ElectionGuard (Microsoft Partnership)
Designing Democracy: Building a Secure, Accessible Voting Interface
Secure, accessible voting interface meeting federal standards and enabling verified pilot programs.
Situation
Elections are among the most high-stakes environments for UI design. Microsoft’s ElectionGuard project required interfaces that were both bulletproof secure and universally accessible, meeting federal standards and ensuring every citizen could participate.
Task
As Lead Frontend Engineer, I was responsible for architecting the voting interface: it had to be intuitive for voters of all abilities, while resilient against errors and misuse.
Action
Designed fail-safe UI patterns that prevented common ballot mistakes. Implemented accessibility-first design, ensuring compliance with Section 508 and WCAG standards. Built the frontend in React + TypeScript, collaborating with state officials, auditors, and Microsoft engineers. Applied invisible design philosophy: if voters noticed the interface, it meant we had failed.
Result
The result was a secure, accessible system that passed audits and was adopted in pilot programs across the U.S. It reinforced my belief that good design is invisible but indispensable.
