Tahatū
Helping New Zealanders broaden their horizons and navigate their careers
Contents
Background
The Tertiary Education Commission wanted to redesign and build 'careers.govt.nz' as was hard to maintain, navigate and wasn't fit for purpose for the people who needed it most.
During the discovery phase, I conducted research that shaped the strategic product vision. During the delivery phase, I kept a team of 7 UX/UI designers aligned and led the work and account features. I also helped set the brand direction and created a robust and accessible design system.
Research
Taking a learner-centred and culturally affirming approach
To improve outcomes for those who need it most, an existing research review helped us prioritise our primary audience: Māori and Pasifika and 10-19 year olds. Alongside IDIA (Indigenous Design & Innovation Aotearoa), we took a culturally affirming approach and used the Decolonised Research Framework.
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Using play-based research methods to understand what rangatahi need
We facilitated interviews and workshops with rangatahi and their whānau to understand what they need when and why. We created an activity called 'build your world' to understand their how we could support them as they navigate their future.
UX
Making the conceptual more concrete
To ideate what the new platform could be like, we sketched low-fidelity wireframes. These were used for user testing, taking stakeholders on the journey and helping our team plan what we needed to bring Tahatū to life.
Going from complex to intuitive
We used Object Orientated User Experience (OOUX) and wireframes to break down how the content could be structured to met different user needs.
Design
Bringing the brand narrative to life
Illustration and colour was used to bring the brand narrative of to life as people navigate the different sections of Tahatū.
Building a robust design system
Alongside another Experience Designer, I created a robust design system with accessible design principles guiding our decisions.
Result
Tahatū — a platform to help Aotearoa New Zealanders broaden their horizons and navigate their careers
Tahatū is currently being piloted in a small number of secondary schools across Aotearoa New Zealand, with more schools coming on board throughout this year and into 2025. Tahatū will be embedded into the school curriculum.
