I led a 4 month project where I was able to
1) Evaluate the content, layout, and IA of the Parks Canada website
2) Establish a mixed methods baseline frame to compare user success at completing top-tasks
3) Identify general trends in user behaviour, opportunities for improvement, and critical issues related to the Parks Canada website
Project Challenge & Goals
Parks Canada updated its website to the new Canada.ca theme and design system in November 2022. In January 2023, Parks Canada engaged Jumping Elephants to conduct preliminary user testing on the new site, compare the user experience against previous benchmarks, and establish new benchmarks in order to assist Parks Canada in improving its overall website user experience.
About my role
As the project manager of this project, my role was to
Limitations
The double diamond design thinking framework is a process used to solve problems creatively. It includes the following steps: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver.
I believe it is an effective process that encourages thorough exploration of the problem before jumping to solutions. Dividing it into distinct phases keeps teams focused and ensures they consider various possibilities before making decisions, using the concepts of divergence and convergence.
The project's work plan, developed using the double diamond method, incorporates methodologies tailored to the client's needs and Government of Canada requirements. I guided the team and assigned tasks for each phase of the double diamond, considering team members' strengths, interests, and workload, facilitated by a RACI model.
NOTE: We were asked to conduct research within the Discover and Define sections only. The remaining phases would be addressed by the internal UX team at Parks Canada.
Heuristic Evaluation
Next, we conducted a heuristic evaluation of using a variation on Jakob Nielsen's 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design that we internally developed catered specifically for Government of Canada products and services.
The areas that needed the most review found below.
The website was updated based on the results from the heuristic evaluation before the usability testing phase.
Results Analysis, Reporting and Presentation
The team presented a comprehensive report that outlined the findings, conclusions, and recommendations, which were then presented to the client and key stakeholders for their feedback.
Next Steps
The client used this research as a baseline for their future rounds of testing
The Jumping Elephants team was contracted again in late 2023 to conduct more research for the client. This exercise focused on moderated usability testing with individuals with visual impairments and was conducted in person in the participant's home (or location of choice) to accommodate for any accessibility needs.
Key Takeaways
The double diamond design thinking framework is a process used to solve problems creatively. It includes the following steps: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver.
I believe it is an effective process that encourages thorough exploration of the problem before jumping to solutions. Dividing it into distinct phases keeps teams focused and ensures they consider various possibilities before making decisions, using the concepts of divergence and convergence.
The project's work plan, developed using the double diamond method, incorporates methodologies tailored to the client's needs and Government of Canada requirements. I guided the team and assigned tasks for each phase of the double diamond, considering team members' strengths, interests, and workload, facilitated by a RACI model.
Results Analysis, Reporting and Presentation
We presented a comprehensive report that outlined the findings, conclusions, and recommendations, which were then presented to the client and key stakeholders for their feedback.
Next Steps
The client had to review the research to validate their concept, its value to users and potential functionality before deciding to launch.
Key Takeaways
Heuristic Evaluation
The team conducted an expert review of the current site to determine the site's key strengths and weaknesses. The review covered 7 categories of usability (e.g., navigation, findability, understandability, etc.)
What did we find?
Comparative Analysis
The team identified 7 similar related approaches of other organizations to learn how other solutions solve users’ problems, especially workers who are in the vulnerable sector.
What did we find?
User Interviews
In order to better understand the needs of workers in federally regulated industries, the team conducted 40 interviews with organizations as well as individuals who self-identified as having experienced either labour relations, health and safety, and minimal labour standards issues. The interviews addressed the following questions:
All participants were interviewed remotely via telephone or online teleconference using WebEx.
Due to the sensitive nature of the subject, I did not interview the participants myself. However, I was able to listen to each interview and identify some preliminary patterns in the findings. It was also my responsibility to ensure these interviews were transcribed for the client.
The team held a meeting to discuss the preliminary findings and the report structure.
Brainstorming
During this meeting, we were able to redefine the scope of our problem (as it was larger than initially proposed by the client), discuss the main findings, and propose possible solutions.
