A case study in UX Strategy and Design for family of prodcut (Voting Machines)

In order to continue to be the industry leader ES&S decided that the current ballot counting machines needed to be sunset. A migration plan was put in place and development and engineering got going on creating 4 new voting and counting machines. The legacy ballot counting machines had LED screens and electro-magnetic buttons with limited voter and user feedback. With the exception of the work I did designing the voter experience for the company's electronic voting machine - iVotronic - there was nothing like these machines out in the market, so I had to create new voter and user experiences from scratch.

The first voting machine on the list was a in-person poll place digital scanner called the DS200.

DS200

Being the first on the list, I needed to define the guidelines and set the tone for all of the other equipment that would be developed. An additional challenge came when the CEO asked me to get it done in 2 weeks so we could show an important customer the new voting machine during their visit. 

I used the work I had done on the iVotronic, looked to other industries such as banking (ATMs) and airline kiosks for inspiration. I also worked with marketing to ensure that the company brand was brought through to the voter experience.

The first activities were to work through the process flow the voter would experience when using the machine. There are many scenarios the voter may encounter so identifying those screens, options and feedback was essential.

Once I got enough of the process and structure of experience architecture, I created the voter experience. Because of the short timeframe and type of audience I went right to high fidelity mock ups and then a prototype. Here are a few screens from the product.

Work completed on this project includes visual design, voter workflow, interaction design, data flow. All of UX diagrams and work product is the property of ES&S so I'm limited to displaying in my portfolio. If you would like to see any diagrams, I can review them during a conference but not display them in my portfolio. 

The DS200 has been on the market since 2008 and is due for a visual design refresh which is scheduled for later this year (2015).

DS850

Once the DS200 was underway, we started working on a high speed central ballot counting machine. This piece of equipment however is not for the same user - this machine is used by a trained election office worker, not a voter. So while I could leverage visual design elements and brand, the information architecture and user flow was completely different and like the DS200 there was nothing out on the market like it. Again I looked to other industries for inspiration.

While the hardware components and casing were being developed the software team set out to create a easy to use yet deep in features and function operator experience. The main screen that the ballot scanning operator needs to provide feedback during processing as well as issues and alerts.

Work completed on this project includes visual design, voter workflow, interaction design, data flow and assisted on the paper path design. All of UX diagrams and work product is the property of ES&S so I'm limited to displaying in my portfolio. If you would like to see any diagrams, I can review them during a conference but not display them in my portfolio. 

Designed specifically for the election process, the DS850 features a user-friendly software interface on a 15-inch LCD color touch screen. The S-shaped transporter allows for a natural flow, creating separation between individual ballots.

ExpressVote

The ExpressVote was the third (and forth) voting machine in the family of voting equipment. It is a replacement for our legacy ballot marking device designed specifically for disabled voters as well as the electronic voting machine.

The ExpressVote was designed as a universal voting machine that every voter can use. It also combines paper based audit ability as well as a big touch screen interface that gives immediate feedback to voters.

For this new-to-the-market product I leveraged the work already done on the DS200 and iVotronic. But because it combines the two types of voting, I had to add in new process and voter feedback.

And as it seems the case, I had a tight deadline again. A new team was being created to focus on leading edge productsI and I was asked to join the team. I had 3 weeks to design the voter work flow, interactions and new visual design elements for both voters and poll workers.  Here are a few screens from the product.

Work completed on this project includes visual design, voter workflow, interaction design, data flow, accessible feature like audio playback (audio ballot) and assisted on the case design. All of UX diagrams and work product is the property of ES&S so I'm limited to displaying in my portfolio. If you would like to see any diagrams, I can review them during a conference but not display them in my portfolio. 

The ExpressVote is now out in the field and being used by voters of all capabilities.