Project
How Aesthetic Persuasion Doubled Voter Turnout: An Accessible Design Approach for First-time Student Voters
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Based on 2018 research statistics, just 14% of eligible university students in Michigan voted.
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Realizing that there was a stunning gap between how much students wanted to use their voice about issues they care about and how many were getting to the ballot box, we were tasked with understanding the reasons behind this and what we could do to turn around this poor voter rate.
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Leveraging the skills of culture-making and visual branding, we formed a creative team that created a high-energy, non-partisan, and peer-to-peer voter registration and participation campaign for the 2018 Midterm Elections.
Key Details
Role
Research and Content
Design
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Timeline
September- December 2018
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Methodology
1:1 Interviews
Insights reporting
Print campign
Event-led sessions
Social media campaign
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Team
8 Undergraduate Design
students & 2 Faculty leaders
Overview
Problem
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Looking ahead to the 2018 midterms, our team wondered how we could leverage art and design to enliven voting on campus. "Could we re-brand the experience with a mix of humor, playfulness, creative problem solving, and genuinely useful information tailored to new voters?"
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Outcome
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Using insights about challenges and design principles for college voters, the team created a social media strategy; designed pop-up events across campus, complete with informational flyers, campaign collateral, and free swag; created a website and instructive installations and forged cross-promotional partnerships.
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Research
Pivotal research findings
We conducted contextual interviews with students and faculty members across the University of Michigan campus. Below were some core fundamental findings that informed our design direction:
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01
Any guidance/marketing information had to be non-partisan.
As faculty and students in a public institution we were legally bound —
and also philosophically committed — to be non-partisan.
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03
The guidance and learning had to be peer-based.
Given that our target audience was students new to the voting process, we had to make sure they are not embarrassed, called-out or intimidated to participate in learning about it. This could only be done when they found the process collaborative and with people they are comfortable with.
02
The whole voting engagement process had to be shown as visible, positive & social.
There was a need to reduce uncertainty about the registration and ballot experience through a more humanized, optimistic way.
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04
Students needed a step-by step action to plan for the D-Day.
It was not just about turning up to vote at the ballot but more about working up to it- what did they need to know or be prepared for, how
much in advance would they need to send in their form for absentee voting. Students were faced by many such confusing action items.
Ideation and Design Framework
Shaping Solutions: Making the Civic Duty Irresistible
Using the above findings, we proceeded to brainstorm possible intervention ideas we could adopt to further the mission.
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We then arrived at a few guiding principles that would be incorporated in all of our visual creatives to ensure we were consistent with our messaging and goals. Below are some process images and rough sketches of the initial ideas:
OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
1
Provide Guidance
Aid users for unfamiliar and complex processes. Include guidance via visual demos that are reinforced at regular intervals for proper retention.
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Keep it Simple
Optimize for easy understanding rather than overwhelming with jargon or text-heavy information.
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Build Confidence
Build confidence by showing value and power of utilizing the intervention and make them feel in control.
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Be Transparent
Communicate clearly and truthfully to users. Be transparent about how the intervention works and its value.
End Result
The diverse creatives
We worked with over 50 students across different departments to conduct and display a range of events, environmental graphics, social media, and videos, which reached several thousand students across campus and beyond!
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Here are 7 of our favorite creative interventions:
Artscapade Presence
We designed a participatory installation for this Welcome Week event for 2000 freshmen at the U-M Museum of Art. Students were invited to share their thoughts about voting and celebrate being new voters in playful photo-ops with peers.
Registration Graphics
We developed environmental graphics for the school hallways to demystify and encourage registration. A map activity made plans for voting visible, reminded students of deadlines and offered QR code links to states with online registration.
Theater Thursdays
We established a regular presence in the lobby of the state theater with timely prompts, answers, merch and snacks. Video shorts, made by the School of Music, Theatre and Dance partners, were screened for an audience of 800-1200 before the guest artist and clarified key voting information with humor.
Absentee Voting Explainers
We took on this confusing topic (which was particularly complicated in Michigan in 2018),in a range of formats: videos, posters and social media stories.
Registration Mentors
We were also trained to help others navigate the registration process. We did peer-to-peer interactions (in classroom presentations and at campus events) to make the process fun, empowering — and effective.
Social Media Nudges
We crafted Instagram messages — playful Sex(y Voting) Ed tips which were clarified key tripping points. Another series, #MyVoteMattersMonday on Twitter, connected students to each other by posting handwritten reflections about why voting matters.
Collaboration Across the Arts
Our colleagues in the UM School of Music, Theatre and Dance, worked with their students to translate the energy of our campaign into their own creative language. Ranging from playful improvs to carefully scripted and produced voting vignettes, their videos added extra sizzle to the project.
Success Stories
Ballots and Brilliance: Our Design Stole the Show!
Our work and impact ended up not being limited only to the campus but also made waves and news externally, wherein our journey and outputs were publicized in many local and national news websites. Below are snippets of some articles:
Lessons Learned
Reflecting on the project outcomes
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01
Driving decisions through diversity: Influence of a Team
Our team's cultural diversity helped me understand the unique nuances and challenges of the US voting system. Students specializing in visual design guided our creative process, teaching me how to translate ideas into impactful visuals. The decisions we made around how to visually achieve our campaign’s mission were driven by the team's collective expertise and the cultural context provided by local members. I realized I couldn’t have achieved what I did without such an integrated, dynamic team.
02
Sometimes the real issue isn't what it looks like
Initially, we assumed that the low student voter turnout stemmed from a lack of interest or civic responsibility. If we had followed that assumption, our project would have missed the mark entirely. Our research revealed a deeper issue: students were eager to voice their opinions but felt alienated by a process that seemed overly formal and daunting. This crucial insight forced us to pivot. We shifted our focus to making the voting experience more approachable and engaging, ensuring that students felt genuinely included and empowered.