Evil 8's
Similar to the design activity, Crazy 8's, we completed Evil 8s's to help us brainstorm possible solutions. The purpose of the activity was to encourage the team to push the boundaries of their thinking by proposing anti-solutions to the problem. Each team member would write their anti-solution on the first square and passed the paper onto the next person. As the paper was passed along, the anti-solutions were expanded upon.
Afterwards, we used the anti-solutions to help us to propose innovative and creative solutions to the problem.
Musical Direction
Before production on the single could begin, the team needed to determine the musical direction for the single (as well as Cerae's future songs).
Drawing inspiration from Cerae's musical influences (e.g., Lauryn Hill, Mariah Carey, the Bee Gees, the Winans, Michael Jackson, Jacob Collier), the team decided that a sound that could easily cross boundaries between the genres of R&B, neo soul, gospel and funk would be a good fit. Additionally, the team determined that this musical direction would appeal to the trends within the Toronto music scene while still remaining niche.
Artist Image
Based on the proposed musical direction, I curated 4 mood boards to demonstrate different artist images that Cerae could potentially emulate . Each artist image drew inspiration from current and past trends within the music industry. The purpose of selecting an artist image from the curated mood boards was merely to act as a point of reference, which would be further developed into a unique image, personalized to Cerae.
Each mood board contained the following:
The musical direction and artist image initially established by the team acted as a guide for all future creative decisions.
Once the writers had completed the lyrics, it was my responsibility to translate the sentiments of those lyrics into a visual narrative (which would be used for the promotion of the single). I worked concurrently with the production of the track. Thus, both the visuals and the music reciprocally influenced one another.
Finding Inspiration
I was sent a rough demo of the song to work with. My first goal was to establish a colour palette for the visuals, which would set the scene for the overcharging feel/mood. I asked myself and the team to think about what colour they envisioned when they listened to the demo. With the input from the team, I laid out a colour palette that also aligned with the proposed release date of the single (end of Summer/Fall).
The team looked to music videos and album covers of artists within the same genres as Cerae for inspiration. A preliminary mood board was created.
Eureka!
I stumbled upon the music video for Meet Me in Amsterdam by RINI. In the opening scene of the music video, RINI sings "Row this boat from dusk till dawn" while enacting the very lyrics he sings in the video. The literal nature of the lyrics gave me an idea. I immediately thought of Cerae's lyric, "Loving with you, a 9 to 5 of constant disputes." It was this specific lyric that inspired the concept of the workplace theme found throughout the promotional materials. The action of punching in and out of work on a punch clock (a prominent theme in many of the promotional materials) was used as a metaphor for the cyclical nature of turbulent relationships that is described in the song.
Curating a Mood Board
The vision for the shoot was heavily influenced by 70s fashion and mid century modern interior design. In order to appeal to a younger demographic, the team decided to take a modern twist on the era.
The team scouted a location and procured props and wardrobe for the shoot. A photographer/videographer was hired for the shoot. He assisted in blocking out scenes. In addition, a hairstylist and an actor (to play the love interest in the lyric video) were brought onto the team.
Hair, Makeup & Styling
In addition to the action of punching in and out of work on a punch clock, we wanted to further simulate the passing of time through changes in outfit, hair and makeup.
In total, the team styled 16 outfits, 4 hairstyles and 4 makeup looks for Cerae. Additionally, we styled 3 outfits for the actor in the role of the love interest.
Critical Path
The team had only 8 hours to complete the entire shoot on location. Due to the sheer volume of wardrobe changes, a detailed schedule, called the Critical Path, was set in place. The purpose of the Critical Path was to ensure that all preparations, shots, and clean up could be achieved within the 8 hour window.
Shoot Day
Up until the day of the shoot, all planning had been conducted virtually. On the day of the shoot, I collaborated with our photographer/videographer in providing artistic direction. The team was successful at capturing all the necessary shots within the 8 hours on location.
Editing
The team edited the following promotional materials using Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom:
I supervised all editing to ensure that all materials were aligned and consistent with the artistic vision. Additionally, I edited the lyric video for the single using Adobe Premiere Pro.
Marketing Strategy
While the production of the song entered its final stages, the team developed a multi-channeled marketing strategy that included the following:
Hand-off
Clocks (Loving With You) was released on November 12, 2020. It is available on all platforms. Since its release, the single has had several notable accomplishments (last updated in January 2021):
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