At the Faculty of Engineering’s Winter 2026 Design Day, graduate students Jie Wang, Yangchun Chen, Shan Lyu, Tianyi Jiang and Yinghui Li partnered with the National Indigenous Climate Compass (NICC) to redesign its community page. As mandated by the NICC, the team set out to improve how climate information is presented.
A tool for climate preparedness
The NICC is an online platform designed to provide Indigenous communities with information they need to prepare for climate change. Created by and for Indigenous communities, the tool provides key data for specific Indigenous territories to help drive community infrastructure, energy and potable water projects.
NICC’s collaboration with engineering graduate students aimed to improve how local climate information is organized, accessed and understood. As climate data is often highly technical, fragmented and difficult to interpret, the team set out to rethink how this information is delivered to communities.
Making climate data meaningful
At the centre of the redesigned community page is a clear, intuitive interface with an interactive map. The platform allows users to explore community-specific information on, for example, climate activity, wildfire risks and environmental changes tied to their location. Rather than navigating multiple datasets or technical dashboards, users can quickly see what’s happening in their territory and why it matters.
“These are environmental factors that can impact Indigenous communities’ daily lives. This project can inform planning and benefit communities across Canada,” says Chen.
The NICC community page redesign supports informed decision-making without requiring specialized knowledge in climate science or data analysis. The result is a tool that helps communities anticipate challenges, prioritize actions and plan for the future.
Designing with empathy and purpose
Beyond functionality, a central focus of the project was understanding not only what information communities need, but how they experience and use that information in real‑world settings.
“One of the main outcomes of this project is not just data accuracy, but to have empathy with Indigenous communities,” says Jiang.
This perspective shaped key design decisions, from simplifying navigation to reducing visual clutter and removing barriers limiting engagement with digital tools. Rather than crowding the page with features, the redesign prioritizes ease of use.
As climate challenges intensify across Canada, Indigenous communities are often disproportionately affected. Tools that are both accurate and culturally mindful play an increasingly important role in supporting local decision-making. The NICC community page demonstrates how engineering can contribute to more inclusive, community-focused climate solutions and reinforces the importance of designing with, not just for, communities.