Bridging the Civic Information Gap
Bridging the Civic Information Gap
Votesee
Votesee
Overview
Overview
VoteSee is a civic technology initiative designed to make local election information accessible, personalized, and actionable—particularly for younger and first-time voters. In collaboration with the Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Innovation Labs, our team built a responsive, data-driven prototype that demystifies local elections through clear design and conversational UX.
VoteSee is a civic technology initiative designed to make local election information accessible, personalized, and actionable—particularly for younger and first-time voters. In collaboration with the Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Innovation Labs, our team built a responsive, data-driven prototype that demystifies local elections through clear design and conversational UX.
Problem
Problem
Many voters, especially young and first-time participants, lack easy access to understandable, personalized information about their ballots and candidates. Existing resources are often fragmented, text-heavy, or hard to navigate—creating a critical information gap in the democratic process.
Many voters, especially young and first-time participants, lack easy access to understandable, personalized information about their ballots and candidates. Existing resources are often fragmented, text-heavy, or hard to navigate—creating a critical information gap in the democratic process.
Design Goals
Design Goals
Streamline complex political data into a user-friendly, digestible format
Create a mobile-first interface with intuitive micro-interactions
Instill trust and neutrality through clear visual hierarchy and tone
Personalize the experience based on location, interests, and voting history
Streamline complex political data into a user-friendly, digestible format
Create a mobile-first interface with intuitive micro-interactions
Instill trust and neutrality through clear visual hierarchy and tone
Personalize the experience based on location, interests, and voting history
My Contributions
My Contributions
As the UI/UX designer, I led the end-to-end design process, including:
User research & persona development: Interviewed first-time voters to uncover friction points
Wireframing & prototyping: Rapid iteration in Figma; user-tested three interface flows
Visual system design: Developed a modular component library to scale across ballot types
Collaboration with engineers: Defined responsive states and edge cases for implementation
As the UI/UX designer, I led the end-to-end design process, including:
User research & persona development: Interviewed first-time voters to uncover friction points
Wireframing & prototyping: Rapid iteration in Figma; user-tested three interface flows
Visual system design: Developed a modular component library to scale across ballot types
Collaboration with engineers: Defined responsive states and edge cases for implementation
Impact
Impact
VoteSee was piloted in the Boston area and received coverage from Axios for its innovative approach to voter empowerment. The prototype continues to be used as a case study in civic tech and was supported by Harvard Innovation Labs.
👉 Harvard Innovation Labs article
VoteSee was piloted in the Boston area and received coverage from Axios for its innovative approach to voter empowerment. The prototype continues to be used as a case study in civic tech and was supported by Harvard Innovation Labs.
👉 Harvard Innovation Labs article
Design and created by Charlotte Wu
Design and created by Charlotte Wu
Copyright © 2025 charlotteqiqiwu.com
Copyright © 2025 charlotteqiqiwu.com