Delivering a Secure, Flexible Jury Voting System
Product: Jury Voting
Client: British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)
Delivery Timeframe: 2023 – 2024
Technology Stack: Svelte, JavaScript, WebSockets, PHP, MySQL, API. Libsodium Encryption
Project Tools: Jira, Confluence, Slack
Approach: Agile Development
As Product Manager for BAFTA’s Jury 3.0 system, I led the rebuild that delivered a 90% reduction in support tickets and 80% reduction in setup time for awards teams. The COVID-19 pandemic had pushed BAFTA into an online voting model that worked for the crisis but wasn’t built for the long term. Working with the development team, we delivered a fully integrated solution within Nucleus that transformed jury voting into a seamless, secure platform.
My key decision was to integrate fully with Nucleus rather than build another standalone system. This enabled automatic data inheritance – pulling category data, nominees, and juror details directly from Nucleus rather than requiring manual re-entry that had caused misalignment and errors. Working with the team, we also simplified authentication workflows and upgraded from PGP to Libsodium encryption, improving the technical architecture without compromising security.
The platform now handles all BAFTA jury workflows – Film, Games, Television – with real-time updates and interfaces that work whether jurors are remote or in-person. We’ve strengthened BAFTA’s jury processes while cutting the administrative overhead that had become resource intensive.
The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 necessitated a rapid shift from in-person to remote jury voting. I worked with BMT developers to deliver an online solution that successfully enabled BAFTA to continue its jury processes during the crisis, but this system created increasing administrative complexity as remote voting became the norm. What had started as an emergency response was becoming a bottleneck – multiple logins, manual setup processes, and workflows designed for crisis response rather than ongoing operations. Additionally, admins were manually entering category IDs, nominees, and juror details, leading to data misalignment and increased setup time.
I proposed replacing this interim system with a purpose-built solution fully integrated within Nucleus. The goal was to maintain the security and functionality that had made remote voting possible while dramatically simplifying administration and enhancing the user experience. Rather than building another standalone system, integration with Nucleus would enable automatic data inheritance, eliminate setup complexity, and provide a seamless experience for jurors and administrators alike.
The project aimed to support all of BAFTA’s jury workflows in a fully online setting while upholding the organisation’s stringent security standards. By shifting functionalities between user roles and introducing real-time updates, we could reduce complexity for chairs while providing administrators with better oversight tools. This foundation would strengthen BAFTA’s ability to conduct fair and efficient jury voting, reinforcing its commitment to the integrity and transparency of its awards processes.
Reduce Administrative Overhead
Improve Juror Experience
Reduce Support Burden
Streamline Security and Authentication
Enable Scalable Jury Operations
Integrate with Existing Infrastructure
Future-Proof Jury Workflows
Balancing Security Requirements with User Experience
- PGP encryption was secure but created a nightmare for both developers and users – manual processes, complex workflows, technical barriers. I needed to maintain BAFTA’s security standards while eliminating the friction that was generating support calls. Working with the development team, we transitioned to Libsodium encryption, which delivered the same security with dramatically simplified workflows.
Designing Integration vs. Building Standalone
- I had to decide whether to build another separate system or integrate with Nucleus. Integration was technically more complex but strategically superior – it would eliminate multiple logins and enable data inheritance. I worked closely with the Nucleus team to design APIs and data flows that embedded jury functionality seamlessly, delivering the unified experience that became key to our 80% setup time reduction.
Simplifying Complex Workflows Without Losing Flexibility
- The original system had evolved to include administrative functions that Chairs weren’t equipped to handle effectively. Based on awards team feedback, I proposed shifting key administrative functions from Chairs to dedicated Admin users. This eliminated role confusion and improved process integrity, as admin users could now seamlessly manage the technical aspects while Chairs focused on facilitating jury discussions.
The Jury 3.0 delivery shows how strategic integration decisions can transform operations while maintaining the highest standards. By choosing Nucleus integration over building standalone, and Libsodium over PGP, we simplified administration while keeping BAFTA’s security standards intact. The integration also eliminated the manual data entry that had been causing misalignment and consuming setup time.
The results speak for themselves – support tickets dropped by over 90%, setup time fell by 80%, and the platform now handles all jury workflows from Film to Games Awards. What’s particularly satisfying is that nearly all remaining support issues stem from user error rather than system problems, proving the platform’s robustness.
Working with the development team and stakeholders, we’ve built something that works today and scales for tomorrow. Jurors can focus on evaluating creative excellence rather than fighting with technology, while administrators get the oversight tools they need without the manual overhead that was consuming their time.
This project reinforced my conviction that smart integration often beats building from scratch. The most innovative solution was connecting existing strengths – Nucleus’s architecture and data – in new ways that unlocked operational efficiency we couldn’t have achieved with a standalone system.