A civic-tech app focused on policy comparison and education for first-time voters.
A civic-tech app focused on policy comparison and education for first-time voters.
Designed smarter, not automatically. AI as the co-creator.
A civic-tech app focused on policy comparison and education for first-time voters.
Designed smarter, not automatically. AI as the co-creator.
The Opportunity
In the 2024 UK General Election, youth turnout fell to 37% (down from 47% in 2019), while those aged 55+ continued to vote at much higher rates.
This participation gap isn’t just apathy, young voters often feel that politics is distant or irrelevant, have lower trust in politicians, face registration and logistical barriers, lack confidence in understanding party policies, and are exposed to misinformation. All contributing to low engagement.
With 16-17 year olds eligible to vote in the next general election, there is an urgent need for solutions. This project explores how design can help first-time voters build confidence, using gamified policy comparison and knowledge-building to improve understanding and engagement.
This stark participation gap isn’t simply apathy, but driven by multiple factors: young voters often feel that politics is distant or irrelevant to their lives, experience lower trust in politicians, face registration and logistical barriers, lack confidence in understanding party policies, and are exposed to misinformation - all leading to low engagement.
With 16-17 year olds set to vote in the next general election, there's an urgent need for solutions. This project explores how design might help first-time voters build confidence in understanding their political options through gamified policy comparison and knowledge-building.
Process:
Research, ideation, prototyping, usability testing, branding, UX/UI design.
Duration:
2 weeks
Individual Project
Introducing Nomos
Nomos is a political education app designed to help young voters understand UK politics without bias or manipulation. The app provides neutral, side-by-side comparisons of party policies, transparent fact-checking of political claims, and plain-language explanations of how UK democracy works.
The Goal of Nomos
For new voters to gain the knowledge and confidence to make informed voting decisions on their own terms, strengthening democratic participation and reducing the influence of misinformation.
Onboarding
During onboarding, users define their personal goals and areas of interest. The app is transparent about why this information is collected, using it to subtly adapt the interface. Creating an experience that feels personal without being intrusive.
Structured Learning Without Pressure
The policy comparison feature displays party positions side-by-side across housing, healthcare, climate, and education. Users explore at their own pace, with progress tracked as they read and save comparisons. Encouraging engagement without pressure.
Policy Information Architecture
Political manifestos overwhelm young voters with jargon, yet oversimplification undermines trust. Testing revealed two camps: quick scanners and deep readers.
To serve both, I designed side-by-side policy views with five progressive layers, from main commitments to sources. With the addition of summary cards to balance cognitive load with transparency.
Claim Checker: Transparency & Education
The claim checker lets users search specific claims or browse recently verified statements from politicians, media, and online sources.
Each analysis provides a verdict with full sources, methodology, and limitations. While 'how to verify this yourself' guidance builds long-term media literacy alongside immediate answers.
The Goal of Nomos
For new voters to gain the knowledge and confidence to make informed voting decisions on their own terms, strengthening democratic participation and reducing the influence of misinformation.
The Goal of Nomos
For new voters to gain the knowledge and confidence to make informed voting decisions on their own terms, strengthening democratic participation and reducing the influence of misinformation.
Onboarding
During onboarding, users define their personal goals and areas of interest. The app is transparent about why this information is collected, using it to subtly adapt the interface. Creating an experience that feels personal without being intrusive.
Structured Learning Without Pressure
The policy comparison feature displays party positions side-by-side across housing, healthcare, climate, and education. Users explore at their own pace, with progress tracked as they read and save comparisons. Encouraging engagement without pressure.
Policy Information Architecture
Political manifestos overwhelm young voters with jargon, yet oversimplification undermines trust. Testing revealed two camps: quick scanners and deep readers.
To serve both, I designed side-by-side policy views with five progressive layers, from main commitments to sources. With the addition of summary cards to balance cognitive load with transparency.
Claim Checker: Transparency & Education
The claim checker lets users search specific claims or browse recently verified statements from politicians, media, and online sources.
Each analysis provides a verdict with full sources, methodology, and limitations. While 'how to verify this yourself' guidance builds long-term media literacy alongside immediate answers.
Design Process
Research & Insights
Using AI research tools, I rapidly built a deep understanding of young voters' motivations and barriers.
Politics feels distant, but learning about it doesn’t - Education builds motivation.
2/3 believe learning about politics is important.
3/4 want more political education in schools.
Political education supports autonomy, competence, and curiosity, psychological drivers that help young people engage meaningfully, especially in digital contexts.
Social media is where discovery happens. Not where trust lives.
Young people encounter political information on social platforms, but consistently rate formal education as more trustworthy. There is a clear opportunity to bridge where young people are with what they trust.
Low confidence in politics - Only 17% of 16–24-year-olds feel positive about the future of UK politics, and just 12% believe politicians tell the truth.
Gamification is a proven engagement tool - The global gamification market was valued at around £23 billion to £29 billion in 2025-2026, and is growing rapidly.
About 80% of gamified apps increase user engagement, with younger audiences particularly receptive. Successful examples like Duolingo have increased user retention from 12% to 55% through strategic gamification.
Sources: Electoral Commission, Young People’s Views on Politics and Voting (2024); Azis & Wiryawan (2025); Ipsos / BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat Youth Survey (2022); Flanagan & Levine (2010); Janmaat & Hoskins (2022); Yates & Youniss (2010)
Market Analysis
I analysed existing civic education and fact-checking tools including: Shout Out UK, Simple Politics, Full Fact and Vote Compass to understand how neutrality, trust, and accessibility are currently handled and where young users are underserved. I also examined Duolingo as a gamified learning example to explore engagement strategies.
Empathising with the user
Developed two key user personas informed by in-depth secondary research, using AI to distil core pain points and motivations to guide the design process.
Persona 2
Persona 1
Persona 2
Persona 1
Design Principles
Consolidating research into 3 key design principles:
Politics Made Simple
and Relevant
Politics Made Simple and Relevant
Break down complex policies into plain language so first-time voters get it fast, without feeling lost.
Trust Through
Neutrality and Facts
Building trust by delivering content that’s accurate, unbiased, and well-sourced.
Gamified but
Meaningful Learning
Inspire curiosity with low-pressure gamification that rewards learning, not just points.
Ideation & Prototyping
Building on the secondary research, I mapped out key user tasks and turned them into a clear site structure. Guided by the personas, I defined three primary user flows:
Compare Party Policies: Make exploring differences simple and intuitive.
Boost Media Literacy: Help users critically evaluate news and sources.
Learn How to Vote: Provide straightforward, actionable guidance.
During rapid iteration, I explored multiple wireframe variations and used AI to role-play personas, uncover friction points, and refine microcopy. I then pressure-tested assumptions before moving to high-fidelity prototypes and user testing.
Disclaimer: This project is not affiliated with any political party and is intended solely for educational purposes. AI was leveraged as a research and critique assistant, generate copy options, and highlight usability or ethical considerations, while all final product, UX, and ethical decisions were made by me.