Winter ‘24

About The Center for New Data 💼

The Center for New Data is a non-profit non-partisan organization dedicated to supporting a thriving democracy by bringing advanced data science and artificial intelligence tools to non-partisan civic organizations that support voting rights. This is accomplished through the use of the Voting Access Monitor, which enables civic partners to report on and advocate for voters' rights to easily access their polling locations, cast their votes, and participate in the US democracy.

The organization works with civic groups, technology companies, and academics to bring pioneering methodologies into the democracy movement. Today, voter registration rates are at an all-time high. But as more and more voter suppression bills are adopted, access to polls is increasingly challenging. So, the organization’s vision is to create and present actionable data for those working on the frontlines of the US democracy.

Project Objective 🌟

The Center for New Data’s original website had very basic design and functionality, and it didn’t reflect the organization’s mission to the fullest capacity. Keeping this in mind, the team aimed to achieve three key goals in rebranding the website:

  1. Implementing a modern design that allows for a seamless user experience.
  2. Ensuring relevant information is prominently displayed on the website so the user can gain a better understanding of the organization.
  3. Shifting to a more product-focused strategy by highlighting the organization’s data products. This helps in demonstrating their impact in the field for potential clients visiting the site.

Overall, the site wasn’t as tech-forward in comparison to other nonprofit sites. So, the objective was to rebrand the organization’s site as tech-forward and emphasize the use of data-driven insights to advocate for fair and inclusive electoral practices.

The Center for New Data wants to ensure that their mission, products, and impact are clearly articulated through the new website in order to best engage viewers and individuals interested in their organization. By revamping website features and redesigning the overall layout, the organization can more effectively showcase its dedication to developing technology for social good. This will help users grasp the organization's mission and feel compelled to engage with it.

Check out the final site 🚀

https://fife-flute-tegb.squarespace.com/

Process 💭

Connecting with the Client

During the first few meetings with the client, we got to know more about the organization and the project’s goals, including target users, motivation behind the project, and additional background information. Our client has been using Squarespace and after thorough discussion and analyzing tradeoffs, it has been decided that they will continue to use the same tech stack, as it serves their current purposes well.

With the scope of the project shifting to focusing entirely on the redesign, most engineering-related requests fall outside of the project’s boundaries. Our team was to focus entirely on the website’s overall design and emphasize client satisfaction. We narrowed down the main functions that CND’s website had to have:

  1. Modern Design: Users should have a seamless user experience.
  2. Relevant information displayed on the website: Users should be able to browse through the CND site so that they can gain a better understanding of the organization.
  3. Display of data projects/products by CND: Users should be able to see the technical compatibility of the organization by viewing previous and current data projects by CND.

Other client requests also included a design with neutral colors to uphold a non-partisan identity, highlighting ways users can get involved, ensuring consistent design throughout the design, and maintaining an overall modern and tech-forward UX design.

Competitive Analysis