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This was originally created for internal use by our design community. It is not a complete overview of interaction design, but rather documentation that was used previously to support onboarding, find alignment and spark conversations about our practice and standards within the Canadian Digital Service (CDS).

Interaction designers employ a user-centred approach rooted in usability research and fundamental rules of perception and cognition to inform products and services that help people accomplish their tasks in a timely and effective manner.

To enable and guide a successful means of interaction between the government and the public, our interaction designers use an iterative design process to build products that are tailored to suit the abilities and needs of the people who use them. The hope is that, at the end of the process, people reach their goals with a sense of satisfaction rather than frustration.

Good design is enabling. When done well, interaction design is an important vector of inclusion. Well-thought-out interactions, guided by principles of usability, user experience and user-centred design, provide a head start toward clarity and flexibility to meet all users’ needs.

At CDS, interaction designers are dedicated to champion consistent and delightful digital experiences for people who use public services and products, and for the public servants who deliver these services.

Our interaction designers operate using the following principles:

• Create consistent, efficient and unified experiences that enable confidence and trust from those who need to use government services.
• Design with authenticity, integrity and responsibility.
• Craft and scale inclusive, accessible and user-friendly digital experiences.
• Create standards and patterns that enable teams to be efficient and save time.
• Lead best practices in interaction design.
• Work in the open, and encourage collaboration and community contribution.
• Iterate again and again.