Election Technology Research
Specialized usability and accessibility research for voting systems and election technology.
Election technology demands a different standard of user research.
Voting systems must work for first-time voters, experienced poll workers, people with disabilities, multilingual communities, and voters under the time pressures of Election Day. Every interaction matters, and usability issues can affect confidence, accessibility, and the successful administration of elections.
Progress UX Research has conducted numerous moderated usability and accessibility studies for electronic pollbooks and voting systems, supporting both product development and certification efforts. We understand the unique requirements of election technology and provide end-to-end research—from study design through ISO-compliant reporting.
Research designed for the realities of Election Day
Our studies evaluate how real voters and poll workers interact with election technology in realistic polling place scenarios. Typical engagements include:
Electronic pollbook usability
Voting system usability
Poll worker workflows
Accessibility evaluations
Multilingual usability testing
Election Day field research
Certification support
ISO/IEC 25062 Common Industry Format (CIF) usability reports
Whether you’re preparing for certification, validating a redesign, or improving an existing product, we tailor each study to your product and research goals.
Accessibility is built into our methodology
Election technology must serve every voter.
We routinely recruit participants representing a wide range of accessibility needs, including individuals with:
Blindness or low vision
Limited dexterity
Mobility impairments
Older adults
Users of assistive technologies
Our moderation approach is designed to evaluate not only task completion but also the overall experience of independence, confidence, and usability.
Reporting that supports certification and product development
Findings are documented in clear, actionable reports designed for engineering, product, leadership, and certification stakeholders.
When required, we produce reports aligned with the ISO/IEC 25062:2006 Common Industry Format (CIF) for Usability Test Reports, providing structured documentation suitable for certification efforts while remaining practical for product teams.
Why Progress?
Election technology research requires more than experience running usability studies.
It requires an understanding of accessibility, multilingual research, polling place operations, certification requirements, and the responsibility that comes with designing products people rely on to participate in democracy.
That’s the work we do.
If you’re preparing a new product, planning certification testing, or improving an existing voting system, we’d be happy to discuss how we can help.
To learn more or to discuss your voting technology research project needs - please get in touch!