Musqueam Indian Band: Building a Vibrant Community
- Indigenous
Musqueam’s ancestors have lived in and been stewards of the Fraser River estuary for thousands of years. With a commitment to an enhanced quality of life for the benefit of all generations of the Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm) people, they work together as a self-governing nation to develop a community that embraces their history and traditions. Musqueam is a leader in its region, partnering with businesses, governments and neighbouring First Nations to invest in economic development and sustainability.
The Challenge
The importance of form and function
The Musqueam Indian Band had specific needs for updates and enhancements when they awarded the website development project to our team. Their existing site had been recently redesigned, but several elements were not functioning properly. They were looking for a digital partner with strong WordPress experience including expertise in content management and security best practices.
In addition to functionality updates, they were eager to incorporate the Musqueam hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language throughout the site and update the design in keeping with the brand. Having worked with other Indigenous organizations over the years, we were honoured to have the opportunity to collaborate with Musqueam and welcomed the opportunity to learn more about their culture.
Client
- Musqueam Indian Band
Sector
- Indigenous
Service
- Strategy
- User Experience
- Design
- Development
Technology
- WordPress
The Solution
An engaging design with well-organized content
We kicked off our discovery work with Musqueam by listening to the needs of their administrators, and by researching how audiences navigated the registration process for the members-only section. We learned important insights early on, identifying unnecessarily complicated tasks for internal and external users alike.
During the information architecture phase, we provided recommendations on content strategy and an overhaul of the site’s navigation, including a move away from the members-only section altogether. We created an Administration section that specifically served the organizational and Band member needs and worked with their team to reorganize the content, restructuring and rearranging landing pages to better communicate the Musqueam story.
With an integrated design that honours the Musqueam brand and content that educates and informs, the refreshed website encourage audiences to learn about Musqueam culture, language and their commitment to building a vibrant and self-reliant community.
