New immigration officers faced a demanding career transition:

• Intensive technical training: 8 weeks of rigorous classroom instruction as a condition of employment

• High-pressure ramp-up: Gradually increasing workload with diminishing support

• Emotional demands: Need to maintain composure and effectiveness in challenging human situations

• Career sustainability concerns: High risk of burnout without proper self-management tools

• Skill imbalance: Heavy focus on procedural knowledge without equal attention to interpersonal and self-regulation skills

The organization needed to address the human experience of becoming an immigration officer—not just the technical requirements—to build a more resilient workforce and improve long-term retention.

Research & Discovery

• Developed detailed user personas representing different types of new officers

• Journey mapped the end-to-end experience for each persona, identifying pain points and opportunities

• Analyzed emotional highs and lows throughout the training and early career phases

• Identified six core areas essential for balanced success in immigration work

Key Research Insights

The research revealed six critical areas necessary for a sustainable career in immigration:

1. Resilience: Ability to maintain effectiveness during challenging interactions

2. Self-awareness: Understanding personal triggers and response patterns

3. Strength utilization: Leveraging natural abilities in professional contexts

4. Career navigation: Skills for managing long-term professional development

5. Work-life integration: Maintaining boundaries and personal wellbeing

6. Community building: Developing support networks within the organization

Curriculum Design

• Applied principles of positive psychology and organizational development

• Created an asynchronous learning structure that respected time constraints

• Designed experiential components for skill application and reflection

• Aligned content progression with the practical challenges faced during ramp-up

• Incorporated varied learning modalities to accommodate different preferen

Integrated Experience Design

Curriculum Integration

• Secured dedicated time: Advocated for and obtained protected hours within the tightly scheduled ramp-up period

• Synchronized content: Aligned soft skills training with technical milestones to create relevant application opportunities

• Progressive complexity: Designed curriculum to build skills incrementally as officers faced increasing independence

Learning Components

• Weekly workshops: Facilitated interactive sessions introducing core concepts

• Asynchronous materials: Created self-paced learning modules for deeper exploration

• Reflective practices: Designed guided reflection exercises tied to daily work experiences

• Resource library: Developed a comprehensive collection of supporting materials

• Digital infrastructure: Built SharePoint sites for content delivery and engagement

Personal Wellbeing Tools

• Optional automations: Created opt-in reminder systems for breaks and wellbeing practices

• Mindfulness resources: Developed guided sessions specifically tailored to immigration work

• Peer connection opportunities: Structured activities to build supportive relationships

Delivery Approach

• Personally facilitated introductory workshops to ensure quality and gather direct feedback

• Created train-the-trainer materials for scalable delivery

• Established feedback mechanisms to capture impact and improvement opportunities

• Monitored engagement with asynchronous materials to identify most valuable resources

Technical Infrastructure

• Developed SharePoint architecture to house curriculum and resources

• Implemented Microsoft Flow automations for wellbeing reminders

• Created accessible documentation for future program iterations

Participant Feedback

• Received consistently positive evaluations on the relevance and value of content

• Officers reported feeling better equipped to handle the emotional demands of their work

• Participants highlighted the complementary nature of soft skills training to their technical preparation

Engagement Metrics

• Over 50% of employees voluntarily engaged with the asynchronous content beyond required elements

• This high opt-in rate demonstrated genuine value perception among new officers

• Engagement patterns revealed which resources were most utilized, allowing for content optimization

Organizational Outcomes

• Increased leadership visibility into the holistic needs of new officers

• Established precedent for dedicated wellbeing and professional development time

• Created replicable framework for future cohorts

• Enhanced perception of organizational support among new employees

Success Factors

• Securing dedicated time: Demonstrating organizational commitment through protected learning hours

• Integration with existing structure: Complementing rather than competing with technical training

• Personalization options: Providing flexibility while maintaining core curriculum integrity

• Research-based approach: Using personas and journey mapping to identify genuine needs

Experience Design Principles Demonstrated

• Holistic understanding of user needs beyond functional requirements

• Recognition of emotional journey alongside skill development

• Balance between structured learning and self-directed exploration

• Integration of digital and in-person touchpoints

• Attention to the complete user journey rather than isolated interactions

Future Opportunities

• Longitudinal assessment of impact on career longevity and satisfaction

• Expansion to include ongoing support beyond initial ramp-up period

• Development of peer mentoring components leveraging program graduates

• Integration of more advanced digital learning tools for enhanced engagement