In-Class Project Showcase April 2025

The Sentiers Wakefield Trails (SWT) is a non-profit organization aimed at promoting trail creation, maintenance, and associated activities in Wakefield and La Pêche. It is a part of the Trans-Canada trail which is the longest multi-use trail system in the world. The SWT is funded by the Trans-Canada trail and the local municipality. Because the trail is a part of the Trans-Canada trail, particularly in Gatineau Park, the board frequently works with the National Capital Commission.

Last year the SWT conducted research with the Interdisciplinary Studies in Human-Centred Design (HCD) program at Algonquin College. With these new research findings, the SWT came to our team from the Interactive Media Design (IMD) program to modernize their website to enhance its user experience, improve the website’s usability and accessibility, and implement the findings from the HCD groups. Alongside the website revamp, we revised their logo, designed a branding guide for their website, and crafted a tagline to strengthen their brand’s cohesion. Our project process focused on ensuring the revamp met the SWT target audience’s needs. We created eight personas, each of which reflected the SWT key audiences. From these personas we gathered that the SWT had to improve its information and donation process for funders, the sign-up process to attract volunteers, and the quantity and quality of content for trail users and trail associations. We conducted usability testing with three target audiences for the website to ensure the user experience aligned with their needs and goals.

Additionally, we enhanced the website’s SEO and addressed accessibility issues to improve the usability of the website. During the planning phase of the project, we conducted an SEO audit on the SWT which revealed many issues that had to be solved. Although the selected platform, Weebly, was limited in terms of SEO functionality, we still improved the SEO with what could be modified. Most importantly we fixed many of the issues impeding accessibility, particularly a lack of alt text on images. In companion to our accessibility fixes on the technical side, we ensured all the branding colours and elements had visible contrast and legible text sizes to assist low-vision users. To help the maintainers of the SWT website – who are an older demographic, we recorded how-to video tutorials for them to assist them in maintaining the website. This was to ensure our improvements can be sustained after our revamp. With these SEO and accessibility improvements, we also set up Google Analytics for the website to help the SWT ensure their website is meeting their goals.

We successfully integrated Orgfitech into Populii’s brand identity, creating a cohesive and streamlined digital experience. Initially developed as separate brands, their distinct visual identities caused user confusion and a fragmented experience. Through this project, we eliminated those barriers, improving clarity and usability.  

We restructured the Solutions Portfolio, simplifying it from three categories to two—Culture Shaping Tools and Skills & Knowledge—making navigation more intuitive and user-friendly. This transformation involved redesigning Populii’s website, specifically the homepage and Solutions section, to effectively communicate the updated structure.  

Ensuring brand consistency was a key priority. While maintaining the foundational branding from previous Populii designs, we aligned visual elements and UX patterns across the website. We also reimagined key tools such as Culture Monitor, Culture Screener, and Suitability Gauge to fit within the Populii ecosystem seamlessly.  

A strong UX research component guided our approach. We developed user personas, refined information architecture, and optimized navigation pathways to enhance the user journey. Additionally, we implemented SEO strategies to boost online visibility and engagement.  

Final Deliverables:  

A redesigned, mobile-friendly Populii website with an enhanced Solutions section.  

A unified WordPress design template for Culture Monitor, Culture Screener, Suitability Gauge, and Culture Tag websites, ensuring brand consistency.  

Improved navigation and UI/UX refinements for a seamless user experience.  

A comprehensive client handoff package, including step-by-step WordPress tutorials for future maintenance.  

This project successfully strengthened brand recognition, improved user engagement, and delivered a seamless digital experience, solidifying Populii’s position as a leader in cultural shaping strategies.  

The purpose of our project was to determine the feasibility of a proposed marine anchoring system located at the Confederation Basin Promenade in Kingston, Ontario. The proposed design was provided to us by our client, Kehoe Marine Construction (KMC), along with their submission to the City of Kingston as part of their Value-Added Proposal. The feasibility of the proposed design was evaluated in comparison to the tender design through investigation of wave-induced uplift forces, site-specific geotechnical conditions, and installation methodologies.

