Gamifying Gov.uk
Role
UX designer
Duration
March 2025 - March 2025
Team size
1
Categories
Gamification, Mobile app, GDS
Government services can be a bit dull, so let’s make them fun!
This case study was inspired by a recent CoP (Community of Practice) session that I ran with some colleagues at Methods for the other Interaction Designers. We wanted to explore the topic of gamification, and to make it more relevant to our day-to-day jobs, we thought about how we might be able to gamify Gov UK services - as we work with public sector clients.
In the end the session pivoted to gamify the mundane in every day life - a game which we called The Game of Life, and asked players to think about ways they could gamify small things in their day. Such as brushing their teeth, washing the dishes, doing the laundry and the morning commute.
I, however, was still inspired by the gamification of government services. So I decided to take on the challenge of gamifying ‘Register to Vote’.
Here’s how it went…
Why Gamify Register to Vote?
Voting is the foundation of democracy, yet many people—especially young voters—fail to register. Whether due to lack of awareness, disengagement, or thinking their vote doesn’t matter, this leads to low turnout and underrepresentation in decision-making.
Key Challenges:
📉 Young People Are Underrepresented: Voters aged 18-24 have the lowest turnout, meaning their concerns are less reflected in policy.
⚠️ Lack of Awareness: Many don’t realise they need to register, assume it’s complicated, or miss the deadline.
❌ Low Political Understanding: First-time voters may feel overwhelmed by jargon and misinformation, leading to disengagement.
🏡 Frequent Movers Struggle to Stay Registered: Students and young professionals who change addresses often may not realise they need to re-register each time they move.
The Opportunity:
Making voter registration more engaging and accessible can drive participation, create lifelong voters, and strengthen democracy. By removing barriers and improving the experience, we can encourage more people to take that first step toward having their voices heard.
Gamification techniques and app features
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