Collaboratively designing a digital home with First Alaskan Institute.
Client First Alaskan Institute
The First Alaskans Institute is an organisation that represents a diverse community of over 200 Alaskan Native tribes.
In the redesign of their organisational website, they wanted to create an online space where Alaskan Natives could feel valued and seen; a digital home for their community. In October 2022 I joined them on Dena’ina land, Anchorage, Alaska where we worked together in a collaborative design process to envision their new site design.
This is a project I undertook as part of the For Purpose team where I am the Design Lead.
Role Co-Design & facilitation, design research, UX & UI design
Other people on the team Emma Blomkamp Co-Design coach
Challenge
First Alaskans Institute wanted to create a new organisational website that, like the organisation itself, both reflects and serves its community. This required creating a site that is welcoming and accessible. It needed to be compatible with slow internet connections and be navigable to their community, particularly Elders.
It also needed to be a digital experience that feels uniquely Alaskan Native. One that celebrates their world views, values and cultural practices. They wanted an online space where members of the Native community can come home and see themselves and each other.
Process
It was clear that I needed to get close to the community and work collaboratively with First Alaskan Institute staff in order to create a space that feels authentically Alaskan Native. I facilitated a series of workshops, some in-person in Anchorage others online, with a dedicated group of staff members. Over a series of 5 sessions, the group worked together to create the website vision and strategy, wireframes and a website look and feel.
Alongside these workshops, in order to gain a better understanding of the community and their homelands, I volunteered at the state wide Elders and Youth conference in Anchorage. There I had the opportunity to experience the important Native value of service. I had the privilege of having conversations with community members, while staffing the registration desk and floating between workshops.