MiWay Transit
(City of Mississauga) / 2025
Improving Employee Engagement
Role:
User Experience
Intern
Duration:
4 months
Tools:
Figma
Ideascale
Overview
During my internship with MiWay Transit (City of Mississauga), I noticed a key issue of low employee engagement with MiWay’s internal innovation platform (MiIdea).
Through user-centered research and design, I developed solutions that increased employee participation by 115%.
MiWay Team at Customer Appreciation Day!
The Challenge
MiWay operates an internal idea portal where bus operators and staff can suggest improvements to routes, technology, and services. While this tool had potential, there was low engagement and many missed opportunities for innovation.
Previous MiIdea Landing Page
Research Process
Through recurring internal events with bus operators and maintenance staff, I held informal discussions to learn about the day-to-day challenges they face and the creative solutions they often come up with on the job. When I directed them to the MiIdea portal, two key barriers emerged that limited participation and confidence in the tool:
Technical Experience: The existing landing page was visually dense and unintuitive, discouraging engagement from employees with limited digital experience.
Lack of Guiding Copy: The existing portal lacked clear, supportive language and step-by-step instructions, making it difficult for employees to understand where to start or what to expect.
Content Design
To create a consistent and inclusive voice, I developed a condensed content style guide informed by copy from the City of Mississauga’s website and other leading transit agencies.
Clarity and Consistency
Motivation and Actionability
Voice and Brand Fit
Use simple language and avoid jargon to support fast comprehension. Make sure tone and phrasing align across sections to come off as professional yet human.
Help the user feel empowered as an active contributor to change. Create clear next steps to make them feel supported.
Reinforce MiWay’s identity through a clear voice that's civic, forward-thinking, and people-focused.
Content style analysis: MiWay announcements page
The Solution
Using this feedback, I prototyped and designed an intuitive, human-centered dashboard that made idea submission simpler and more approachable for all employees.
Direct links to key portal pages
Macbook Air
Leaderboard updated weekly to encourage participation through friendly competition
Macbook Air
Step-by-step guide on how to submit an ide.
Macbook Air
Product Walkthrough:
Macbook Air
To reinforce engagement, I also designed:
Success story posters to highlight real impact from employee ideas.
Event and service posters/digital screens to keep operators and staff informed about updates.
Click to navigate!
The Outcome
Employee engagement increased by 115%.
Employees reported finding the portal easier to navigate.
Gamification + storytelling created a stronger culture of innovation across MiWay staff.
Dashboard implemented here!