MiWay Transit
(City of Mississauga) / 2025
Improving Employee Engagement
Case Study
Web Design
UX
Graphic Design
Role:
User Experience
Intern
Duration:
4 months
Tools:
Figma
Ideascale
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Premiere Pro
Canva
Overview
During my internship with MiWay Transit (City of Mississauga), I focused on two key challenges:
Employee engagement with MiWay’s internal innovation platform (MiIdea).
Rider etiquette issues affecting daily transit experiences.
Through user-centered research and design, I developed solutions that increased employee participation by 115% and introduced MiWay’s first ever Instagram reels campaign with 2M+ views.
MiWay Team at Customer Appreciation Day!
Problem 1: Low Engagement with the MiIdea Portal
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.
These insights revealed that improving clarity, accessibility, and trust in the platform’s messaging would be key to increasing participation.
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. The goal was to make every message approachable, clear, and reflective of MiWay’s values—service, community, and collaboration.
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 of Excerpt from MiWay Announcement's Page
Testing
To validate that the dashboard met real user needs, I conducted on-site usability testing during staff events. Participants were asked to explore the updated interface and share feedback on clarity, tone, and ease of navigation. Their input guided several refinements, including a reduction in features, a more streamlined navigation, and the use of familiar language instead of formal instructions.
Hero Copy
Version A
(Alternative)
Your Ideas. Our Future.
Submit your ideas to make MiWay better for everyone.
❌
too corporate, no identity, lacking empowerment
Version B
(Final Copy)
Mildea: Fueling change, powered by you.
Got an Idea? Share it here and help shape the future of MiWay!
✅
familiar voice, promotes ownership,
invites conversation
Step-by-Step Guide
Version A
(Alternative)
Submit your ideas.
Vote and Comment.
Track your idea.
❌
cold, procedural, uninclusive
Version B
(Final Copy)
Innovate with insight.
Vote for your favourite ideas.
Watch your idea soar!
✅
friendly, personal, inspiring!
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 idea.
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!
Problem 2: Declining Rider Etiquette
The Challenge
Through customer engagement events, the annual Customer Satisfaction Survey, and feedback analysis, we uncovered a decline in rider etiquette. Key issues included:
Fare evasion
Crowding at the front of buses
Misuse of priority seating
These behaviors negatively affected both the rider and employee experience.
The Solution
This led to a marketing campaign focused on rider education — using creative, accessible content to highlight etiquette reminders.
Produced 2 Instagram reels, making MiWay’s first appearance on social media beyond corporate posts.
Partnered with MiWay’s Marketing team to ensure key etiquette messages were clear and memorable.
The Outcome
Established MiWay’s first-ever rider-focused Instagram presence.
Generated strong engagement across digital channels, with riders recognizing the campaign as informative and entertaining.
Reinforced core etiquette behaviors that directly improved the daily transit experience.
Reflection
This internship gave me the opportunity to apply design thinking to both internal engagement and public-facing communications:
For employees: I learned how simplicity, gamification, and storytelling can drive real organizational change.
For users: I saw the impact of human-centered marketing that balances education with entertainment.
For myself: I strengthened my ability to translate research into action, blending UX methods with marketing campaigns to deliver measurable results.
Overall, this project demonstrated how design can bridge gaps — whether between staff and innovation platforms or riders and etiquette expectations.