Main Stage
How To Serve A Nation.
How do you serve an entire country? The Canadian Digital Service (CDS) solves large-scale government service problems with federal organizations by conducting meaningful research with people from all walks and stages of life. This talk focuses on the intricate process of developing inclusive digital solutions for diverse populations including newcomers to Canada, low-income Canadians, Veterans and more. Often, these may include vulnerable people who rely on government services that aren’t provided by anyone else. Even in fast-paced, agile development cycles, CDS employs mindful research practices that not only deliver, but are sustainable to work in tandem with Canadians’ ever-fluctuating lives. As countries reorient the delivery of government services, CDS’s unique efforts, guided by Canada’s official bilingualism and legislated multiculturalism, show how design research urges us to recognize the dignity of difference in an increasingly pluralized society.
Mithula Naik.
Senior Design Researcher, Canadian Digital Service (CDS)
Mithula Naik is a Senior Design Researcher at the Canadian Digital Service (CDS). By leading the research of citizen-facing services, she guides federal departments and organizations to develop a deeper understanding of the needs and behaviours of the people who use their services. Prior to CDS, Mithula was a design researcher at the Privy Council Office’s Impact and Innovation Unit, where she worked on design-led interventions to improve policy, program, and service delivery in the Government of Canada. She brings research and product design expertise to a diverse range of issues including immigration, Veterans services, product safety, and clean technology. Her work delivers evidence-based insights to shape the design of strategies, user experience, products and services. Mithula holds a Master of Design in Strategic Foresight and Innovation from OCAD University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Productand Interface Design from Srishti Institute of Art Design and Technology.