The tender design featured Dywidag anchors, intended to be drilled, grouted, and tensioned on the inside of a driven Hollow Structural Steel (HSS) pile to provide preload against wave-induced uplift forces. KMC’s proposed design of interest consists of the same HSS specified in the tender, in conjunction with a prefabricated non-shrink grout plug at the bottom of each pipe pile. KMC’s proposed design locates all anchoring connection details at the bottom of the pipe pile, eliminating the need for post-tensioning as seen in the tender drawings.

It was determined that the alternative anchoring design submitted by KMC was feasible, offering significant cost savings, improved constructability, and sufficient structural integrity to withstand wave-induced uplift forces and site-specific geotechnical conditions.

This project is an AI-driven benchmarking tool designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) evaluate their Ethics & Compliance (E&C) programs. The tool offers three tiers of benchmarking—high-level, mid-level, and deep-dive assessments. It will generate automated reports with gaps, recommendations, and benchmarking against global best practices and regulatory requirements specific to the company’s jurisdiction. The system will provide actionable insights and a scoring process through heat maps and key performance indicators.

The AI-powered ethics and compliance news aggregator tool will collect, filter, and present relevant news from multiple sources based on user preferences. Designed to function as an enhanced version of Google Alerts, this tool will cater specifically to ethics and compliance professionals, allowing them to customize their news feed, receive AI-driven summaries, and explore related topics.

The CF4AASS Video Production Initiative is a collaborative project between the charity and the Interactive Media Design (IMD) team at Algonquin College. This initiative aims to create engaging video content communicating CF4AASS’s vision, mission, values, and national advocacy efforts.

CF4AASS is an impartial, nationally registered nonprofit charity promoting the availability, credibility, and sustainability of excellence in Animal-Assisted Human Services (AAHS). The charity’s programs and activities encompass but are not limited to stakeholder engagement, special events, advocacy, outreach and education, research, and voluntary development of the AAHS Industry Sector Standards.

The organization plays a crucial role in raising awareness, developing national benchmarks, and promoting best practices with and for AAHS with end-users, service providers, and other stakeholders across various disciplines and sectors, including healthcare, social services, justice and corrections, multiple disciplines, and the interested public.

Public awareness about the AAHS remains low due to fragmentation, silos, and the status quo. The government does not regulate AAHS; anyone can start a business with little or no accountability.

Additionally, because the CF4AASS works behind the scenes and allocates all of its funding to developing national programs and special projects, CF4AASS faces challenges in promoting its vision and mission, securing donor support, and attracting volunteers to participate in essential committees to further its cause.

To address these challenges, our project will:

• Develop structured videos that communicate CF4AASS’s vision, mission, impact, and advocacy goals in an accessible and engaging way.
• Highlight the importance of the Private Member’s Bill C-417 (https://www.parl.ca/LegisInfo/en/bill/44-1/c-417) in securing government support for veterans who need AAHS.
• Promote the “One Health and Welfare” approach, which recognizes the interconnected well-being of humans, animals, and the environment.
• Enhance interest in and nurture public safety and the welfare of Human Services Assistance Animals (HSAA) within this rapidly growing AAHS industry and sector.
• Provide stakeholders, including policymakers, donors, healthcare professionals, and beneficiaries, with a clear understanding of AAHS and the dire need for a national framework to establish a credibility chain.

The project will consist of one long-form introductory video (approximately five minutes), one short-form educational video focusing on Bill C-417, and a proof-of-concept video showcasing a potential design for a directory.

By leveraging motion graphics, live-action interviews, and a structured video breakdown, these videos will serve as a powerful communication tool for relevant Calls to Action nationwide, such as replacing the former directory of AAHS with a new state-of-the-art searchable directory, promoting the Virtual AAHS Centre of Excellence, and launching a national certification program for AAHS businesses to demonstrate excellence through voluntary third-party assessments that validate adherence to the sector’s first AAHS National Standard of Canada.