Social Assistance Reform

Davis Pier was integral in supporting our client in the redesign of the income assistance (welfare) system within the province. Our work included the analysis of various approaches to income support, such as basic income, tax programming, social assistance, and other special needs. Our objective was to redesign the client experience, employment programs, and risk management and compliance model. We designed a new approach to determining client needs through the development of a predictive client segmentation model and advanced assessment tool to support case management.

Child Support Service Improvement

Davis Pier worked to support the design of a provincial government’s Maintenance Enforcement Program digital platform. Discovery research was conducted to identify insights and pain points of various partners, including recipients and payors, front line staff, reciprocal jurisdictions, and employers. This discovery research, including user journeys, insights and opportunities, and top tasks, was used to influence the design of a minimum viable service (MVS) or alpha prototype. A clickable prototype was developed and then tested with clients to assess its usability and to develop an understanding of the optimal user experience.

Disability Support Program

Davis Pier worked with a provincial government on the transformation of supports and programs for adults with disabilities. This work included the research, analysis and development of new programs, policies, and services that strive for better outcomes for adults with disabilities. The work included consultation with the disability sector, and managing the implementation of changes with front-line teams. New programs and services developed included transitioning more individuals towards community-based living, designing new vocational opportunities, and new/increased supports to enable individuals to live independently.

Employment Services Transformation

Working with a provincial government client, our team was integral in the redesign and transformation of employment services in the province. This involved strategy development, service model design, data analytics, change management and the engagement of external services providers, and overall management of the implementation. This transformation has been a viewed as a best practice in other provinces in Canada and the team was the recipient of an award for public sector excellence.

Incentive to Work

Davis Pier was engaged to develop a tool to help individuals receiving government supports understand the impact that receiving employment income would have on their support amounts.  Human centred design and behavioural insights were used with current and prospective clients to determine understanding of existing rules, pain points during their current experience, and opportunities to improve the overall client experience. The output of these interviews led to the development of four new prototypes for explaining the new rules to clients. Further client research was completed to obtain client feedback on the new tools, and the result was a digital service that provided simplified feedback to individuals to aid in decision-making.

Food Innovation Lab

Davis Pier led an 18-month social innovation lab focused on addressing food insecurity as part of a provincial poverty reduction strategy. The work involved an Insights phase that provided the chance for emersion in a number of environments and to engage over 300 individuals, including those with lived experience, service providers, and other community partners. Ideation was conducted with a cross section of citizens, not-profit providers, government service providers, and experts, resulting in two concepts that were prototyped in community. The final concept was approved and prototyped with 10 families for three months, yielding a number of positive benefits to health and wellbeing for participants.

Behavioural Insights Partnership

Davis Pier has been engaged by a provincial government as part of a unique partnership to deliver five separate projects looking to improve policy and service outcomes using behavioural science. These projects include increased attendance at meetings with case workers, reduction of demand for harmful products regulated by government, increased participation in key social programs, and increased usage of digital services.

Smart Cities

Bridgewater, Nova Scotia was selected as a finalist in the national Smart Cities Challenge granting competition. The program that the Town was proposing built upon its acclaimed Community Energy Investment Plan by proposing to transition those in “energy poverty” toward a clean and affordable energy economy through the use of data and connected technologies. As part of its final proposal, the Town needed to conduct a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) on its proposed energy program. Working with the Town and with the Nova Scotia Office of the Information Privacy Commissioner, we developed a PIA to ensure that the innovative solutions to address energy poverty complied with privacy requirements while still enabling transparency and access to data.

Corporate Registry Modernization

Our client engaged Davis Pier to provide strategic guidance, design, and implementation expertise in the transformation of the provincial corporate and business registry. This project resulted in providing businesses with the ability to register, incorporate and conduct routine business transactions online – anywhere, at any time. The government-to-business relationship was significantly simplified through the development of new laws, processes, services, and technology. Davis Pier supported the client in early stages of developing the business case, through design and user engagement and testing, to implementation support, allowing for the implementation of a fully digital and streamlined services experience for entrepreneurs and businesses.

Daycare Licensing

The early childhood education sector across the country has seen incredible change over the last few years.  As a result of changes and increased demand, our client identified a need for a more efficient, flexible, and user-friendly licensing and regulatory regime to better support operators in providing child care services.  Davis Pier was engaged to perform an in-depth review and analysis of the legislation, regulations and compliance framework, with the goal of streamlining the licensing system for both operators and government while maintaining safety and program standards. The scope of this project included extensive user research, community engagement, and jurisdictional research, taking a citizen-centred approach to regulatory modernization.