Howard County Board of Elections:Website Redesign

Prepared by Jennifer Dellava, Nicole Kerber, Melda WashingtonIDIA 630 | Dr. Kathryn Summers | University of Baltimore

May 9, 2012

Agenda

Introduction• Howard County Statistics• Major Goals of Howard County Website

Users• Personas Summary

Methodology• Web Analytics• Content Inventory• Card Sort Overview

Agenda (cont.)

Recommendations• Proposed Information Architecture• Sitemap

Deliverables• Wireframes• Process Flows• Personas/Scenarios

INTRODUCTION

Howard County

Howard County Statistics

Population: 287,085Population increase from 2000 to 2010:

15.8%People under 18: 26%People over 65: 10.1%Female: 51%Race:• 62.2% White• 17.5% Black• 5.8% Hispanic or Latino

Howard County Statistics (cont.)

Speak at least two languages at home: 21.4%

High school graduates: 94.6%Bachelor’s degree or higher: 58.3%Homeowners: 74.7%Veterans: 19,332Median household income: $103,273Square miles: 250.4People per square mile: 1,144.9

Major Goals

Voters• Register to vote, verify registration, or

modify registration record• Identify poll locations and hours of

operation• Obtain information about special needs

voting, absentee voting, provisional voting, etc.

• View election calendar• Learn about candidates• Obtain information about getting involved

in election events in the community

Major Goals (cont.)

Candidates• Obtain information about running for office

including campaign funding• View election calendar with deadlines• Learn about election community events

Researchers• Research previous election results• Learn about the Board of Elections

Personas Summary

Kellie YatesFirst Time Voter

Frank MillerBoard Member

Peter SamuelsAbsentee Voter

Yvonne McIntyreDisabled Senior

I registered to vote at the age of 16 and can’t wait to finally cast my first ballot in the 2012 Election!

Occupation: StudentAge: 19Goals: Find her polling place location, poll closing time, what to bring, and information about candidates.

I’m going to get out there and make my gray vote count!

Occupation: Retired, glass artistAge: 62Goals: Find out when the polls are the least crowded, parking availability, and how the voting equipment works.

It’s important for me to exercise my rights, especially my right to vote, when I am overseas.

Occupation: Mechanical Engineer and SolderAge: 26Goals: Submit a vote as an absentee voter from overseas.

The idea of an election is more interesting than the election itself...The act of voting is the defining moment.

Occupation: Director of the Board of ElectionsAge: 40Goals: Maintain and update election information.

METHODOLOGY

Web Analytics

Content Inventory

Content Inventory (cont.)

Navigation problems• Primary navigation consists of Board of

Elections, Highlights, and In This SectionoThese categories are vague; it’s not clear what

information the user can find in each categoryoAll pages/departments use this navigation

scheme because the site uses a Content Management System

oThis navigation is located on the right side of the screen

• Navigation at the bottom uses indistinct icons with no text

Content Inventory (cont.)

• Navigation on the left side is not related to the Board of Elections

Organizational problems• Pages are labeled differently from page to

page• The same information resides in several

different parts of the siteGeneral Observations• Broken links• Outdated content

Card Sort Overview

Category Participants Total items Unique items Agreement

About Board of Elections 31 197 27 0.24

Community Outreach 31 160 22 0.23

Election Central 31 282 32 0.28FAQ's 29 145 31 0.16

For Candidates 30 113 24 0.16

For Voters 31 250 24 0.34

Card Sort Overview (cont.)

Card Sort Overview (cont.)

