Election Canada Website Audit
Case Study
// Project Overview.
Elections Canada Website Audit is a UX and content evaluation of the official site focused on improving usability, accessibility, and clarity. The audit revealed dense content, confusing navigation, and poor readability. Using a heuristic review, content inventory, and user-based analysis, we identified key barriers and proposed actionable fixes to serve voters better.
// Website Context & User Challenges.
The Elections Canada website serves a critical national function by informing over 20 million eligible voters about the voting process, political entities, and election updates. However, when using the site, users can face several key challenges while interacting with the Elections Canada website:
01
Too much duplicate content and poor accessibility
02
Confusing structure and unclear labels
03
Inconsistent task flows
04
Unreadable homepage layout
05
Low social media engagement
// Audit Goals & Scope.
The audit focused solely on the public-facing Elections Canada website. Each evaluation was based on publicly accessible desktop experiences during a defined audit window. Each audit targeted a different dimension of the digital experience:
01
Content Quality Audit
02
Information Architecture Audit
03
Task Audit
04
Homepage Audit
05
Social Media Audit
// Audit Methodology.
To begin the audit, we needed a clear understanding of how content was structured and experienced across the Elections Canada website. We approached this in three key steps:
01
Content Inventory
02
Qualitative Content Audit
03
Task Audit, Analysis and Findings
// Content inventory.
To assess the website’s structure, we conducted a content inventory using OnPoint Content Auditor. Traffic patterns were analyzed via SE Ranking to identify the most visited areas. Together, these tools revealed content density and discoverability issues across key sections.
// Qualitative audits.
We then evaluated the site through qualitative audits using tools like WebAIM’s WAVE for accessibility, Website Carbon Calculator for environmental impact, and direct page reviews for layout and navigation issues. These scans helped surface friction points and inconsistencies in the user experience.
// Task audit, analysis and findings.
Finally, to evaluate how effectively users can complete real-world tasks on the site, we selected and simulated two common voter scenarios:
01
Find the nearest electoral district for Grant MacEwan University
02
Learn about the Green Party of Canada
Group members completed Each task individually to reduce bias, followed by a group audit where findings were discussed to determine an agreed-upon rating.
// Key Findings.
Through five qualitative audits, we identified various issues affecting content clarity, site usability, accessibility, and user engagement.
// Content quality audit.
01
Duplicate content (18.7%) was found across thousands of pages, creating clutter and making navigation harder.
02
26.2% of images lacked alt text, reducing accessibility for screen readers.
03
Text readability was low, affecting comprehension and inclusivity.
// Information architecture audit.
01
Labels were unclear and often used technical terms, which created confusion, especially for users unfamiliar with political language.
02
The advanced search was hard to locate and use, offering limited filtering options.
// Homepage audit.
01
The homepage had redundant links.
02
Tiny font sizes and weak visual hierarchy made scanning difficult.
03
Readability scores confirmed poor accessibility across 80% of the homepage.
// Social media audit.
01
Graphics were clean and accessible, but engagement was low across platforms.
02
Hashtags were used inconsistently or not at all, limiting reach during critical election periods.
// Task audit.
01
User tasks revealed inconsistent navigation paths, leading to varied and sometimes confusing experiences.
02
External links didn’t open in new tabs, making users lose their place on the site.
03
Important actions lacked a clear, linear flow.
// Recommendations.
Based on our audit findings, we propose the following short and long-term improvements for Elections Canada’s website:
01
Open external links in new tabs to help users stay oriented while exploring outside content.
02
Use clearer, more familiar section labels to improve navigation and reduce confusion.
03
Enhance basic and advanced search tools so users can find information faster and more accurately.
04
Regularly review and update content to maintain site relevance and improve overall user experience.
// Reflection.
This audit project helped us develop practical skills in content analysis, accessibility evaluation, and UX problem-solving, especially within a large-scale, public-facing website.
01
Designing for accessibility means thinking beyond visuals to include everyone’s experience.
02
Working with large-scale content taught us how duplication and disorganization impact usability.
03
Running real user tasks revealed issues we never would’ve seen in a static review.
04
We learned that organizing content well is as important as making it look good.