Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada – UX Website Project

Project Overview

The Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC), formerly Infrastructure Canada, wanted to enhance its user-centred (UC) design across its external website, web-based applications, and other digital products. This initiative focused on improving user experience (UX) by iteratively refining the design and layout of these platforms, optimizing content tied to top user tasks, and evaluating the current website’s navigation through user testing and analysis. These activities guided the development of strategic recommendations aimed at helping HICC create a more intuitive and accessible digital platform.

UX Interviews on MS Teams Navigating HICC’s Website

What We Delivered:

Website Audit
Primary & Secondary Research
Heuristic Evaluation
Affinity Mapping
User Personas
Accessibility Audit

User Stories
User Journey Maps
Information Architecture
Interviews
Strategic UX Recommendations
Accessibility Recommendations

The Challenge

Before working with KIMBO, HICC didn’t have a clear understanding of where and why users were having trouble navigating their website. HICC was particularly focused on identifying user pain points and understanding how diﬀerent audiences interacted with their site to better inform website design decisions.

Midway through the project, HICC underwent internal changes, including a name change and a website restructure. These unexpected developments introduced new layers of complexity to the project. Despite the evolving landscape, KIMBO quickly adapted, showcasing our ability to remain flexible and responsive to the shift in scope. Through careful project management and communication, KIMBO stayed on track, meeting both the project timeline and allocated budget.

Multiple Reports and Findings Delivered Along the HICC Website UX Project

The Strategy

KIMBO employed a research-driven strategy to develop a grounded and user-based web design strategy for HICC. The project began with exploratory and secondary research, including a thorough website audit and an evaluation of its current state.

Primary research played a crucial role in the process. KIMBO organized and facilitated one-on-one interviews with key website users across Canada, selected based on pre-developed personas. The purpose of these personas was to ensure interviews captured the experiences of the core demographic that engages with the HICC website. With specific tasks in mind, participants guided us through their website journey to help identify their needs, challenges, and goals while interacting with the site.

Personas and Affinity Mapping for HICC Website Users

HICC Website User Journeys

The findings were further analyzed using affinity mapping techniques to group and categorize key insights. These interviews informed the creation of detailed user stories and a user journey map, which visualized the steps users take and the emotions they experience along the way. These tools helped highlight any pain points and opportunities within the current digital experience. Informed by this data, KIMBO developed a revised information architecture and a proposed site map, designed to streamline navigation and enhance usability.

Based on this work, KIMBO developed a set of clear, actionable, and strategic recommendations for HICC to improve the UX. These were documented in a comprehensive guide outlining the next steps for design and content improvements, helping HICC prioritize changes that would benefit its users the most.

UX Information Architecture Navigating the HICC Website

KIMBO's final project report deck for HICC including the UX design strategy, information architecture, interviews and analysis, and strategy proposal.

KIMBO’s Final Delivery for HICC

Results

Through its work with KIMBO, HICC now has a clear, evidence-based roadmap to transform its digital experience. The final deliverables included a consolidated research package identifying existing issues and outlining solutions informed by user feedback and best practices. With this foundation, HICC has the resources and knowledge to implement changes that improve usability, streamline content delivery, and better serve its user base. Most importantly, the organization has a strategic roadmap to guide future design and development, built on a solid understanding of user behaviour and expectations.

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