Electioneering : Ballot Reform Book Review

How to Fix a Ballot: What voting-booth materials look like is almost as important as who’s running

Newsweek took a look at “Design for Democracy: Ballot + Election Design” in this article. Nice to see, however, that our projects are still working on topics that where this book stops short, namely web design and electronic voting. Apparently only 4 pages devoted to these topics.

“There are two significant areas that are glossed over, however: Web design and electronic voting…Fair enough, but it’s shortsighted not to explore the unique complexities of information flow and hierarchy on Web sites and touchscreens with the same care and attention spent here on printed material. In successful online or electronic projects graphic design is inseparable from interactive design—”human factors” (industryspeak for how a user pokes around an electronic interface) are, at the very least, as important as what font an art director picks.”

Interactivity : Blob Detection for Final Project

Working with the blob detection library, I am step by step partitioning up the screen.  Each of these different quadrants need to recognize if they have a blob in them and reveal a white circle if so.

Interactivity Prototype II: Vitruvian Animations

Prototype 2, PDF Format
Prototype 2, HTML version

Animations for Major Studio Final Project : Stage II prototyping

so, you think Americans can handle open elections?

Perfectly timed to our discussion last week is the following article:A Reminder About Comments by Kate Phillips

We were discussing in class the idea of open elections with more relaxed security where voters can vote multiple times in some cases. The discussion touched on the prediction that the zealots and paid voters would cancel themselves out and that all in all the election would end up fair. Well, here you go. The New York Times had to send home a behavior report to the small percentage (hopefully) of the American public who can’t even handle the comments section of the Times.

It states, “Secondly, a few readers keep trying to post the same comments over and over, for weeks on end, on every item. They add nothing to the development of a conversation, and will not be published.” I think that this is a good point when taken in the context of elections, as well. What does an open election do for the discussion of our leadership? Does it not make even muddier the political waters? Does it not encourage even more the attempts at undermining the system? Would voters still feel as if they participated in a process if it is that unregulated? I understand the need for accessibility and the difficulties some have in acquiring government issued ID’s, but “solving” that problem by changing something else entirely seems rather backwards.

Also, pretty great that the Times actually had to ask for comment writers to end the name-calling. “None of you deserve to be called an idiot, a moron, a juvenile, racist or sexist.” … although I’d have to put money down that some of them really do.

Super Tuesday Observations

92nd Street Y in the Upper East Side

• Attempts made to control crowd, but space too small for the necessary number of voting booths
• Difficult to discern which table associated with which district
• Coordinator mentioned that the most frequently asked question was about Pre-Registration and why Independents can’t vote
• Coordinator mentioned that election workers always wanted to do things their own way no matter their training
• Information sign on table was unsuccessful in indicating that this was a required stop to make before entering the room.

PS 131 in the Lower East Side

• Spacious lobby space of school, but very dark and lacking in energy
• Although Information table right at entrance it still required workers to reach out to voters for them to know to stop there
• Policeman said that he had seen numerous voters simply walk into a booth and without speaking to any officials
• Difficulty in finding enough Chinese-speaking translators or workers for this predominately Chinese population

Lesbian and Gay Center at W13th and 7th Ave

• Small space, but tables arranged to reduce confusion about table/booth coordination
• Hand-made information signs in red marker to supplement printed ones and drew much more attention to table
• Although voters successfully stopped at the Information table in this instance, they still were not prepared to offer their address, but often were trying to get out their ID’s
• Workers more proactive about offering directions on process

Opportunities to Improve Process:

• Redesign “Election Information” sign to indicate that voters MUST check in at this table
• Provide explanation of Pre-Registration (voters must fill in absentee ballot if not pre-registered) and why Independents cannot vote in Primaries so that workers do not have to re-answer same questions
• Utilize colors to help distinguish differences in district booths and tables.

Major Studio | INTERFACE : Final Project, Current State of Affairs

Here is the to do list for my project:

1. Working Prototype (currently on-line in stripped down form. fill in holes to allow for user testing)
2. User Testing (once Working Proto is fleshed out get some commentary and responses)
3. Visualization Ideas (see earlier entry. brainstorm and research ideas of polar opposites to develop choices of visualizations to add interest and dynamism to site)
4. Tag Cloud (see how useful this element will be to the site. could be an easy and dynamic categorical/shortcut tool rather than just deciding categories on own)
5. Information Architecture (keep revising and adding. Build in Table lists in “preparation” for database building)
6. Result Word List (ex. pessimism… list pretty much exists in past blogs. need to organize “ranking” … maybe get some user voting… and rank along with neg/pos rating)
7. Meta Information for the site
8. User Scenarios (nearly complete)
9. Research/Investigate other sites’ rating methods
10. MOCK SITE: build out style frames for each individual site. perhaps combine with user scenarios to animate a step by step example of a user’s experience.

Let’s Play President: Schedule I

Week 1, Nov 5 & 7: Developing Idea, Planning

Week 2, Nov 12&14: Concept, Research, Refine

Week 3, Nov 19&21: Develop, Wireframe, Rapid Prototype (with User Testing)

Week 4, Nov 26&28: Build

Week 5, Dec 3&5: Build and User Test

Week 6, Dec 10&12: User Test, Develop Presentation

Week 7, Dec 17&19: FINAL PRESENTATIONS