Local Contexts Hub
Role
Product Designer
Collaborators
3 years
Client
Local Contexts
Industry
Digital Archive
Year
2021
Designed the portal experience of a global repatriation tool that supports Indigenous communities to collaborate with institutions to recognise the original creators of taonga in their archives
Problem :
Indigenous Communities are one of the most highly documented cultures in history, however they are largely not the legal owners of their own cultural heritage and IP. The digital age has further complicated this, making traditional knowledge more accessible and continuing to perpetuate the cultural significance of these Indigenous materials. A solution was needed to support Indigenous communities to gain knowledge and control over how data is collected, managed, displayed, accessed, and used in the future.
Solution :
Local Contexts aimed to develop a digital platform enabling Indigenous communities to customise and apply Traditional Knowledge (TK) Labels to their cultural materials, while strengthening relationships with institutions to improve access to knowledge held in archives.
Previously reliant on the Mukurtu CMS, there was a need for a more robust and collaborative platform to better support Indigenous communities, researchers, and institutions within a shared ecosystem. At IDIA we were engaged to lead the design of this new experience, applying IDIA’s Culture-Centred Design framework to ensure Indigenous voices, protocols, and knowledge systems shaped the platform.
As the product designer, I helped shape an accessible, intuitive portal grounded in cultural integrity — leading visual direction, responsive layout systems, and accessibility improvements in close collaboration with stakeholders and communities involved
Challenge :
One of the main challenges was the need for three distinctly different dashboard experiences to support the unique goals of each user group: Indigenous Communities, Institutions, and Researchers. Communities required tools to customise and manage TK and BC Labels, while Institutions and Researchers focused on managing Notices and initiating collaboration.
To support these differing needs, we designed a modular dashboard system using flexible content cards and a simplified task bar. This approach allowed us to easily customise dashboard content based on account type, clearly communicate available actions, and reduce cognitive load by surfacing only relevant tasks to each user group.
Another key challenge was enabling structured collaboration between Indigenous communities and institutions. This required the design of a centralised registry that allowed communities to signal their willingness to collaborate and enabled institutions to identify relevant Indigenous collections within their archives. We also implemented functionality to support the secure transfer of TK Labels, project-based collaboration workflows, and collective decision making — ensuring transparent communication and clear governance throughout the process.
Summary :
The MVP of the Local Contexts Hub launched in 2021 and now supports a global network of over 300 Indigenous communities, institutions, and researchers across 34 countries.
I collaborated closely with a US-based developer to deliver the MVP, using Figma Dev Mode to streamline handoff and ensure design consistency, while providing ongoing cross-time-zone design support. I contributed to onboarding content, feature enhancements, QA testing, and usability improvements, helping refine an accessible, fully responsive platform grounded in Indigenous values. The result was a more intuitive user experience, improved engagement, and stronger communication of the purpose behind TK Labels and Notices — reinforcing Indigenous data sovereignty and decision-making. This project deepened my commitment to culturally responsive product design and demonstrated how thoughtful digital systems can uphold Indigenous knowledge and authority at a global scale.
I’m deeply grateful to Māui, Jane, and the Local Contexts team for the opportunity to support a kaupapa so aligned with my values. As an Indigenous design practitioner, it was a privilege to contribute to a project that prioritises Indigenous data sovereignty and honours the cultural protocols that shape how knowledge is shared.
