The North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) 2023

Improving user experience and attracting public participation, including count down warm up, volunteer recruitment and gift shop.

Role

Lead Designer

CLIENT

North American Indigenous Games Council

AREAS

Website Design / Promotion Video

The North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) 2023

Background

Kjipuktuk (Halifax, NS) hosted the largest North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in 2023, the first in three years following the global pandemic. NAIG is a quadrennial athletic competition with 16 sports in over 21 different venues, bringing in over 5,000 Indigenous North American athletes, coaches, delegates, and staff from 756 First Nations across North America.

Due to the pandemic and evolving global restrictions, the event faced shifting timelines. To manage communications effectively through these uncertainties and ensure seamless engagement up to the Games, NAIG and its Governance Committee required a new website.

Approach

After dissusion, we found the Information Architecture can be simplified, and there were some repetitive fields. In order to make information clear and accessible to users, we updated the IA.

*After discussion with client, we simplified the IA.*

‍

Challenge

The games were held to commemorate Indigenous heritage and athletic achievements. The website needed to reflect Indigenous culture while bridging the gap between tradition and modern digital engagement, ensuring the experience remained visually appealing, informative, and engaging. To achieve this, I conducted extensive research on Indigenous knowledge and cultural representation to ensure a respectful design approach. This included careful consideration of color palettes, imagery, and iconography.

Additionally, the website needed to accommodate three key phases of the Games, each with distinct objectives:

Warm-up Stage: Attract visitors, recruit volunteers, and promote Indigenous culture.
Hosting Stage: Provide real-time sports schedules and event information.
Closing Stage: Offer post-event resources, including a gift shop.

To address these varying needs, I incorporated a dynamic button on the right side of the navigation bar, enhancing functionality and visibility across different stages of the event.

Since the Games featured several unique traditional sports unfamiliar to many visitors, I implemented an interactive hover animation section. This feature provided an intuitive overview of each sport, making them easier to understand while adding an engaging and enjoyable element to the browsing experience.