Government of Yukon open information service design
Purpose
In 2020, I was hired by Yukon government to lead user research and design an addition to their existing Open Data portal: Open Information. Open information differs from data in that it's made up of documents such as maps, records, plans, reports and news releases versus the machine-readable, tabular or geospatial data in open data.
Transparency
In addition to open information, Yukon government was seeking to proactively publish, to the same portal, completed ATIPP requests, privacy impact assessment summaries, and guidance on access to information and protection of privacy. All in, it was a lot of information to share, navigate and maintain.
Workshops
To guide my user research and design exercises, I arranged a series of workshops with key partners that would help to define the scope, identify roles and provide a high-level service design for what would become an Alpha phase prototype. One of the first deliverables was a map of the design components.
Prototype
From the map, the Alpha prototype went further and showed how the pieces of this content puzzle would fit together, including information architecture plans and other design documentation. Through it, I would consider client requirements and the existing technology platform constraints and opportunities in addition to citizen user input.
Wireframes
I started with digital whiteboard sketches and soon moved to more detailed wireframes in Balsamiq that were based on templates from DKAN. An open-source Drupal CMS extension, DKAN is used by hundreds of organizations and governments around the world. I customized the templates to suit the brand standards and existing styles of Yukon government's other digital properties.
Growth
In the four years since the Open Information portal was launched, it has grown to over 320 records and 9,400 resource files. This expansion has been based on a solid information architecture design which has been key to maintaining the site's usability and stability.
