Ottawa 123 infographic: Demystifying Ranked-Choice Voting

Role: Visual Design

Thumbnail of the infographic explaining the ranked choice ballot electoral process – A small preview of an infographic summarizing how the ranked choice ballot system works.

Overview

Ottawa123 aimed to educate the public on Ranked-Choice Voting as part of their electoral reform advocacy. To support this effort, we designed a clear, engaging infographic that distilled the complex voting process into an easy-to-understand visual format. By focusing on storytelling, accessibility, and brand alignment, we helped Ottawa123 communicate their message more effectively.

Key Outcomes

The problem

Ottawa123 was advocating for local electoral reform by promoting a Ranked-Choice Voting system. To gain public support, they needed to explain this complex process in a simple, engaging, and accessible way. A text-heavy approach wasn’t effective, so we decided to create an infographic to visually communicate the system’s benefits and how it works.

Approach

To explore design possibilities and create an intuitive, engaging, and accessible support experience, we took a user-centered approach:

Uncovering Insights

Developed a deep understanding of the Ranked-Choice Voting system, identifying key ideas and user concerns.

Image of the design process – understanding the information – A visual representation of research and analysis, showing how information about the ranked choice ballot system was gathered and structured.

Crafting the Story

Developed a narrative structure to make the voting process easy to follow.

Image of the design process – creating a narrative – A snapshot of the storytelling approach used to simplify and explain the ranked choice ballot system for the intended audience.

Visualizing the Message

Designed a visual style aligned with Ottawa123’s branding while effectively illustrating electoral concepts.

Iterated on the design to ensure clarity, engagement, and accessibility.

Image of the design process – creating a visual language – A depiction of the design decisions, including typography, colors, and graphic styles, used to make the infographic clear, engaging, and accessible.

The Solution

We brought everything together by creating a clear, user-friendly infographic that simplified the Ranked-Choice Voting process.

Image of the infographic explaining the ranked choice ballot electoral process – A full view of an infographic illustrating the ranked choice ballot process, showing how voters rank candidates, how votes are counted, and how winners are determined.

Impact

Through a compelling visual narrative, we enhanced public understanding and engagement with the electoral system. This infographic became an impactful educational tool, strengthening Ottawa123’s advocacy efforts and supporting their mission to promote electoral reform.

Project learnings

This project reinforced the importance of simplifying complex information through design. By combining research, storytelling, and strong visuals, we made an unfamiliar concept more approachable. If given more time, I would explore interactive elements to further enhance engagement and understanding.