In-Class Project Showcase AUG23

The client came up with the idea for the project for the business NKIN (Never Knew I Needed). NKIN is an online bridal clothing store that sells apparel for bridal activities. The main focus of the project is to provide customization tools for different items within the NKIN shop. The current project is a continuation of a previous team’s implementation with additional improvements and features in mind.

There was a need to limit the color selection for the user and allow for color palette customization for the client to pre-set. In the previous implementation, users could select any color that exists and use it as the color of the shirt. This was an issue for the client due to the limited color pool to work with when making apparel. Another requirement was to implement a drag and drop feature for images and logos to allow for further product customization while limiting where the image could be placed. In the previous implementation, whenever a user would try to add an image to a shirt, it would only allow the image to be placed in the center of the screen.

Due to issues retrieving the previous project, the team had to focus on rebuilding the project from the ground up. This new version was built with the new limitations in mind. The project was developed using the Node.js and React frameworks in the Visual Studio IDE.

Overall, we, as a team, are proud of what we have built and have learned a lot in the process. The skills developed while working with the client and each other, as well as the technical skills sharpened through this experience, are invaluable.

Thank you for taking the time to experience a small part of our journey.

We have a robotic Arm doing pick and place for us along with the sorting of the bottles. Wherever the bottles are getting filled at the different station of the project.

Our group project is a captivating website designed to streamline and simplify the 3D Model printing process for students and supervisors at the Algonquin College Manufacturing Engineering Technician Program. Tailored specifically for their needs, the website seamlessly archives and preserves students’ printed 3D Models, providing step-by-step guidance to make printing a breeze. With a user-friendly interface, it enhances efficiency and productivity by eliminating complex instructions, ensuring a seamless experience from start to finish. Empowering students to unlock their creative potential, this platform is a valuable resource for anyone involved in 3D printing.

The main objective is to develop a unified online platform.​
This platform will have an updated, user-friendly community website and an integrated digital bulletin board that aims to enhance communication and engagement within the community.​ Community members will have the possibility to upload posts that once approved by the admin will be displayed on the website.
We have focused on providing an enhanced user experience and seamless data entry for both admin users and community members.​
The technologies used to develop this application are:
– Sveltekit – JavaScript framework used to develop the application
– NextCloud – storing images,
– MongoDB – organizing data
The project has been developed to comply with WCAG AA standards for accessibility. This ensures the platform is user-friendly for all, including those with disabilities.

KnowQuest is a rating platformed designed to close the gap between reviewer’s needs and the feedback provided. It provides anonymous, accurate and meaningful reviews.

There are many colleges participating in this project! Our team worked in conjunction with another team from Algonquin College, and one from Humber college in order to provide the highest quality outcome for the client.

Our team was tasked with implementing the designs for the front end of the KnowQuest website. To balance the many moving pieces of a project at this scale, the client has implemented the usage of services such as Github and MongoDB.

Our team had the opportunity to grow in our our front end programming skills and utilise new frameworks such as bootstrap. We are grateful for the opportunity to have worked on a project that is creating value in the real world and look forward to seeing KnowQuest flourish.

Our project started with Elections Canada, an independent and non-partisan agency that ensures fairness in elections, bringing an issue of lack of trust among Canadians in their organization and the electoral process. The purpose of this project was to research factors that may be causing lack of trust and how we can increase Canadians’ trust in elections. This topic was broken down into four different themes. Our team’s theme was: What external factors and experiences impact Canadians’ perceptions of democracy?

We first narrowed our research theme to a specific demographic. Our demographic was new Canadian citizens, however due to recruitment limitations, our demographic broadened to naturalised Canadian citizens; citizens who were not born in Canada but migrated. This demographic was found to have a low voter turnout.

To understand external factors and experiences impacting our demographic’s perceptions, we conducted secondary research. This led us to break down our main theme into four sub-questions to categorise the external factors, providing structure for our primary research. They are:
– How do previous experiences with politics in their home countries impact the perception of democracy among new citizens?
– How does the language barrier impact the engagement of new citizens in the democratic process?
– What factors motivate Canadians to engage in politics?
– What level of familiarity/knowledge do new citizens have with the political system of Canada?

