New York State DMV
PROJECT
Vehicle Registration Form Redesign
DURATION
3 Weeks
KEY SKILLS
User Stories, Sketching, Workflows, Wireframing, Visual Design
THE ORIGINAL
Overwhelming and full of irrelevant information for most users, the current New York DMV vehicle registration form brings ample opportunity for improvement.
PURPOSE
The Problem
Waiting all day at the DMV is not accessible and hinders the opportunity for many people to get done their legal paperwork for the vehicles they drive, putting themselves at risk.
Taking advantage of new technologies available would reach a greater amount of people and avoid the length and inconvenience of the process.
The vehicle registration form itself is stressful and confusing. Digitization allows for the process to be streamlined and ultimately could heal negative emotions people hold towards the DMV.
SOLUTION
Features
THE REDESIGN
The vehicle registration form needed not only a new outfit, but a full reconstruction. The goal was to create a form the users would finish before they even knew they started.
RESPONSIVE PORTAL
To reach a wider range of users, I developed a mobile version of the interface. I changed the name to portal rather than a form in order to foster the idea of a formal experience over a tedious task.
PROGRESS BARS
The user follows along with a step feedback bar featuring instructions and encouraging feedback, partnered with a progress bar that shows exact percentage of completion.
VISUAL FEEDBACK
Input from the user returns a response from the form. Once the user begins typing, the form signals that the user can move on with gestures created for fluid form-filling.
SOLUTION
Final Design
The form was designed to avoid the feeling of being overwhelmed with boring questions and combat brain wandering that exists when there is still a lot of form left to go by showing only a few questions at a time.
RESEARCH
Pain Points
Making this form more user-oriented went beyond making it less intimidating to look at and more pleasing to the eye.
1
INFORMATION OVERLOAD
Much of the information has the ability to be condensed, grouped or hidden through digital interaction a paper form wouldn't be capable of.
2
LACK OF HIERARCHY
Hierarchy is unclear, which can cause confusion on what information is relevant or not and eats up the user's time.
RESEARCH
The Goals
In targeting the pain points I found throughout the vehicle registration form, the goals I wanted to accomplish in this redesign became clear.
1
EFFICIENCY
The DMV is recognized consistently for its long lines, waiting periods, and tediousness. By streamlining the process, it becomes a task less likely to be pushed off for weeks.
2
DESTROY THE STIGMA
Even if filling out mandatory forms will never be a fun task, there is still plenty of potential to give the process delight through interaction and change dreadful into simple.
RESEARCH
User Story
MAGGIE, 27
"I work full time during the week, part time during the weekends, and spend my free time with my daughter.
I just purchased a new car, but can't take off work to go to the DMV. Registering my new car is taking precious time out of my day, so I've been avoiding it."
EXPERIENCE
Workflow
The original form held problems in how the user was guided through the process. I broke down what was necessary to ask up front, what could be tucked away if it isn't relevant to the user, and restructered the order of questions.
FIRST ITERATION
Sketches
Based on research, I knew a top-to-bottom form would be necessary for the quickest completion, so I sketched out a column-based version that still required a top-down workflow.
FIRST ITERATION
Wireframes
In building a wireframe, I wanted to ensure a consistent and user-centric flow of movement throughout the process.
FIRST ITERATION
Initial Screens
The first iteration I designed for the DMV vehicle registration form was successful in that it removed and hid parts of the form that were irrelevant for a particular user, and the flow of the experience presented itself as more delightful than the original.
However, the presentation of the questions still felt like the tedious task of filling out a form.
EXPERIENCE
Taking a Closer Look
For the second take on this interface, I knew I wanted the overwhelming precense of information needed to feel less daunting, so I turned to a concept of presenting only one question at a time and considered how I might make this method more successful.
SECOND ITERATION
Sketches
Feeling unsuccessful from my first iteration, I revisited my initial concept in a more unique way. This involved considering how I might show only a single question at a time to conceal focus.
SECOND ITERATION
Wireframes
If a user is to only be presented with one question at a time, they might need context on why the question is being asked as well as a detailed reference to their progress available. By taking away the tedious contextual information, I hoped to replace it with more vital and visually interesting context.
SOLUTION
Features
Putting the time into a second full iteration of the redesign allowed me to explore even more features I otherwise might not have considered.
ACCESSIBILITY
Text size choices give the user an option that best suits their eye sight and makes the experience more comfortable.
All of the features available on desktop continue to be available on mobile, with guidance as well as a text size toggle.
PERSONALIZATION
One way to make a form less tedious is to make it feel personalized and directed to the user. It helps the user feel validated and focused on.
EASE AND DELIGHT
The form flows with the user, presenting focus and attention to one step at a time, with ease of motion and intuitive progression.
CONCLUSION
Final Thoughts
LESS IS MORE
With this project I learned how necessary it is to understand the user's goals to know which information is the most important. Identifying what substance causes confusion and understanding when to weed it out allows for ultimate ease and functionality.
Figuring out what is necessary to keep and what can be discarded takes time and research, but ultimately allows for the cleanest design.
EASE AND DELIGHT
This project created a great potential for aesthetic creativity. Creating an awareness of both functionality and aesthetics enriches the design and the thought that goes into it for the highest quality experience for users, but I also learned limitations.
I learned the value of design aesthetically while not overlooking function and accessibility.
Thank you and drive safe! 
I'm job hunting!
I’m an enthusiastic multidisciplinary designer who is looking to work
on projects that touch lives and make an impact after my graduation
this spring. I hope to continue learning and growing by collaborating
with seasoned designers. My passions reside in people, technology,
and beautifully designed products.
