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Archive
Breaking down the wall between citizens and their representatives
Empowering action with confidence
What is Archive?
Archive is an app to empower American youth in US government participation by simplifying knowledge about bills, laws, and representatives.
According to Census.gov, voter turnout is lowest among young adults aged 18-24, with contributing factors including lack of civic education & time.
This app is important for young adults to actively engage in democracy through accessible political education in a quick and engaging manner.
Role
UX/UI designer
Tools
Figma
Duration
Nov - Dec 2022
6 weeks
Mission
Simplify the process of learning about government to encourage youth political engagement
Pivoting ideas
Originally, my idea was..
Initially, my app aimed to provide voting resources with supporting legislative information for effective electoral participation.
During my research, I discovered a shortage of educational apps about bills, laws, and representatives, despite plentiful developed voting resources.
Recognizing the growing political engagement of young people, I identified the need for a Congress-focused product to facilitate well-informed decisions on representatives who address their concerns effectively, rather than merely encouraging action.
As a result, I pivoted my app's focus.
With my focus...
Here are my project goals
1
Simplify learning about bills and laws for users.
2
Increase users' knowledge of current issues and and their resolutions.
3
Boost user confidence in taking informed, effective actions for better representation.
App features
Sneak peek of the final screens
View current legislation on Home
View all your representatives
Search for bills, laws, & representatives
Read different policy areas
Learn all about a bill/law’s purpose
Keep track of representatives’ actions
Bookmark bills for progress updates
Customize profile w/ your interests
Competitive analysis
Drawing inspiration
Here are apps that inspired me. Each one was extremely resourceful, but most had outdated UI, which I felt could deter social media-rich youths.
Understanding user needs
Pain points users struggle with
Hard jargon
Users struggle with the language on government websites and ballots.
Time-consuming
Users have to consult multiple sources to get trustworthy information.
High barrier of entry
Users sustain from voting in fear of making wrong choice.
But first...
Educating myself
I realized I also lacked knowledge about Congress, so I sought external resources to understand its history, the legislative process, and current political issues.
Synthesizing all information into one place
Government resources I consolidated from
Official website for U.S. federal legislative information to bills, resolutions, legislative histories, & other congressional resources
The CBO evaluates the cost and economic impact of legislative proposals, budget resolutions, and the federal budget
Official online platform for the House of Representatives & Senate for information on congress procedures, members, & legislative activities
The Congressional Research Service is a nonpartisan research agency that provides research and analysis to Congress on a wide range of topics.
Information architecture
Mapping out my app structure
Creating my brand identity
Fun & youthful grounded in formality & professionalism
Design system
Typeface
Libre Franklin
Hearing from my target audience + iteration
User testing
I conducted usability tests on a Figma prototype with 10 users, ensuring they completed tasks successfully and provided feedback.
User testing revealed challenges with understanding congressional terms and information overload. To address these issues, I incorporated visuals, explanatory text for new terms, and streamlined bill previews to enhance comprehension and usability.
Overall, users found the app layout 'intuitive' and 'easily digestible,' leading to refinements in the final design and alleviating my concerns about task complexity.
Bringing the designs to life
Figma prototype
Customize your Archive homepage
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‘Did you know’ section to facilitate growth and learning everyday
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See what bills are trending about current issues
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Learn who your representatives are based on your voting address
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Follow policy ares to view bills in topics you are interested in
Read everything you need to know about a bill to make informed decisions
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Follow the timeline of a bill to see if it becomes a law
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Bookmark and set notifications to get updates on bills
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Learn about what a bill proposes & how much it will cost
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See which congressmen and representatives support the bill
Learn about your representatives
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See all of your representatives based on your address at the county, state, & federal level
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Follow and set notifications to get latest actions from your representative
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See what bills your representatives has sponsored & their vote positions
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Contact your representatives if you have feedback on their activity
Explore policy areas, representatives, bills, & all topics of interest
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Click on a policy area to view all bills that fall the topic you’re interested in
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Use the search function to find specific representatives & bills
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Search up key terms for topics you’re interested in to find related representatives or bills
What I learned from Archive
Reflection
Coming to a close, this project has been so meaningful to me and helped me discover how much I love learning and researching ways I can educate myself and others about politics.
The most challenging aspect of this project was brainstorming ways to format information so that learning about our complex Congress was easily digestible.
The most rewarding part was when I found formatting solutions and had it reaffirmed by user testing. I learned a lot throughout the process and the ability to test my designs with users motivated me to improve my app with every iteration.
I truly believe that we all have the power to make a difference. Sometimes all it takes is a little confidence. Conducting research for this project helped me realize the high barriers to learning about our government, and one day, I hope to develop the Archive app to offer an accessible resource for youths to participate in our government and be a voice in the decisions that shape our legislation and everyday lives.
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