Design For Social Good

PollPAL Rideshare App

A Mobile App for Voters

Project Overview

PollPAL is a rideshare app providing free rides to voters in the United States which helps eligible voters get to the polls when they are unable to, and have low confidence in the U.S. mail-in ballot system.

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Image of the PollPAL Rideshare App
Project Overview

The Problem & Goal

About 30-34% of eligible voters did not vote in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. Many of those voters probably would have voted if 20% of polling locations were not closed. These voters include rural voters, disabled voters & voters of inconvenient circumstance whom historically have experienced difficulties accessing a polling location on voting day. The goal is to design an app that will improve the ability to vote by helping eligible voters access polling locations through free community transportation (volunteer drivers).

Image of PollPAL Mockups
My Role

UX Designer

My Responsibility

Paper and Digital Wireframing, Low and High-fidelity Prototyping, Conducting Interviews & Usability Studies, Designing for Accessibility, and Iterating on Designs.

Tools Used

Figma, Adee

Duration

6 weeks

User Research

Understanding the User

Pain Points   ⎯   Personas  ⎯   User Journeys

User Empathy

I conducted interviews and created empathy maps to understand the users I designed for and their needs. The primary user group identified through research were voters who had little to no confidence in the U.S mail-in ballot system, and instead wanted to vote at their polling location on voting day but couldn’t get there.

This user group confirmed initial assumptions about the lack of nearby voting centers in rural areas and big cities; however, research also revealed that the distance to voting centers was not the only factor limiting this group from voting. Other pain points included the cost of getting there, and the inability of getting there due to lack of transportation or physical disability making it difficult to vote, when eligible. 

Image of Empathy Map detailing brief statements about what a user says, thinks & does.
User Personas

Meet Curtis & Paulene

The following user personas are archetypical descriptions whose goals and characteristics represent the overall needs of users who would benefit from using this service. 

User Persona Image

Paulene Pérez

Paulene is a retired eligible voter who needs a ride to the polls because she doesn’t own a car, doesn’t trust that mail-in votes are counted, and her voting center is miles away due to being in a rural area.

User Persona Image

Curtis Jackson

Curtis is an eligible voter who needs a free ride to the polls because he is experiencing inconvenient car trouble on voting day with no money before payday. His polling location was moved miles away.

Pain Points

Identifying the issues that cause frustration before, while, and after a user completes a task is beneficial to designing a good user experience. Below are a few pain points that were identified through research.

Distance

During 2020, almost 21,000 voting centers across the U.S. were closed leaving voters in large metro areas like Milwaukee with only 5 which normally had 180. This caused voters to travel far outside of their local community to vote (creating long lines).

Affordability

With U.S. Inflation Rates rising above 8% in 2022, many voters struggle with the cost of getting to their voting center when they live paycheck to paycheck even with low cost public transportation, or privatized services such as Lyft & Uber.

Ability

Without having reliable transportation or by having physical disabilities, far away voting centers limit the ability to vote.

Source 1, Source 2, Source3

Ideation & Usability

Starting the Design

Wireframes   ⎯   Prototypes  ⎯   Usability Studies

User Flow

When creating the user flow, I thought of interaction design by focusing on the ease of requesting a ride. I decided to add back button & close options for easy flow navigation, a main menu accessible by the avatar photo, and those key menu links always visible in the bottom navigation bar.

Image of PollPAL User Flow

Paper + Digital Wireframes

Taking the time to draft iterations of the app's screens on paper ensured that the elements that made it to digital wireframes would be well-suited to address user pain points. I designed a bottom navigation bar to provide easy fingertip access to the user.

After ideating and drafting some paper wireframes, I created the initial designs for the PollPAL app. These designs focused on user rich features allowing a rider to request a free ride with access to reliable voting information specific to their area.

Image of Four Key Low-Fidelity Mockups

Low-Fidelity Prototype

Using the completed set of digital wireframes, I created a low-fidelity prototype. The primary user flow I connected was for the user to request a ride and select a nearby driver.

View Prototype

Usability Study Findings

I conducted two rounds of usability studies. Findings from the first study helped guide the designs from wireframes to mockups. The second study used a high-fidelity prototype and revealed what aspects of the mockups needed refining. 

  1. Users want the option to tip a driver, or donate to a driver if not riding.
  2. Users want a driver’s information such as name, photo, car & rating.
  3. Users want the ability to report voter intimidation/ violence if needed.
  1. Users don’t like not knowing if the ride could accommodate their wheelchair.
  2. Users need help finding the polling location address when the app asks for it.
  3. Users who are first time voters need to see helpful voter information.
Mockups & Prototypes

Refining the Design

Visual Design   ⎯   Accessibility  ⎯   Iterations

Visual Design

When creating the mockups, I thought of visual design concepts by incorporating color, typography & iconography to create visual hierarchy and emphasis. I used Norman Window shapes throughout the design as a symbol of bipartisanship. One end of the shape has boxed (conservative) corners, the other has none because it's curved (liberal). Despite their differences, they are joined as one shape (one people). This app should be used by anyone, no matter their beliefs or party affiliation. 

PollPAL Style Guide (Color, Type, Icon)
Image of Usability Study Changes List

Iterations

Based on usability study insights, I applied design changes like providing driver stats, and an option for users to select ride preferences while requesting a ride.

Additional design changes included adding an option for users to determine the address of their designated voting center by clicking an external “Don’t Know It?” link. Clicking will open Vote.org, providing a user with an opportunity to find their polling location within the app.

Image of Four Key Mockups
Accessible & Inclusive Design

Accessibility

Accessible and inclusive design considerations are essential for a good user experience. Below are a few highlights that were considered for this case study.

Language

Provided the option for users to select languages displayed in that language (Example: Español is written instead of Spanish). Arabic was not written in Arabic because once copied it pastes backwards due to text formatting in Figma that doesn't recognize Arabic as a right to left language.

Bipartisan

Politically neutral colors and language were used throughout the design so voters would feel comfortable requesting a ride through the app regardless of their party affiliation. Users do have the option to select drivers of a specific party for safety, and also have the option to select wheelchair accessible vehicles.

Color

Only used background and foreground color combinations on text that either met or exceeded the WCAG AA 4.5:1 contrast ratio guidelines on normal text.

The Outcome

What I Learned

Takeaways   ⎯   Feedback  ⎯   Next Steps

Going Forward

Although this case study has reached its conclusion, the UX design process is continuous. During my spare time, I will continue iterating for improvements.

Takeaways

While designing PollPAL, I learned that the first ideas for an app are only the beginning of the process. Usability studies and user feedback influenced each iteration of the app’s design. Through research, I also learned more about the pitfalls of the U.S. voting system. As digital as this world is, it’s time for online voting.

The next step is to conduct another round of usability studies to determine if there are service needs as voters wait in line to vote such as food delivery, errand running, or even voter registration depending on the location.

I would also like to design the driver side of the app, and conduct additional research to understand what volunteer drivers need.

Image of the PollPAL Thank You Screen.

User Feedback

“The app made it so easy to find a ride. When needed, I could see myself using it.”

Participant A

High-Fidelity Prototype

The final high-fidelity prototype addressed the need for users to select preferences such as wheelchair accessible vehicles, drivers of a certain political party for comfort/safety, and informing a driver of physical impairments if a rider wanted to let them know. 

View Prototype

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A good design is the culmination of good ethics, usability, inclusivity, and visual appeal.