[IP] eVoting thoughts
Begin forwarded message:
From: Peter Jensen <peter@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: November 7, 2006 1:11:36 PM EST
To: David Farber <dave@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: eVoting thoughts
I had my first experience with electronic voting machines today, and it
left me wondering whether my vote had been counted, who the machine
thought I voted for, etc.
I've worked in multimedia, the web, and interactive systems for several
decades, so my comments come from that experience.
First - no feedback. Was my vote counted? No indication at all. In
the old voting machines, the curtain would open when you moved the
handle, and at least that provided *some* indication that something was
going on. In these new systems, at least the one I used, there is
absolutely no feedback. The quiet is eerie.
Second - who did I vote for? There's no indication that the candidates
I voted for were the ones the machine registered. It's just stupid not
to have some indication of this. Normal interactive procedure is to
provide confirmation of your choices *before* you complete an
interactive task. Apparently the designers felt that the light beside
your candidate was enough feedback. Call me stoopid, but it sure left
me wondering.
We've learned a lot in a few decades about good interactive design.
Apparently the people who created these systems were not aware of this
body of knowledge.
Peter Jensen
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