Milano Partecipa

In the Discovery phase, we began by conducting comprehensive desk research and benchmarking to assess the landscape of digital political participation tools and their effectiveness. This research was complemented by user interviews aimed at understanding the specific needs and challenges faced by Milan’s diverse population, including migrants and minorities.

Key findings revealed a significant underutilization of the existing Milano Partecipa platform, largely due to its limited reach and lack of engagement features tailored to underrepresented groups. We identified a critical need for a mobile app and additional participatory functions to better connect the municipality with these communities and enhance their representation in public discourse.

After this, our primary goal was to bridge the gap between the municipality and the voices of hundreds of resident migrants and minorities seeking representation in the public space.

During the Design phase, we collaborated on defining the platform’s information architecture and touchpoints. We conducted an open card sorting test with nine participants to understand how users naturally grouped and categorized content.

This test revealed that users preferred separate categories for activities, often grouped petitions and debates together, and typically combined city processes and budgets. Based on these insights, we refined the platform’s structure and conducted a closed card sorting test to validate the new categories, including testing the placement of "Referendums."

This was followed by tree testing with ten participants to evaluate the proposed site structure’s usability. The testing highlighted areas for improvement, such as renaming sections for clarity and reorganizing content for more intuitive navigation. We made several adjustments based on this feedback, including moving "Referendums" to the “Proposals” section and simplifying navigation by placing “City Projects” and “Public Budgets” directly under the “Projects” section.

Color Scheme: We introduced a new color scheme featuring blue as the primary color and red as an accent. Blue was chosen for its calming, reliable, and professional qualities, creating a soothing user experience while enhancing trust and engagement. Red was used sparingly to highlight important elements and calls to action, ensuring visual hierarchy without overwhelming users.

‍Typeface: Open Sans was selected for its high readability and versatile application across various devices. Its clean and contemporary design ensures clarity even at smaller sizes, making it suitable for both web and mobile interfaces.

‍UI Structure: We employed a card-based design to organize information into visually distinct, digestible chunks. This approach facilitated easy scanning and navigation, adapting well to different screen sizes and orientations.

‍Prototyping and Deliverable: We developed wireframes and high-fidelity prototypes to visualize the platform’s design and functionality. The final deliverable included a homepage designed to facilitate user familiarization with the platform’s content, featuring a direct shortcut to the chatbot and dedicated card sections for key features. We ensured consistency across touchpoints by aligning the website’s structure with the app, allowing for a seamless user experience between the two.Throughout the design and testing phases, iterative feedback was used to refine the prototypes and ensure they met user needs. This process culminated in a final design that addressed usability issues and enhanced overall engagement with the Milano Partecipa platform.