Sept - Dec 2024
What I learned being a designer at the lab. Cohort 22
Context
Creating internal work solutions at WSIB
The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) is Ontario’s workplace compensation system, providing insurance coverage, wage-loss benefits, and recovery support for workers injured on the job or who develop work-related illnesses. It also partners with employers to promote safer workplaces and prevent injuries.
The WSIB Innovation Lab is the research and development arm of Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). Our team of developers, communication specialist and designers work to improve internal processes and explore innovative solutions that enhance WSIB’s services.
Skills
User interviews
Workshops
High-fidelity prototyping
User research
Role
UX / UI Designer
Team
8 Developers
5 Designers
4 Communications specialist
4 Team leads
Impact
At the lab, I was personally involved in many projects ranging from an AI-powered databases to conducting various interviews to improve current work processes. I offered my expertise in design wherever I could. Here are the highlights of the work I completed at the lab:
Return to work accommodations engine
The Return to Work Accommodations Engine is an AI-powered database to help return to work specialists search and find specific reports on various different accommodations.
Contributions:
Designed the main accommodations viewing screen accounting for all interactions, edge cases and button states
Worked closely with developers, designers and a product manager to ensure quality of the designs
Prepared a Figma workshop for developers informing them how to navigate Figma
Streamlining Power Bi report processes
Microsoft Power BI is an interactive data visualization software product developed by Microsoft with a primary focus on business intelligence. The design team at the lab was tasked to improve the consistency of these reports for WSIB.
Contributions:
Conducted 6 of 14 user interviews with business analysts, client managers, and data analyst
Synthesized and categorized over 100+ pieces of qualitative data to identify pain points of the Power BI process
Created a best practices document for workers at WSIB to improve consistency
Design thinking workshop for business leaders
The design team at the lab was tasked by team leads to create a design thinking workshop for over 50 business leaders and managers at WSIB.
Contributions:
Helped facilitate and present the "worst idea" activity to the audience
Worked closely with 2 other designers to write and create the content for this design thinking workshop
Sought feedback form team leads to ensure content aligned with the labs goals
Design thinking workshop for WSIB managers and leaders
Outside of design, you can find me playing basketball or staying at home, either playing video games or reading a book.
Reflection
What did I learn at WSIB?
Establish good communication with the developers
On the RTW Accommodations project, I saw firsthand how important consistent communication is across the team. When misaligned, developers ended up working from outdated or unclear design directions, leading to avoidable conflicts and delays. This experience reinforced the idea of consistent check-ins to keep everyone on the same page.
Be proactive when learning
When designing work, I wanted to make sure that my work was the best that it could be. That meant constantly reflecting and asking for feedback from others. Just because something works doesn't mean it can't be improved. I learned at this internship to go beyond what's expected and learn as much as I can.
Thanks for reading :)
Checkout some of my other projects!
