Milano Partecipa
Re-design of the City of Milan’s civic-engagement portal to boost young-citizen participation through gamified features, clearer IA and real-time transparency.
Role
UX/UI design, Usability Testing, Prototyping.
Context
CHALLENGE : The municipality’s platform was technically sound but under-used by 18-25-year-olds, who found it bureaucratic and opaque.
OBJECTIVE : Transform an outdated information site into a mobile-first, dialogue-driven service that demonstrates impact instantly.
Platform Evaluation
Methods map onto the Double Diamond framework -
Discover > Define > Develop > Deliver.
LITERATURE RESEARCH
BENCHMARKING
DIGITAL ETHNOGRAPHY
SURVEY AND INTERVIEWS
CARD SORTING
TREE TESTING
Key Insights
Analyzing all the data gathered, it was evident that there were issues in the engagement and transparency of the platform.
Complex IA and jargon hid critical actions.
Opaque processes (no budget/status feedback) eroded trust.
Empirical studies show gamification lifts civic engagement.
Design Solution
Gamified Participation | Transparent Processes | Mobile-First UX
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
DESIGN SYSTEM
LOFI WIREFRAMES
HIFI PROTOTYPE
APP INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
DESIGN SYSTEM
LoFi Wireframes
Two Maze test rounds trimmed the flow, confirming navigation and copy fixes before visuals.
HiFi Prototype
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20 remote tests hit > 90 % task success. SUS adjectives shifted from “formal” to “fun”.
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Dark-mode variant adds a “gamer” aesthetic to resonate with Gen Z users.
LIGHT MODE
DARK MODE
Key Takeaways
Mapping the information architecture before sketching screens aligned the city’s taxonomy with youth card-sort groupings exposing duplication and jargon early.
Making feedback loops visible by embedding budget progress and status chips in project cards, which proved that showing process stages is as important as the final outcome in civic apps.
Starting colour choices with accessibility tokens by deriving a contrast-safe token set first, then applying it to the palette, avoided rework and ensured WCAG-AA compliance.