This table shows the % of times each item was placed with every other item

Events

Meetings

and

Agendas

Press

How to Get

Involved

Just

for Kids

Social

Media

Notary Public

Careers

Contact Us

General Information

Board Members/Leadership

Mission and

Goals

Public

Records Policy

Election Law, Rules, and Regulations

Election Judge

Election Officials

News and

Alerts

Elections

Calendar

Election Calendar

Current Election Results

Election Results

History

Reports

Poll

Workers

Petitions

Candidate

Information

Filing

Campaign

Finance

Ballot Issues

Voting in Howard County

Polling Locations

Provisional

Voting

Voter Info

Guide

Vote

By Mail/Absentee Voting

Voter Complaint Form

Register to Vote

Voting Districts

View

Ballots

Events - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Meetings and Agendas 48 - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Press 35 23 - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

How to Get Involved 39 10 19 - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Just for Kids 52 19 42 61 - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Social Media 48 19 35 48 71 - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Notary Public 29 19 16 10 16 19 - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Careers 23 35 29 26 19 26 32 - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Contact Us 19 23 23 16 6 13 23 42 - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

General Information 10 19 19 6 6 13 29 35 45 - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Board Members/Leadership 19 42 23 3 . 3 16 45 55 52 - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mission and Goals 23 39 19 3 . 3 19 45 52 58 84 - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Public Records Policy 3 13 26 10 10 13 23 39 16 26 16 19 - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Election Law, Rules, and Regulations6 13 16 10 3 6 13 26 10 26 13 13 42 - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Election Judge 16 26 13 3 3 3 32 16 23 19 39 26 16 35 - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Election Officials 29 39 19 . . 3 16 13 23 19 45 42 10 32 55 - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

News and Alerts 39 23 29 26 26 35 26 23 19 26 16 16 6 16 19 26 - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elections Calendar 13 26 16 10 6 16 16 6 19 19 10 6 6 35 35 29 32 - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Election Calendar 19 26 10 10 3 10 23 16 13 16 6 3 16 39 45 32 35 55 - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Card Sort Overview (cont.)

This table shows the % of times each item was placed with every other item

Events

Meetings

and

Agendas

Press

How to Get

Involved

Just

for Kids

Social

Media

Notary Public

Careers

Contact Us

General Information

Board Members/Leadership

Mission and

Goals

Public

Records Policy

Election Law, Rules, and Regulations

Election Judge

Election Officials

News and

Alerts

Elections

Calendar

Election Calendar

Current Election Results

Election Results

History

Reports

Poll

Workers

Petitions

Candidate

Information

Filing

Campaign

Finance

Ballot Issues

Voting in Howard County

Polling Locations

Provisional

Voting

Voter Info

Guide

Vote

By Mail/Absentee Voting

Voter Complaint Form

Register to Vote

Voting Districts

View

Ballots

Current Election Results 16 26 23 3 3 6 16 6 13 23 6 6 19 32 39 32 45 61 65 - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Election Results History 16 23 16 10 . 10 19 13 13 13 3 3 19 42 39 35 35 58 65 74 - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Reports 16 45 29 10 10 10 26 26 23 23 32 29 19 23 29 32 32 32 26 35 32 - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Poll Workers 16 10 23 26 26 19 35 13 3 23 3 6 19 26 32 16 32 32 35 39 35 26 - . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Petitions 13 19 19 19 19 19 26 13 16 23 6 6 29 29 23 10 26 35 26 29 29 39 45 - . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Candidate Information 10 13 10 . 3 . 13 . 3 6 . 6 10 13 10 23 16 13 23 23 16 6 16 23 - . . . . . . . . . . . .

Filing 16 26 13 . 6 10 26 6 6 10 . 3 29 26 16 19 10 23 26 26 19 35 26 32 29 - . . . . . . . . . . .

Campaign Finance 10 16 19 . 3 10 19 3 . 3 . 6 19 19 6 13 6 3 10 6 10 6 13 26 42 48 - . . . . . . . . . .

Ballot Issues 3 6 10 6 . 6 10 16 16 13 6 . 29 19 16 10 6 19 19 23 29 19 16 19 23 10 10 - . . . . . . . . .

Voting in Howard County 3 . 6 6 6 6 6 3 13 13 6 3 6 23 10 6 16 13 13 6 6 10 13 13 29 10 . 23 - . . . . . . . .

