Natural Resources Canada

Project Context

Role: WordPress Developer & UI/UX Designer → UI/UX Lead (Flood Mapping)
Duration: December 2020 - August 2022
Organization: Natural Resources Canada - Federal Geospatial Platform, Strategic Policy and Innovation Sector
Challenge: Launch delayed national geospatial platform and design flood mapping strategy for emergency management across multiple government levels

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Impact & Results

• Helped successfully launch GEO.ca after addressing critical project delays and design roadblocks.
• The platform served 7,000+ datasets from 40+ federal, provincial, and territorial contributors.
• Coordinated design strategy across 5 federal departments and multiple provinces.
• Earned stakeholder confidence leading to promotion from contractor to UI/UX lead on national flood mapping initiative.
• Improved inter-governmental collaboration through user-centered design approach.

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Technical Implementation

Geospatial Platform Architecture

• Designed user experience for complex data discovery platform serving government and public users
• Implemented headless WordPress architecture for improved performance and scalability
• Advised on React-based geoSearch application usability and accessibility standards
• Created design systems for mapping interfaces and data visualization workflows

Multi-Platform Design Strategy

• Led UI/UX design for national flood mapping applications across 5 federal departments.
• Developed user flows for complex geospatial data interactions and emergency response tools.
• Designed accessible interfaces compliant with WCAG 2.0 and Government of Canada WET framework.
• Created consensus-building design artifacts for diverse stakeholder groups.

Strategic Design Leadership

• Translated abstract strategic vision into concrete design direction through research and iterative ideation.
• Facilitated design discovery sessions across multiple government departments.
• Balanced technical constraints with user experience requirements for data-heavy applications.
• Established design standards for a network of national emergency management websites.

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Strategic Approach

Cross-Government Collaboration

• Facilitated alignment across 5 federal departments, provinces, and territorial governments.
• Managed diverse stakeholder perspectives including scientists, policy makers, senior management, and developers.
• Created design consensus where abstract strategic direction required concrete implementation vision.

Design-Led Problem Solving

• Overcame project delays through strategic design intervention and stakeholder engagement.
• Transformed stakeholder relationships using user-centered design methodology.
• Established design authority through demonstrated value delivery on GEO.ca launch.

Government Constraints Navigation

• Ensured compliance with Government of Canada WET framework and WCAG 2.0 standards.
• Collaborated closely with development teams to validate design feasibility within technical constraints.
• Maintained design quality while meeting strict government compliance requirements.

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Tools & Technologies

• WordPress (Headless architecture, custom theme development)
• React & TypeScript (Geospatial application UX consultation)
• WCAG 2.0 & WET Framework (Government accessibility compliance)
• Geospatial Data Visualization (Mapping interfaces)
• Multi-stakeholder Design Facilitation (Flood mapping web presence strategy)

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Key Learnings & Outcomes

For the Organization:

• Established foundational design for Canada’s national geospatial data sharing infrastructure.
• Created sustainable design framework for inter-governmental flood mapping collaboration.
• Built design standards for future government geospatial applications.
• Provided WordPress expertise to enhance platform performance and scalability.

Personal Growth:

• Mastered complex stakeholder management across multiple government levels.
• Developed expertise in geospatial UX design and emergency management systems.
• Strengthened ability to translate strategic vision into actionable design direction.
• Enhanced skills in government compliance requirements and accessibility standards.