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 (NRCan) sought concrete guidance for employees to embed inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) into the DNA of the department.
Originally hired to focus on the research and content of a brand new web tool, I rose to the challenge of fully designing and wireframing the project when a UX Designer could not be hired.
Employees asked for practical advice and I created the IDEA Toolkit: a one-stop shop for inclusive etiquette and educational resources, and guided workflows for inclusive program and policy development grounded in human-centred design.
Inspired by IDEO's Design Kit, I created a mix of activities for both Program Designers and Policy Makers to increase the trust and buy-in with the communities they serve, and to better define the problems that policy is seeking to solve thereby increasing the likelihood of success.
At a glance
Key Insights
Challenge
How to design a tool that supports employees in a practical way, provides insight into an inclusive way of working through design-thinking, and gets the results that managers are seeking?
Approach
I met with equity-impacted employees and designed focus-groups with Policy Analysts and Program Designers to determine their greatest challenges when applying an IDEA lens to their work. I presented early findings of my research to working groups and networks across the department soliciting feedback and opportunities to interview employees about their work.
Outcome
What was originally conceptualised as a series of reflective and guiding questions for employees became comprehensive workflows grounded in the design process. I provided a sandbox for Policy Analysts and Program Designers to create new projects from scratch and to retrofit existing initiatives using a workflow that guided them every step of the way.
My Impact
I bridged the gap between my sphere of expertise and the skillset that the project required to deliver a custom solution for NRCan. I jumped into UX research with both feet and ended up finding a love of designing.
A Core Belief
Lasting change happens when we look beyond symptoms and work together to transform the systems and relationships shaping our lives.
