The Wahl-O-Mat: The "pure imposition" as a success factor
3pc Managing Director Armin Berger in an interview about the Wahl-O-Mat
23.9.2021
18 million hits in three weeks - and the final spurt is yet to come: the Wahl-O-Mat has achieved high, skyrocketing access figures. The Federal Agency for Civic Education is behind the content. The design and user-friendliness, i.e. a smooth user experience, is provided by 3pc. Managing Director Armin Berger explains in an interview why a demanding application with a simple design has achieved such success.
The Wahl-O-Mat has retained its simple design since the beginning - is it still up to date?
The model is actually very old, a survey tool with a very simple design - but we are deliberately sticking to it. The Wahl-O-Mat stands out from all sorts of other applications precisely because of its simplicity. A design that is not pleasing to the eye and is completely devoid of multimedia content may seem old-fashioned, but it is also super modern.
The fact that we had the right instinct by insisting on a format that we have been using for almost 20 years with some adjustments is also shown by the number of hits: No other election aid tool is as popular as the Wahl-O-Mat.
Even if it looks very simple, it is quite sophisticated to use. How is it that it is still so popular?
It goes against all trends, that's right - the Wahl-O-Mat is basically a provocation, a pure imposition. Instead of a low-threshold, emotional offer, you have to think for yourself. 38 serious questions, one more and one more, you have to take a stand all the time - you have to go through a valley of tears all by yourself! But this sends a clear message that gets through: this is about you, the voter! We hold you accountable, but we also trust you to do so. Your own opinion counts, you are important. Only then will we look at which party best reflects your views.
Basically, the Wahl-O-Mat is a provocation, a pure imposition.
The restriction to pure questions is also difficult - why are there no explanations in the Wahl-O-Mat?
No explanations? That's only true for the introductory section with its concise theses. Users are deliberately thrown back on themselves, have to think for themselves and answer with yes-neutral-no answers.
The evaluation is a different story: There I can weight questions or select parties for comparison, receive justifications and opinions or compare points of view. We have redesigned these features this year so that users can engage even more intensively with the theses. Nevertheless, we have very consciously stuck with the super-simple model up to this point and have always defended the clean reduction with a good dose of perseverance.
But isn't it true that when you feel alone, you often ask others for advice?
Yes, exactly - and that's how it should be! The mobile application in particular means that people in cafés start discussing with others while playing Wahl-O-Mat on their mobile phones. Or at home on the sofa. Or posting results that surprised them on social media channels and starting discussions there. And suddenly you are no longer alone, no longer living through a solitary experience, but a shared one. A shared instrument for political decision-making - what more could you want?
The Wahl-O-Mat stands out from all sorts of other applications precisely because of its simplicity.