Created with the Web Accessibility WizardSlide Index < Previous Next >Slide 3 of 19

Could an HCI Specialist have prevented the 2000 Election Problems?

The Florida butterfly ballot. The left side has the republican, democratic, libertarian, green, socialist worker and natural law parties, while the right side has reform socialist, constitution, workers world and write in candidate. Down the center are the holes to be punched by the voter. The holes to be punched alternate so hole 1 is top left (republican) hole 2 goes to top right (reform), hole 3 goes to 2nd left (democrat) etc.

Palm Beach County Poll Butterfly Ballot

Why did the Florida Residents have such a difficult time using the Voto-matic Voting Machines?

Slide Comments:

Note to Instructors

The 2000 Presidential Election provides an excellent opportunity to apply the concepts of usability and design elements to a real world incident. The interface and interactions of the Voto-matic Card Voting Machine and the design of the Florida Ballot have excellent examples of poor design.

You can find numerous discussions of this in the literature. I will eventually summarize them here.