Orientation App
Prototype made for the Canada Revenue Agency
During my time at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) as a gamification designer, I worked on a major project for the National Orientation Association (NOA) team, focused on creating a remote orientation experience for new employees. The project originated from the CRA’s Idea Accelerator Program, an initiative that allows employees to propose innovative ideas aimed at improving the workplace experience. This particular project was selected in response to challenges many new employees faced during the global pandemic. New hires were onboarding remotely and reported feeling isolated from the organization and its culture, and were unaware of its available resources for employees.
The goal of this project was to design an engaging remote orientation experience that acts as a go-to resource for new employees and could answer any questions they might have. The design took the form of a role-playing game (RPG) inspired app, where new employees could create an avatar to explore a virtual expo hall representing different areas of the CRA. Within the expo, users would visit themed booths to learn about the agency’s history, internal resources, and employee support networks. Each booth was hosted by non-playable characters (NPCs), allowing users to engage in dialogue-based interactions and choose from multiple conversation options to guide their learning.
To reinforce knowledge retention and to make things more fun, each booth also featured short games or activities related to the information presented. By successfully completing these activities, users could earn badges that were stored in a virtual expo passport. These badges and passports could then be shared on employees’ internal CRA profiles so that other employees could see which badges you've earned. The informational content for each booth was provided by the Orientation Network, ensuring accuracy and relevance, while the overall concept and direction was led by my manager.
I was responsible for all visual design and interface elements. I was the only designer on this project, which provided me with significant creative freedom while ensuring the clients’ requirements were met. I focused on balancing professionalism with engaging visuals, learning how to design information-dense screens without overwhelming users, and incorporating my background in animation and character design into the app. Although the project did not progress to launch due to limitations within the NOA, this experience taught me how to take on a design lead role as well as how to meet and present to stakeholders.
Initially, we wanted there to be a homepage floor as a landing page, offering users an expansive view of the entire expo layout and the diverse booths available for exploration. However, through a series of revisions and refinements, we transitioned to a more user-friendly design with islands, each representing a booth. Users could seamlessly swipe between these islands, granting them the ability to explore each booth individually by simply clicking on the island of their choice.
Home Floor
Original Design
Island Design
Once users made their selection and zoomed in on a particular island of interest, they were seamlessly transported to the corresponding "booths" page. Within the booths page, users discovered a wealth of knowledge organized into subsections. These subsections were divided into tables, each serving as a gateway to deeper insights and information related to the specific subtopics associated with the chosen island.
Booths
Unfinished What We Expect From You Booth. used to share information about employees code of ethics, security at the CRA and performance management.
The About Us booth used to share information programs and initiatives at the CRA while also sharing about CRAs structure and history.
Upon selecting a table of interest, users were granted the opportunity to interact with a diverse array of objects glowing in yellow, NPCs (Non-Player Characters), or elements associated with the chosen subtopic.
Tables and Activities
One of the interactive pieces for this table is the Book on the Seven Grandfather Teachings. Users could click on the book and be led to a page that acts as an interactive book. This book served as a captivating guide to the Seven Grandfather Teachings, imparting valuable Indigenous wisdom and insights.​
The table dedicated to the Indigenous Employees Network (IEN) offered a rich and immersive experience for users interested in exploring Indigenous culture and values within the organization. I had the opportunity to use assets that were pre-made by the IEN network such as their network logo and their feather emblem.
IEN Pamphlet: A swipable pamphlet provided users with an informative overview of the Indigenous Employees Network.
The concept for the HR (Human Resources) island was to have a
VR-themed booth. Users would go to the booth and see their avatars putting on a VR headset where they would be transported to an expansive virtual landscape. To make the app feel like a VR landscape, the users could swipe through and continuously looping page and see floating interactive boxes. Each box would containing valuable employment information ensuring that employees were not only informed but also engaged in a novel and memorable manner.
Concepts and Process work
The early mockup of the swipeable History screen presents the CRA's history within the "About Us" island. Each outlined image, icon, and section on the screen offers an interactive element, providing users with an immersive learning experience.
