Usability Testing

Military members, their dependents, and U.S. citizens living overseas can vote absentee using Federal forms that allow them to apply to register to vote, request an absentee ballot, and submit a back-up write-in ballot. In order to best advise our client on how to redesign both the paper and online versions of these forms, Fors Marsh Group conducted usability testing of two voting forms used by military members and overseas citizens.

Objective

The objective of the usability testing was to assess both the paper versions of the Federal Postcard Application (FPCA) and the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) and the online assistants used to complete them in order to identify problems users faced with the current forms and determine ways to make the forms more usable. The ultimate goal of this work was to ensure that the greatest number of military and overseas citizens are able to successfully register to vote and cast their ballots.

Approach

Usability testing consisted of two rounds of testing with prospective military and overseas voters.  During the first round, one-on-one sessions moderated by a usability expert were conducted at a market research facility in Alexandria, VA. Participants were observed completing the paper and online versions of the forms.

Following the first round of testing, Fors Marsh Group and client staff met to prioritize issues identified during the sessions and propose changes to the forms. A professional graphic design firm then drafted redesigned concepts of the paper forms and key screens of the online assistants. A second round of testing was then conducted with the revised materials, to validate whether changes to forms addressed the issues observed and increased usability.

In addition to the formal usability sessions, Fors Marsh Group also conducted cognitive interviews with form administrators, including local election officials who process completed forms. The interviews provided insights into common mistakes users make when completing and submitting the current forms.

Outcome

After analyzing the data from the usability sessions and the cognitive interviews, Fors Marsh Group developed recommendations for redesigning the paper versions of the FPCA and FWAB and how to modify the online assistant to improve usability. Using Fors Marsh Group’s redesign concepts and recommendations as a basis for the new versions, the client is currently revising the paper versions of the forms in time for the 2012 elections and considering changes to the online assistants.