Designing With, Not For: Co-Designing a Board Game with Youth

Join us as we take a journey with Danny (Dinh Nguyen) Nhu and Maria Montano about co-designing with youth, part of the TASTE research project!

Designing With, Not For: Co-Designing a Board Game with Youth
Designing with communities requires more than asking for feedback. It means creating meaningful opportunities for people to shape the questions, tools, and experiences that affect them.

In this presentation, we will share the journey of co-designing a board game with youth as part of the TASTE research project. We will explore how youth perspectives informed the development and iteration of the game, and how “play” became a way to support participation, reflection, and dialogue around education, employment, and future pathways.

Using this experience as a case study, we will reflect on the opportunities and challenges of bringing co-design into UX research, particularly when working with young people and communities whose experiences with systems and services are often shaped by barriers to participation and access.

Danny (Dinh Nguyen) Nhu is a Research Associate at Algonquin College’s Human-Centred Design Lab, leading community-based applied research that advances service transformation for vulnerable populations through participatory, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches grounded in lived experience.

With a background in design and a transition into applied research, he brings a human-centred approach that combines analytical thinking, creativity, and empathy. Originally from Vietnam, he completed a master’s degree and worked in Taiwan before settling in Ottawa. This cross-cultural journey informs his approach to research and collaboration, alongside a strong commitment to equity, accessibility, and meaningful social impact.

Maria Montano is a Research Associate at Algonquin College’s Human-Centred Design Lab, where she works with youth, communities, and service organizations to explore how research and design can contribute to more inclusive and meaningful experiences. Her approach is grounded in a belief that human-centred design can help communities navigate and reshape systems that affect their everyday lives.

Originally from Colombia, Maria began her career designing tangible products and working with businesses to understand users and translate their needs into products and experiences. Since moving to Canada, she has expanded this perspective through training in Service Design and Human-Centred Design, exploring how a more human-centred approach can be applied beyond products to services, systems, and the everyday realities of communities. Her work is particularly interested in creating more inclusive ways for people to participate, access opportunities, and belong.

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About The Venue
Impact Hub Ottawa is situated on the 7th floor of a high-rise building and at 7pm the entry doors on the ground floor/street level lock automatically. If you arrive late, please send a message to +1-613-655-2238 for entry.

By signing up and attending this event, you agree to allow photos to be taken during the session for future promotional use.

Water, tea and coffee are provided for free, but food will not be available. You are welcome to bring your own snack. No alcoholic beverages please. If you like to head out for a drink afterwards, there are various options near by to do so.

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Our Sponsors
We are extremely grateful to these organizations for their generous support of CapCHI and the local design, HCI and UX community.

CanUX
CanUX is an independent, locally-grown, volunteer-driven conference created for people who want to learn and share their expertise about experience design and how the profession can contribute to making things work better for everyone. The 14th edition of CanUX, Canada’s premier UX event, is happening in Ottawa on Nov 3-6, 2027.

DFFRNT
We’re an exceptional team of highly experienced behavioural researchers and design strategists. We apply a fundamental understanding of human behaviour, strategic design and human-computer interaction to deliver product and service design value.

Outwitly
Outwitly is more than a UX recruitment agency. We’re your strategic design partner. We help you hire exceptional UXers, service designers, and researchers — with ongoing support from our own design experts to ensure lasting impact.

Impact HUB Ottawa
Impact HUB is Ottawa's coworking space for social impact where consultants, non-profits, social entrepreneurs and small business owners like you get the workspaces, services, and experts you need to do good better.