The admin-user model frequently restricts governance options in online communities. PolicyKit, a research tool, prioritizes user experience and introduces a no-code UI for democratic governance tailored to community needs.

I was invited to redesign PolicyKit to enhance its user experience and introduce a new feature: a no-code UI for creating policies.

Object-oriented Information Architecture

The platform's detached actions and objects required users to navigate a cumbersome 'propose action' flow, emphasizing the need for a more streamlined, object-oriented approach in the redesign.

A no-code Policy interface

PolicyKit initially supported policies written in Python. A key goal of the redesign was to introduce a no-code interface, making policy authoring and editing accessible to all community members.

Onboarding

At project initiation, there was no pre-install introduction, and post-installation, users faced a blank home page. Improving the install and sign-in flow aims to introduce PolicyKit's value, guiding users and eventually decentralizing community organization, as identified in past user interviews.

Dashboard

PolicyKit's redesign introduces a unified dashboard and object-based UI for streamlined user experience, displaying key platform items and community actions, enhancing governance decision-making.

No-code Policy builder

The no-code interface is based on a cohesive and adaptable UI toolkit that empowers users to create, customize, and manage policies seamlessly.

The no-code UI helps developers leverage pre-built components, styles, and patterns to design for multiple and often complex JSON schemas behind policies.

Onboarding

Improving the installation and sign-in flow is crucial for introducing the value of PolicyKit to new users and providing guidance during onboarding. This enhancement aligns with the long-term goal of gradually decentralizing community organization, making it easier to get started with PolicyKit, as identified in past user interviews.

Measuring Adoption & Feature understanding

Following launch in winter 2024, project owners will collect user feedback to assess the impact of PolicyKit on decision-making processes, community engagement, and the achieved level of decentralization. Continuous evaluation will focus on the clarity and understanding of PolicyKit's functionalities among users, gauging their comprehension and utilization of various features and components.

No-code interface & Policy library

In the future, iterative no-code improvements and expansion will involve testing for ease of use and accessibility, catering to both non-technical and technical users. The PolicyKit team will also work closely with the user community to continuously source new policy templates and build a library of voting structures.