Developing a design-focused digital tool aiding employees in the federal government
Empowering Working-Level Systemic Change
A digital resource focused on embedding equity into Natural Resource Canada's policy & program design
Natural Resources Canada
Context
Natural Resources Canada sought to embed inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) into its culture. When a UX Designer couldn’t be hired, I stepped in to design and wireframe the project from scratch.
The result? The IDEA Toolkit—a one-stop resource offering inclusive etiquette guides, educational materials, and human-centered workflows for designing inclusive programs and policies. Inspired by IDEO’s Design Kit, it includes activities to build trust with communities and refine problem definitions for more effective policy outcomes.
At a glance
Key Insights
Challenge
How can we design a practical tool that helps employees apply Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) in their work—while also fostering design-thinking mindsets and delivering results that managers expect?
Employees needed actionable guidance to embed IDEA principles into policies and programs.
There was a gap between theory and practice—staff wanted tools that were usable, not just conceptual.
The challenge: Create something that aligned with design-thinking while meeting the department’s operational needs.
Approach
I led research and co-design with equity-impacted employees, Policy Analysts, and Program Designers to uncover their biggest challenges when applying IDEA principles.
User-centered research: Conducted focus groups and interviews to identify pain points and opportunities.
Iterative design: Early findings evolved from reflective questions into comprehensive workflows grounded in the design process.
Collaborative validation: Presented research to working groups and networks across NRCan to gather feedback and refine the tool.
Skill bridging: Stepped into UX research and design—learning on the fly to deliver a solution tailored to NRCan’s needs.
Outcome
The IDEA Toolkit: A one-stop resource that:
Provides inclusive etiquette guides and educational resources for everyday use.
Offers guided workflows for designing inclusive programs and policies from scratch or retrofitting existing initiatives.
Includes activities inspired by IDEO’s Design Kit to build trust with communities and sharpen problem definition for better policy outcomes.
Acts as a sandbox for teams to experiment with IDEA principles in a structured yet creative way.
My Impact
Practical guidance: Employees now have a clear, actionable tool to embed IDEA into their work.
Cultural shift: The toolkit fosters design-thinking mindsets, encouraging teams to approach challenges with curiosity and collaboration.
Trust and buy-in: Activities designed to increase engagement with communities and improve policy outcomes.
Personal growth: My journey into UX research and design led to a newfound passion for designing systems that drive equity.
A Core Belief
Lasting change happens when we look beyond symptoms and work together to transform the systems and relationships shaping our lives.