Polling Locations . . . . 3 3 10 . 3 6 . . 3 16 3 6 10 19 10 6 6 3 10 13 35 3 . 29 68 - . . . . . . .

Provisional Voting 6 . . 6 3 . 19 . 3 3 . . 6 13 6 6 6 13 3 3 6 . 6 13 29 3 3 35 58 74 - . . . . . .

Voter Info Guide . . . 3 3 . 10 3 3 6 . . 10 13 . 3 3 10 3 . 3 . 3 13 32 3 . 35 55 71 71 - . . . . .

Vote By Mail/Absentee Voting . . 3 10 6 . 6 . 3 6 3 . 6 13 3 3 3 6 6 3 . 3 3 6 29 3 . 39 58 71 81 77 - . . . .

Voter Complaint Form . . . 10 3 . 10 3 3 . 3 . . 6 3 6 3 10 6 . 6 3 3 13 29 . . 42 55 71 77 81 84 - . . .

Register to Vote 3 3 6 3 6 3 10 3 3 6 3 . . 6 3 3 6 6 6 . 3 3 6 3 35 3 . 39 68 68 71 77 84 81 - . .

Voting Districts 3 10 13 6 . 3 16 3 6 13 3 . 10 35 13 19 23 39 26 32 35 16 19 19 29 19 3 19 45 55 48 42 39 42 39 - .

View Ballots 10 6 10 6 6 3 19 3 6 13 3 . 6 32 13 16 19 35 29 39 35 19 19 26 32 10 6 32 45 55 48 42 48 45 42 48 -

RECOMMENDATIONS

Proposed Information Architecture

Label Changes• About the Board of Elections• For Voters• For Candidates• Election Information• Community Outreach

Primary navigation• Moved to left column• Slide down to reveal more specific sub-

categories

Proposed IA (cont.)

Reorganization of Content• Rename several content pages• Distribute existing content to appropriate

areas• Remove content pages:

Proposed IA (cont.)

Utility Updates• Header

o Search bar moved under utility links

• Footero Add search baro Remove View FAQs

Sitemap

DELIVERABLES

Wireframes

Homepage Highlights

Improved navigation and organization

Moved search box under utilities

Important features and tasks now highlighted on right rail

Wireframes (cont.)

Header

1. Howard County image logo2. Branding of homepage with name of site3. Notify Me Howard sign-up box4. Utility navigation5. Site-wide search6. Main navigation bar

Wireframes (cont.)

Footer

7. Contact us information8. Copyright, sitemap, privacy policy, and terms of

use footer links9. Site-wide navigation footer links10.Social media links11.Site-wide search

Wireframes (cont.)

Homepage: Content Details

1. Content box2. Register to vote

box3. Find your polling

place box4. Check status of

absentee ballot box

5. View Candidates box

Wireframes (cont.)

Content Page: Find Your Polling Location1. Enter home address2. Google maps3. Download PDF

document

Wireframes (cont.)

Content Page: Meet The Candidates1. Candidate

information page2. Photo of candidate3. Link to view full

profile

Wireframes (cont.)

Content Page: Election Calendar1. Filter calendar by2. Interactive Google

Calendar

Wireframes (cont.)

Content Page: Reports1. Select which option fits

your needs2. Reports generated

below buttons

Process Flow: Kellie

Process Flow: Yvonne

Process Flow: Peter

Process Flow: Frank

QUESTIONS?

Persona/Scenario: Kellie

Kellie Yates, First Time voterAge: 19Ethnicity: CaucasianGender: FemaleEducation: Obtaining B.S. in Political Science, Towson UniversityProfession: Full-time Student

Personal BackgroundKellie Yates is 19-year-old college student at Towson University who grew up in Maryland. Her major is Political Science, and she is also earning a minor in Communications. Her family is very politically involved. Kellie is a member of the Debate Team, and she was the Junior and Senior Class President at her high school. One day, Kellie hopes to work in the White House.

