‘Empowering Our Youth.’ is aimed at pinpointing potential barriers that arise when Indigenous youth are attempting to connect with their cultures.
UX Research & Design: Cultural Engagement for Indigenous Youth
Project Overview
This project focused on understanding how Indigenous youth engage with culture and identifying ways to make cultural learning experiences more accessible, welcoming, and meaningful. Working as part of a small team, we conducted qualitative user research and translated our findings into user-centered design artifacts.
Research Background & Approach
We conducted interviews with Indigenous youth between the ages of 15 and 28 to better understand their motivations, challenges, and experiences related to cultural engagement. Our research aimed to uncover barriers to participation and identify what makes cultural spaces feel safe, inclusive, and relevant to youth.
Using thematic analysis, we synthesized interview insights into clear problem areas that guided our design decisions.
Key Findings
Our research revealed several important insights:
Indigenous youth are interested in reconnecting with culture but often don’t know where or how to begin.
Feeling safe and welcomed is more important than prior cultural knowledge or experience.
Cultural engagement is closely tied to identity, wellness, and belonging.
Programs that are flexible, beginner-friendly, and relatable are more likely to encourage participation.
Hybrid access — combining online discovery with in-person experiences — increases accessibility and engagement.
Problem Definition
Based on our findings, we framed the design challenge with the following How Might We statement:
How might we design cultural learning experiences that are safe, engaging, and accessible for Indigenous youth?
This question helped keep the user perspective central throughout the design process.
Persona Development
To humanize our research insights, we created a primary persona, Denji, a 22-year-old Indigenous youth who feels disconnected from culture but motivated to learn. Denji values a “Come As You Are” approach, guidance from a Mentor or Elder, and the ability to provide anonymous feedback in a judgement-free environment.
This persona ensured our design decisions reflected real user needs rather than assumptions.
Task Flows & Wireframes
Using Denji’s goals and pain points, we developed task flows that mapped how users might discover cultural opportunities, participate in activities, and provide feedback. These flows helped identify friction points and opportunities for simplification.
We then translated these flows into low-fidelity wireframes, focusing on clarity, accessibility, and flexibility. The wireframes emphasized hybrid participation options, clear navigation, and supportive onboarding for first-time users.
Collaboration & Reflection
Throughout the project, our team navigated challenges related to aligning interpretations, balancing different working styles, and prioritizing content. By maintaining open communication and shared responsibility, we collaborated respectfully and ensured consistency across research and design outputs.
Outcome
This project demonstrates my ability to conduct user research, synthesize qualitative insights, and translate findings into meaningful UX artifacts. It reinforced the importance of designing with empathy, especially when working with communities where trust, safety, and belonging are essential to the user experience.
