Avaliação da comunicabilidade da urna eletrônica brasileira

Abstract

The evaluation of interactive systems is essential to ensure an efficient and accessible user experience. However, understanding how users interact with the system requires appropriate investigative methods. This research aimed to analyze the communicability of the UE2022 model interface of the Brazilian electronic voting machine, identifying possible challenges in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). To achieve this, two methods based on Semiotic Engineering were applied: the Semiotic Inspection Method (SIM) and the Communicability Evaluation Method (CEM). The SIM allowed for the analysis of interface signs and the reconstruction of the designer's metamessage, while the CEM enabled the observation of users interacting with the voting machine to identify communication breakdowns. The results indicated that, although signs were employed appropriately in many cases, some elements may hinder the understanding of interactions, particularly regarding the processes of blank and null votes. Furthermore, the analysis revealed that certain messages could be improved, and new ones created, to facilitate communication between the designer and the user through the system, reducing communicability breakdowns during the voting process. The combination of the methods used proved to be effective in identifying both interface design issues and difficulties encountered by users during interaction. This research contributes to the field of HCI by highlighting the importance of communicability in critical systems such as electronic voting machines, while also fostering the debate around this technology.