Kellie is also very computer savvy and has many devices that allow her to connect to the Internet at any time of day. She has an Apple iPhone, MacBook and iPad. She particularly enjoys using her iPhone; she is always using it to communicate with her family, friends, and classmates. She is a healthy, active teenager, but within the past two years, she has developed mobility and fine motor issues that resemble arthritis. She can operate controls and buttons if they aren’t too small, but she gets frustrated when trying to use applications that don’t allow her to zoom in or increase the text or page size.

Persona/Scenario: Kellie (cont.)

GoalsKellie received her provisional voting card at the age of 16 and she is excited to vote for the first time in the Howard County 2012 Elections. She needs to know a few important details for election day. She already knows that she will be on campus the day of the election, which makes her nervous because the drive home will be at least an hour, depending on traffic. Also, she’s working a group project for class, so she doesn’t know what time she’ll be able to leave campus. She’s excited to be a part of the election process, but first, she needs to be prepared with the following information: Where her polling place is located The latest possible time she is able to vote If she needs to bring anything with her to vote Last minute candidate information because she wants to be confident in her decision

Scenario:Kellie has the Howard County Board of Elections website bookmarked on her iPhone. She visits the site for about ten minutes at least two or three times a month during the election season to be aware of news and alerts and to read updated candidate information as it becomes available. She has not read the finer details for voters because those details were not important to her until now. Kellie is in group meetings all day on election day, and she only has a few minutes in between meetings to go on her iPhone to get the information she needs. She goes to the homepage, clicks on For Voters from the primary navigation bar, clicks on Voting in Howard County in the sub-menu and then clicks on Polling Locations to find out her closest polling location, address, and times of operation. Next, she clicks on Voter Guide to see if there is anything she needs to bring with her to vote. Finally, she clicks on Information About Candidates under For Voters on the primary navigation bar to read last minute updates about the candidates.

Persona/Scenario: Yvonne

Yvonne McIntyreGeneral InfoAge: 62Ethnicity: African-AmericanGender: FemaleEducation: B.S. Sociology, University of MarylandProfession: Retired, glass artist

Personal BackgroundYvonne is a 62-year-old disabled woman who was born and raised in Howard County. She attended the University of Maryland where she received a B.S. in Sociology with a minor in Art. She has one 40-year-old son who lives with his wife and their five-year-old son. Yvonne is a retired insurance agent and is currently fulfilling her dream of being a glass artist. She had scoliosis surgery two years ago and sometimes her back still hurts. Regularly, Yvonne drives a Prius and a Ford Explorer. Both cars have handicapped stickers. She is not too mobile and walking a long distance or standing for a long period of time hurts her back. She also suffers from a bit of arthritis pain in her joints.

Yvonne is Internet-capable. She goes online a few times a week to post her glass art on Facebook and to sell her work on eBay. She makes online purchases, mostly products for her art. She uses her phone to text family and friends and to email them invitations to her shows. She has a chow named Sheba, who travels with her everywhere.

Persona/Scenario: Yvonne (cont.)

GoalsYvonne is a registered Democrat and has voted in every election since she was 18. Now, with her health issues, she feels that she has more at stake. She is especially motivated to vote because some of the hot topics are disability and medical benefits. She is concerned for her future. Yvonne needs the following information: When the polls are the least crowded, making it more convenient for her to vote Available accommodations for voters with special needs, specifically accessibility of parking How the voting equipment operates

Scenario:Yvonne performs a Google search for the Howard County Board of Elections. She scans the homepage and clicks on For Voters on the primary navigation bar. She needs information specific to Howard County polling facilities, so she clicks on Voting in Howard County. From there, she visits the Voter Guide, Special Needs Voting, and Voting Equipment pages to find all the information she needs.

