THE IOWA CAUCUSES CAUCUS REPORTING APPS

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1 THE IOWA CAUCUSES CAUCUS REPORTING APPS 2016

2 XAMARIN CUSTOMER STORY: IOWA CAUCUS APPS Highlights Increased the accuracy and validity of the caucus process for both parties Delivered a user experience that met the needs of a wide range of participants Ensured security with two-factor authentication Integrated the mobile app seamlessly with multiple systems and services Delivered real-time results to parties, news outlets, and the public In search of a better caucus voting process Antiquated voting systems have created headlines and controversies year after year, especially during presidential elections where the globe watches the outcome. During the 2012 Iowa caucuses the first contest in the U.S. presidential primary the Republican party incorrectly reported its winning candidate, and the complex caucus voting rules and reporting process made the true outcome almost impossible to determine. The previous touchtone phone-based reporting system replaced pen-and-paper options years ago, but in 2012 it still left significant room for human error. The old process worked quickly, but was prone to errors, said Charlie Szold, spokesman for the Iowa GOP in The Atlantic (December 2015). People with inartful fingers would hit the same key multiple times accidentally and lead to results that were skewed, he said. For the 2016 election, both parties were determined to avoid such problems and increase public confidence in election results. Recognizing that mobile technology offered a promising solution, the Parties partnered with Microsoft and software development firm InterKnowlogy to create a Xamarin-based mobile vote recording app. In addition to boosting the accuracy and security of the caucus process, they wanted to make the process easier and more convenient for caucus participants.

3 Not your everyday app Iowa has almost 1,700 precincts, serving approximately 3,400 users across two parties. Although this is a small number compared to typical consumer apps, the app requirements were stringent and the results critical. Several factors added complexity to the app development process. First, the app needed to be designed to run on users personal devices, which could be one of any mobile operating system, hardware, or platform. InterKnowlogy needed to create smartphone and tablet variants for three platforms (ios, Android, and Windows) for each Party, requiring a total of 12 separate app versions. Additionally, Iowa caucus participants cover all demographics, including less tech savvy citizens. Since most caucusers would use the app for a matter of minutes and never access it again, it required an intuitive user experience. It also needed to calculate and validate results according to party rules, ensure accuracy, and catch bad entries, all without requiring its users become experts on the technology. Adding to the complexity, the app would need to work seamlessly within a larger caucus reporting ecosystem, including a web app with private and public interfaces and a Windows-based validation app. Using Microsoft Azure, InterKnowlogy was able to create a cohesive, scalable, and secure backend infrastructure. Given the event s high-stakes nature, security and fidelity was a must, especially in the area of user authentication. Knowing that only the right people had access to the app at the right time was critical.

4 After conferring with party officials to understand party reporting rules and various user workflows, the teams faced an extremely aggressive four month timeline. In order to deliver on these multi-faceted, high profile requirements, InterKnowlogy selected Xamarin in order to target multiple platforms with a single C# and.net codebase, accelerating development while still achieving fully native results. InterKnowlogy s developer team had used Xamarin to develop other applications and were familiar with the benefits of code reuse, streamlined testing, and native quality user experience and performance. We needed to deliver these complex apps quickly AND we needed a first-class experience for each platform and device. Xamarin gave us both. No other solution provides native quality delivered with the efficiency of shared code. Rodney Guzman, Co-Founder of InterKnowlogy Secure, streamlined, tested With Xamarin, the four member mobile developer team achieved code completion in just four months, followed by extensive testing and validation to ensure the app and holistic system worked seamlessly. Xamarin s single codebase model offered significant advantages during the QA phase. With Xamarin, once you ve validated the underlying business logic on one platform, you don t have to spend the same amount of time on the others, Guzman reports. We were able to do more in-depth testing and tuning in the same amount of time because of that efficiency. The app has built-in two-factor authentication to meet the Parties strict security requirements. The apps guarantee that the precinct chair is the one doing the reporting, Guzman says. We have their cell phone number on record and their mobile phone is tied to a unique precinct code. When they enter their phone number and precinct code in the app, we text them a PIN and they must enter their PIN code to verify that they have physical possession of their device. One of the app s key advantages is its ability to automate complex caucus rules, particularly on the Democratic side. Previously, caucus recorders would have to calculate numbers by hand, Guzman explains. Our app not only automates the process, it checks their math and won t let them enter an incorrect total. We show them exactly what they would have done on paper, so they re more comfortable that the right result has been achieved.

5 Driving adoption, driving success InterKnowlogy is well known for elegant user interface design and this experience was put to use in the caucus apps. In this case, rather than tuning the app for productivity where you have to do a lot of data entry, it s tuned for maximum simplicity and clarity, says Guzman. In combination with extensive training and adoption support from the parties, this thoughtful design, with its large buttons and easy-to-use workflow, helped drive adoption. On voting day, the reporting systems centralized all collected data, sending notifications to party officials for any data anomalies, and, after validation, results were available in real time via public web app and API. The team was extremely pleased with the experience, with Guzman noting that, The Iowa Caucus apps were an amazing accomplishment. Our partnership with Microsoft and experience with Xamarin allowed us to create apps that captured more than 90% of caucus results within three hours in a secure, accurate, and trusted manner. Rodney Guzman, Co-Founder of InterKnowlogy