OVERVIEW
Wellness Together Canada was an initiative launched by the Government of Canada to support mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. It provided free online resources, tools, and supports to help Canadians cope with the stress, anxiety, and other mental health challenges exacerbated by the pandemic. The platform offered various services including confidential online chat sessions with mental health professionals, self-guided programs, and resources tailored to specific demographics such as youth, Indigenous peoples, frontline workers, and others. Wellness Together Canada aimed to provide accessible mental health support to all Canadians regardless of their location or circumstances.
Unfortunately the service is no longer available as of April 3, 2024.
MY ROLE
Though my role was of a Lead User Experience Designer, I also played the role of a Staff Designer, as the organization was fairly new and worked similar to a start-up culture. 80% of my time was dedicated to initiatives with the product team, collaborating with various members including content strategists, researchers, accessibility leads, project managers, and QA. The remaining 20% was spent providing design and knowledge translation support to various teams, including programming, awareness, engagement, and evaluation. Below is a summary of some of the major initiatives I worked on with the team.
Results
Though Wellness Together Canada is a platform no longer available it was one of the larger initiatives I am grateful to be a part of with a reach of 4.3+ million unique visitors, with 100k+ site visitors per month. Being able to collaborate with a dynamic team, I was able to build my skills and understanding of the intersection between design and health.
Working with an amazing accessibility lead: Alex Haagaard I was able to delve into the intricacies of WCAG and accessibility standards, I became more cognizant of the importance of inclusive design practices, outside of just AODA and WCAG, and their impact on user experience.
Being able to work and navigate the diverse needs of stakeholders, I was able to test new approaches for information dissemination, refining my ability to tailor communication methods to diverse audiences. Techniques like storytelling approaches and designing collaborative workshops ensured everyone was on the same page as we worked to improve the service. These experiences not only expanded my design knowledge but also reinforced the value of empathy-driven design in fostering meaningful connections with users.
Seeing initiatives and projects I was leading increased user uptake to the site as well as, simplified processes to access
Looking back, my journey with Wellness Together Canada was not just about designing pretty and easy-to-navigate interfaces; it was also about leveraging design as a catalyst for positive change in the realm of health and wellness. As I continue to evolve in my career, the skills I built and the relationships I forged during the impactive endeavor remain invaluable assets, guiding my commitment to creating inclusive and impactful design solutions for both users and organizations.
To read more about WTC's impact, consult the latest Evaluation Report:
Examples of the various projects and initiatives
Examples of marketing materials for social media to promote the Mindwell for healthcare workers program.