To recruit participants for our study, we employed various strategies: reaching out to personal contacts, social media platforms, and sending emails to professionals and organizations related to elections and immigrant support. To collect data, we conducted a mixed methods approach approved by the Algonquin College Research Ethics Board (REB). It involved the execution of an online questionnaire (quantitative data) and conducting semi-structured interviews with the participants and Subject Matter Experts (qualitative data). We received a total number of 44 survey responses, 11 participant interviews, and 6 SME interviews. The interviews gave us deeper insights as to why participants selected a certain answer, such why they feel it’s hard to find information. The SMEs provided us with information on how they interact with our demographic, giving us insights on where they maybe gaps in current services. We analyzed the data and came up with key insights that helped inform the design process.
We learned from our research that a huge factor that impacted our demographic was finding information on the political system, elections, and the voting process. When they were newcomers, they found they were having issues with feeling a sense of belonging and integration into Canadian society. This led us to build a digital platform providing political and voting information that is quick and easy to understand, visually appealing, fun, interactive, and placed in areas where our demographic comes together to feel a sense of belonging. By the end of their exposure with this platform, the participants will be more aware of Elections Canada’s role in the voting process and the political system in Canada.

Introducing Our Project: Investigating False Information in the Electoral Process

We are excited to present an overview of our collaborative research project with Elections Canada, an independent and non-partisan agency responsible for administering federal elections and referendums in Canada. Elections Canada’s mandate is to ensure fair, transparent, and accessible elections in Canada. With the rise of digital media and the prevalence of misinformation and disinformation, there is a growing concern about the impact of false information on the democratic process.

Our team, composed of four members from the Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Centred Design program at Algonquin College, brings together diverse backgrounds in political science, product design, naval architecture, and electrical engineering. This multidisciplinary approach allows us to tackle problems from different angles and find innovative solutions.

After consulting with Elections Canada, we identified the critical problem of misinformation and the lack of validation among Canadians regarding the electoral process. To delve deeper into this issue, we focused our research on Canadians aged 50 years and above, as they were found to be most susceptible to misinformation and also the most likely to share it. Through thorough investigation, we developed four key research questions:

To what degree does false information impact Canadians’ level of trust in the electoral process?
How widespread is misinformation and fake news regarding elections and the electoral system in Canada?
What validation process do Canadians aged 55+ use for information about the electoral process?
What are the factors influencing false information in Canada, and how do they impact Canadian elections?

To find answers to these questions, we conducted surveys and interviews with subject matter experts and participants representing our target demographic. Based on the insights gained, we have devised an innovative solution that aims to combat misinformation and foster a culture of information validation among Canadians.

Our solution involves the creation of a trained API powered by Chat GPT, using Elections Canada’s database and vast knowledge related to elections. This API will be integrated into a user-friendly platform accessible through text messages. By providing our demographic with easy access to reliable and accurate information related to Canadian elections, we aim to empower citizens with the tools they need to make informed decisions.

Here’s how our platform works: When users encounter information related to Canadian elections, they can simply send a text message containing the query to our dedicated number. Our trained Chat GPT API will then analyze the question, cross-referencing it with Elections Canada’s verified database. Within moments, users will receive a response that includes validated and trustworthy information related to their query.

Our long-term vision is to combat misinformation and enhance trust in the electoral process by equipping Canadians with a reliable and accessible source of information. By leveraging the power of Chat GPT and integrating it into a user-friendly text message platform, we hope to foster a culture of information validation, enabling citizens to navigate the digital realm with confidence during elections.

Our long-term plan is to combat misinformation and foster a culture of information validation among Canadians. By empowering individuals to verify information, we aim to enhance trust in the electoral process and equip citizens with the tools needed to navigate the vast online landscape during elections.

Throughout the development of this solution, our team has learned valuable lessons. Collaborative work has been essential, utilizing platforms such as Slack and Miro board to facilitate effective communication and coordination. We have appreciated the feedback received from Elections Canada and our partners, allowing us to make necessary adjustments and pivot when required. Each team member has brought their unique ideas and strengths, contributing equally to the success of the project.

We invite you to explore our website and learn more about our initiative to combat misinformation and promote information validation during Canadian elections. Together, let’s empower Canadians with the tools they need to navigate the digital realm and make informed decisions.

Thank you for visiting!

This design-research project is a collaboration of Interdisciplinary Studies in Human-Centred Design program and Elections Canada. Elections Canada is an independent and non-partisan agency responsible for administering federal elections and referendums in Canada. In a team of four with diverse backgrounds, we collaboratively worked with a multidisciplinary approach to address issues from various perspectives. Elections Canada presented us with the challenge of conducting research to explore Canadians’ perceptions of civic responsibility and their level of civic literacy. To explore this issue in depth we did extensive literature research, including examining more than 40 sources. Our insights indicated a continuous decline in youth voter turnout which revealed an alarming lack of Civic Education in Canada.

