Tahatū

Taking a learner-centred and culturally affirming approach

An existing research review helped prioritise our primary audience: Māori and Pasifika 10–19 year olds – the young people most underserved by the existing platform and most in need of a resource that reflected their world.

To improve outcomes for this audience, I took a culturally affirming approach working alongside IDIA (Indigenous Design & Innovation Aotearoa) and applied the Decolonised Research Framework throughout the research process. This wasn't just an ethical commitment – it shaped every design decision that followed.

Using play-based research methods to understand what rangatahi need

I facilitated interviews and workshops with young people their families to understand what they needed, when they needed it and why. A key activity called 'Build your world' helped us understand how young people envisioned their futures and where a careers platform could genuinely support them – rather than narrow their thinking too early.

A recurring theme from teachers and careers advisors shaped the core design challenge: the old website generated a list of individual jobs based on a quiz – but if the first result didn't resonate, young people disengaged immediately.

The new design needed to open possibilities up, not close them down.

Rapidly testing ideas with real users

To move quickly from research insight to testable concepts, I sketched low-fidelity wireframes that could be put in front of users early. These weren't polished – they were tools for learning, helping us test assumptions, take stakeholders on the journey and plan what we needed to build.

Going from complex to intuitive

With a large content database covering subjects, qualifications and careers, the information architecture was one of the biggest design challenges on the programme. I used Object Orientated User Experience (OOUX) and wireframes to explore how a large amount of content could be structured to meet different user needs – whether a student exploring broadly or a careers advisor looking up a specific qualification pathway.

Accelerating delivery through a robust design system

Alongside another Experience Designer, I built a robust, accessible design system that aligned the team, reduced rework and sped up delivery across five parallel workstreams. The system was built with accessibility standards central to every decision – reflecting the commitment to designing for the young people who needed the platform most, including those with disabilities or lower digital literacy.

Tahatū – a platform to help Aotearoa New Zealanders broaden their horizons and navigate their careers

Tahatū launched publicly in December 2025 following a successful secondary school pilot. It profiles almost 100 school subjects, over 4,000 qualifications and more than 800 career ideas – and is now being embedded into school curriculums across New Zealand.

Teachers and career advisors involved in the pilot reported that students were engaging with their futures in new ways.

Key outcomes

• $20 million programme delivered across a two-year timeline with a team of 10+ designers and researchers

• Primary audience of Māori and Pasifika rangatahi centred throughout design and delivery through culturally affirming research methods

• Interest Quiz designed to broaden career exploration rather than narrow it – directly addressing the core problem identified in research

• Accessible design system built and adopted across five parallel workstreams, improving delivery speed and product consistency