From systems to stories: participatory design for Indigenous name inclusion in B.C.

Challenge

As part of Declaration Act Action 3.15, this project supported British Columbia’s commitment to truth and reconciliation by helping prioritize updates that enable the respectful use of Indigenous language names. While legislation and system upgrades are underway, determining which services to update is a complex policy and design question. Many services intersect with names in different ways. Our challenge was to help Indigenous partners make sense of 40 public-facing services and identify which mattered most, and why.

Approach

For each service, we documented how and where names appear, who delivers the service, and what technical or policy constraints might affect implementation. This created a foundational dataset that was rich in detail but overwhelming in scale. To make the information more accessible, we worked closely with service providers to co-develop plain language summaries. These summaries helped surface the core purpose of each offering and what it means in the context of people's lives agnostic of government structure.

Through the process, we defined other core requirements to ensure that our solution would be usable, relevant, and respectful. Importantly, it needed to be flexible enough to work both digitally and on paper, without relying on a single tool or platform. It would need to help participants build understanding as they engaged, and support formative consensus-building. Our methods needed to align with Indigenous approaches to decision making.

Rather than present services in a flat list, we grouped them according to life events and shared challenges. This narrative reframing helped highlight the emotional and cultural significance of services, not just their technical properties. Alongside our requirements, we developed and tested an early design hypothesis. We reasoned that combining a quantitative ranking and open-ended qualitative input would result in a richer, more usable experience. This mixed-methods approach aimed to improve data quality by offering multiple avenues for participants to express priorities, validate their reasoning, and reflect in ways that felt natural to them. It also helped reduce cognitive load, allowing participants to build understanding at their own pace. This framing helped us prototype intentionally and measure the effectiveness of our early concepts, while remaining grounded in practical and cultural considerations.

We initially explored digital prototypes to deliver the solution online, focusing on filters, sorting, and scenario based ranking. These early concepts aimed to reduce friction for participants and make the dataset more engaging. However, through testing and reflection, we realized that digital delivery alone couldn't meet the full range of participant needs. Considering accessibility needs, comfort with digital tools, and the important of an in-person dialogue meant that we had to rethink our approach. We shifted towards printable materials that could support physical engagement in workshops, Band offices, and facilitated meetings, informed by the structure of our digital prototypes.

Artwork in the package showcase below was developed by Tyrone Elliot (Tuwuxuwult-hw) and Laurel Meyer.

The resulting solution invited participants to explore the data by sharing their perspectives on what matters most. It was intentionally designed to work across formats, and to align with Indigenous ways of knowing, including collective reflection, storytelling, and layered decision-making.

While the consultation package is still being reviewed with Indigenous partners, early outcomes were encouraging. We conducted usability testing of PDF files with internal staff and external subject matter experts. They provided positive quantitative and qualitative feedback on clarity, accuracy, and ease of returning information.

Beyond its intended purpose, the service dataset has also begun to serve as an improvisational knowledge base. This work is a foundation for teams to better understand where and how Indigenous names will appear in public services. This effort has opened up new conversations about dependencies, risks, and future state planning, underscoring the role of design in structuring institutional knowledge.