{"id":6792,"date":"2025-08-27T11:37:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T15:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/edi\/?page_id=6792"},"modified":"2025-09-05T15:05:30","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T19:05:30","slug":"voting-in-vr","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/edi\/research\/voting-in-vr\/","title":{"rendered":"Voting in VR: Polling place signage in an interactive environment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Voting in VR: Polling place signage in an interactive environment<\/h1><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
Accessibility controls<\/div>
Pause motion<\/div>
Motion: On<\/span><\/div><\/div>
Play motion<\/div>
Motion: Off<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Increase text contrast<\/div>
Contrast: Standard<\/span><\/div><\/div>
Reset text contrast<\/div>
Contrast: High<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
Apply site-wide<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n

In a recent pilot project, we partnered with the Center of Civic Design for a pilot study to use VR to test how voters interact with polling place signage in a simulated environment. Over the course of one day, 14 student participants navigated a virtual polling place while researchers observed their behavior and gathered qualitative and quantitative data.

The study revealed that clear signs and their placement play a vital role in helping voters find their way. It also showed that VR can be a powerful tool for prototyping and improving polling place design before election day.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"\"<\/div>

Voting in VR: Report<\/h2><\/div><\/div>
Learn more<\/div><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Key Findings<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

This pilot study explored how voters interact with polling place signage in a simulated virtual reality environment. As participants navigated a realistic voting setup, researchers observed how signs, spatial layout, and environmental cues shaped their experience. The findings below highlight what worked well, what caused confusion, and how signage design and placement can directly influence voter confidence, efficiency, and understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n

1. Seeing (virtual) people helped participants navigate<\/h1>\n\n

Participants used (virtual) people in the space to make navigational decisions as often as they used the signs and the voting stations.<\/p>\n\n<\/section>\n\n

2. Arrows were universally understood to be for navigation<\/h1>\n\n

The difficulties reading signage text made the signs with arrows (added in Level D) more attractive and useful for navigation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrows + text clearly identify a navigational sign<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a sign with an arrow was placed in the open space between the check-in tables, participants noticed it and headed more confidently to the voting booths<\/p>\n\n<\/section>\n\n

3. Instructions must go where voters need to use them<\/h1>\n\n

Instructions to say your name and address at the check-in table were misplaced when at the start of the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n