Persona/Scenario: Peter

Peter SamuelsGeneral InfoAge: 26Ethnicity: CaucasianGender: MaleEducation: B.S. Mechanical Engineering, US ArmyProfession: Mechanical Engineer and Soldier

Personal BackgroundPeter Samuels and his wife, Rebecca, are both registered Republicans and were both raised in Howard County. The two were high school sweethearts and dreamed of starting a family together for a long time. Peter enlisted in the US Army shortly after high school graduation because he had little interest in college and his family did not have money to send him. He went to boot camp, returned home, and proposed to Rebecca. A few weeks later, he left for his first tour in Iraq. He and Rebecca were married the following year when he returned home. Peter was able to stick around long enough to witness the birth of his baby girl, Cecilia, before receiving orders for his next tour. He is in Afghanistan for 18 months this time.

Peter is a Mechanical Engineer and designs communications transit cases for Ground Mobility Vehicles. He works well with his hands but is not particularly savvy when it comes to the Internet. He describes himself as an average user. Before he was deployed, he used the Internet only for basic searches via Google. His family did not have a computer when he was growing up and he is not completely confident in his Internet navigating abilities. He still prefers to read newspapers and write letters by hand. The time he can spend online while on the Army base is extremely limited. The connection is slow and frustrating. He works long hours and there is always a line to use the Internet.

Persona/Scenario: Peter (cont.)

GoalsPeter is deployed in Afghanistan and has limited access to the Internet. He knows that the 2012 election is approaching and he wants to make sure his vote is submitted in time. He also is not sure who he should vote for because this information is not advertised or readily available through media outlets overseas. He wants to access this information quickly and easily because his time online is limited and the connection is slow. Peter needs the following information: How to submit a vote as an absentee voter When the deadline is to submit an absentee vote Information about the current candidates

Scenario:One evening, after working 11 hours for the fifth day in a row, Peter waits for his turn at one of the computers at the Army base. He uses Google to find the Howard County Board of Elections website. Peter scans the homepage and sees For Voters on the primary navigation. He hovers over it and a list of additional links slides down. Peter sees Voting by Mail/Absentee Voting in the sub-menu and clicks on it. From this page, he sees exactly what he is looking for, Military and Overseas Voters. He clicks on this link and sees all the information he needs to submit his ballot. The deadline is clearly marked at the top of the page. He still needs information about the candidates, so he hovers over the For Voters link on the primary navigation again and clicks on Information about Candidates.

Persona/Scenario: Frank

Frank MillerGeneral InfoAge: 40Ethnicity: CaucasianGender: MaleEducation: B.A. Business Administration, University of MarylandProfession: Director of Howard County Board of Elections

Personal BackgroundFrank is a 40-year-old husband and father of three children, ages 14, 7, and 4. He was born in Howard County and attended the University of Maryland, where he received a B.A. in Business Administration. His wife, Anne, is a stay-at-home mother who also attended the University of Maryland, where she received a degree in History. Frank has been an employee of the Howard County Board of Elections for the past ten years. He began as an intern right out of college and continued to climb the ladder all the way to the position of Director. He is consistently commended for his hard work and dedication.

Persona/Scenario: Frank (cont.)

GoalsFrank knows he needs to prepare for the upcoming election. Some of responsibilities as Director include filing records and reports pertaining to ballot issues, developing an annual budget, directing the activities of the Information Technology Department, and maintaining online information, education, and outreach. Frank needs to ensure that everyone involved in the upcoming election has all the information they need to be prepared. This information needs to be continuously updated and maintained. Frank accesses the site to perform the following: Maintain and update election information

Ballot issues Elections calendar News and alerts Information for election workers

Scenario:In preparation of the election, Frank needs to review all online information related to the upcoming 2012 elections. He goes to the Howard County Board of Elections homepage, which is saved as a favorite on his desktop. He selects Election Information from the primary navigation. He then clicks on Ballot Issues from the sub-menu and reviews this page’s content, looking for any changes that need to be made. Then he clicks on Election Calendar where he changes a deadline and adds a community event. He clicks on News & Alerts, which needs to be updated daily, and enters the daily stories. Finally, Frank clicks on Election Workers to verify that the feedback form available to volunteers is the most current version and that all other information for current and prospective poll workers is up-to-date.