupy CHI! Engaging U.S. Policy Makers. Lorrie Faith Cranor, from Carnegie Mellon’s CyLab, offered advice for anyone interested in getting involved in policy issues. Most of the audience worked … Continue reading
Lost votes and error messages
A new report from the Brennan Center for Justice concludes that in 2010, tens of thousands of votes in New York did not count because of errors — errors that can be easily caught or prevented to ensure that ballots are marked according to the voters’ intent. They are overvotes–when … Continue reading
Results from testing for double votes in New York
On a Saturday in October 2010, a group of Usability in Civic Life volunteered went to five locations to run a flash usability test to learn how New Yorkers marked their new optical scan ballots, especially looking for a kind of error called “double voting” (voting for one candidate under … Continue reading
Can usability save elections?
The NYC UPA World Usability Day 2011 featured a series of presentations around Designing for Social Change. Whitney Quesenbery looked at how usability and design can be the super heroes of civic life…and everyone can make a difference. Slides and audio from the presentation (with transcript).
Absentee ballot instructions in Minnesota
In the 2008 election for Senator from Minnesota between Al Franken and Norm Coleman was decided only after a lengthy recount and legal battle that lasted over 8 months. One of the biggest controversies centered on absentee ballots and deciding which of them were even eligible to be counted. A … Continue reading
Plain language makes voting easier
It’s always nice when we can connect two issues – like plain language in ballot instructions. In a new report for NIST, Ginny Redish draws the lines clearly: “Voters are exercising an important right as American citizens. If they cannot understand how to use their voting materials, they may not … Continue reading
EAC Public Meetings on Usability and Accessibility
As part of the public review of the Voluntary Voting Systems Guidelines (VVSG), the EAC held a series of public roundtable discussions and public hearings. Usability in Civic Life leaders were invited to the Usability and Accessibility Roundtable on March 27, 2008, and the Public Meeting on April 16, 2008. … Continue reading
2006 Election – Sarasota County, Florida
In the November 7, 2006 election, an unexpectedly large number of people in Sarasota, Florida skipped the congressional election. Where other races, for Senate and Governor had undervote of 1.2-1.4%, the race for U.S. Representative had an undervote of 14.9%. Advocates for voter-verifiable paper audit trails (VVPATs) immediately pointed out … Continue reading
Dana Chisnell appointed to City Ballot Simplification Committee
Affirmed as the fourth person on a committee that bridges the connection between government and voters, Mayor Gavin Newsom’s appointment of long-time Usability Professionals’ Association member Dana Chisnell to the San Francisco Ballot Simplification Committee rounds out a group of communication professionals who work as volunteers to provide unbiased, objective … Continue reading
Carter-Baker Commission urged to consider design and usability in elections
Carter-Baker Commission on Federal Election Reform The Honorable Jimmy Carter and James A. Baker III: I am writing on behalf of Design for Democracy, a non-profit organization affiliated with AIGA, the professional association for design, and the Usability Professionals’ Association (UPA). This strategic program works with election officials at the … Continue reading
2004 Election – Usability problem reports
Usability problems do happen, and they do affect elections. The following media reports of problems with elections are usability issues. They may be problems for voters, or for voting officials wrestling with new procedures or equipment.
Whitney Quesenbery joins EAC’s Technical Guidelines Development Committee
Usability Professionals’ Association (UPA) President Whitney Quesenbery has been appointed to the United States Election Assistance Commission’s (EAC) Technical Guidelines Development Committee. This group will draft new standards for voting systems used in the United States. “I’m pleased to see usability included in these guidelines,” Quesenbery said. “Too often, a … Continue reading
Can Usability Save Democracy? – UPA 2004 Panel
At the UPA 2004 conference, Louise Ferguson, Bill Killam, Sharon Laskowski, and Josephine Scott participated in a panel, moderated by Whitney Quesenbery. The title was “Can Usability Save Democracy?” Voting Equipment in America: Observations from the Field – Bill Killam Standards and Testing for Usability and Accessibility – Sharon Laskowski International … Continue reading
Ensuring the Usability of Voting Systems – UPA 2004 Workshop
This workshop, at UPA 2004 in Minneapolis, looked at the social, civic and methodology issues in ensuring the usability of voting systems and new voting concepts currently being trialed. Participants considered the issue of e-voting/e-participation through the lens of usability and user-centered design. The workshop looked at: Understanding the voting … Continue reading