With this in mind, our study specifically focused on the Education system in Canada. We choose High School Educators (Grades 9th – 12th) as our target demographic, as they play a crucial role in imparting knowledge to young individuals within a school setting. To gain a more profound understanding of this matter, we divided our research question into four sub-questions.
1. What role do educators play in youth civic engagement and literacy in Canada?
2. Does the educational background of an educator play a role in shaping students’ civic responsibility?
3. What are the perceptions of High school educators’ regarding the civic education curricula provided by the Ministry of Education?
4. What are the thoughts of High school educators on external organizations playing a role in shaping students’ civic literacy and responsibility?

Having discovered that Educators play a role in shaping students, we further our research to understand our participant’s perceptions. We conducted a mixed-method study that combined an online survey and semi-structured interviews. With a user-centered approach, we designed our questionnaire to know their views. Our survey was categorized into civic educators and non-civic educators to compare their views on current civic education. We received 14 survey responses which helped us to reach 6 High-school Educators for the semi-structured interviews. We also interview 7 Subject Matter Experts to gain a deeper understanding of this research domain.

After data collection, we analyzed our data through affinity mapping and thematic coding techniques. The primary finding of our analysis suggests that enhancing the skills of educators in teaching civics is essential. It also highlights the need for external organizations to increase their efforts in supporting educators in this regard. In addition, providing tailored teaching materials, resources, and upskilling modules will motivate and empower them to engage in teaching.

We developed a solution that aims to address the challenges encountered by our users by leveraging respective experience principles. Our solution comprises two main components. This first component of the course involves an in-person workshop, after which they can learn the course at their own pace. Upon completion, they will receive a certificate that not only adds value to their professional growth but also enables them to influence the development of young minds positively. The second component entails establishing a knowledge-sharing community on the Elections Canada website. Through this community, participants will be able to exchange insights, tips, tricks, and feedback, fostering a collaborative and interactive communication approach.

Thank you for visiting, and we appreciate your interest!

This project was proposed by our client Kulothungan Sachinanantham to improve the organization and operation of his tax and bookkeeping services. Currently, our client sends his services to taxpayers and business owners by email. This poses an issue of organization and, more importantly, security. A tax filing system through a web application for managing client documents would address these problems. The benefit would be greater organization and security of client’s documents.

Elections Canada is an independent government institution responsible for organizing federal elections and referendums in Canada. They play a vital role in ensuring fair elections and upholding the integrity of the electoral process. They approached us with a significant issue – the erosion of trust and perception of elections. They believed that the current information landscape, influenced by both traditional and social media platforms, affected citizens’ perception of elections and contributed to lower voter participation rates. In response to this challenge, our team was tasked with supporting Elections Canada in understanding and leveraging communication channels to bridge the gap between the institution and Canadian youth, aiming to enhance civic participation.

After conducting background research and employing system mapping, we narrowed our focus to young Canadians aged 18-34. Our research revealed a trend: while political discussions flourished online among the youth, there was a decline in their actual voter participation. To gain deeper insights, we segmented the target group into young youth (18-24) and older youth (25-34), considering that their perspectives and media consumption patterns might differ based on their life stages.

Our research employed a range of methods to gather comprehensive insights. Firstly, we conducted an extensive literature review, analyzing over 40 reputable resources. This process provided a strong foundation of existing knowledge on the subject. To gather direct input from our target demographic, we administered surveys to over 100 Algonquin College students aged 18 to 34, who are Canadian citizens. Additionally, we conducted 12 in-depth interviews to delve deeper into the topic, allowing us to gather qualitative data and gain a better understanding of the factors influencing youth engagement and voting behaviour.

To further enhance our research, we collaborated with 8 subject matter experts (SMEs) who specialized in areas such as social media marketing, political science, and youth advocacy. Their expertise enriched our research by incorporating diverse perspectives and in-depth knowledge. By combining these methods, we ensured a well-rounded understanding of youth engagement and voting behaviour among our target demographic.

The research yielded valuable insights. Surprisingly, despite their frequent use of social media platforms, the youth displayed low levels of trust in them. They emphasized the value of face-to-face interactions and were more likely to vote if they had previous personal engagement with party candidates.

They also primarily relied on family and friends as sources of election information, using online channels mainly to find information about party candidates.

Equipped with these valuable insights, we centered our solution ideation around revamping the voter information service on the Elections Canada website. Our current prototype is a mockup of a new look and feel of the candidate information page, where the information is more bite-sized and intuitive and imagery used purposefully to mimic those on a social media site.

We are in the process of testing it with the target users to get feedback and improve on it. Our ultimate goal is to provide an intuitive information platform that builds trust and participation by empowering Canadian youth to actively contribute and shape the future through increased civic engagement.