Embark (Public) + Design System
Overview
Empowering parents to understand RESPs from the very beginning, with clear, trustworthy guidance throughout their child’s life. An educational, public-facing experience that builds confidence and supports families from first questions to solid financial planning decisions.
Role
Product Designer
Challenges
RESPs are confusing.
Many parents don’t know how grants work, how much they can save, how to pick a school, or what careers their children might want. Most banks don’t help—their sites are full of jargon and aren’t designed for real family needs.
Embark saw a gap: parents need clear, trustworthy information long before opening an account.
Opportunity
Opportunities in the redesigned public ecosystem:
Build trust with new and expecting parents
Parents were often unsure about RESPs and financial decisions. By providing clear, easy-to-understand explanations and step-by-step guidance, we could make families feel confident using the platform, increasing engagement and trust.
Help kids explore their interests early
Kids lacked structured ways to explore careers and goals. Designing tools like the Career Kickstart Quiz provided an interactive way to guide decision-making, fostering early engagement with education and career planning.
Guide teens and parents in finding schools that fit goals and budgets
Families struggled to connect career and educational goals with practical school options. Creating tools like the Career & School Matcher allowed users to explore suitable options, reducing confusion and improving decision-making.
Provide access to partnership programs
Parents were missing opportunities to leverage partnerships for additional resources. The Partnerships page made programs (e.g., CFL, UFT, PolicyMe) visible and easy to explore, helping parents maximize benefits for their children.
Make RESP planning simple, actionable, and empowering
Many families faced complexity with RESP products, tools, and processes. Redesigning pages across the platform (RESP products, RESP tools, Embark Student Foundation, Refer a Friend, etc.) and splitting navigation for Parents vs. Expecting Parents created a structured, intuitive experience, encouraging early exploration and confidence in planning.
Design Process
Research
Interviewed parents with different financial knowledge
Studied competitor sites and education tools
Mapped needs for expecting parents, kids, and teens
Found pain points: confusion, mistrust, overwhelm
Design Approach
Use plain language, not financial jargon
Build trust with modern, clear visuals
Provide tools with clear next steps, not just static content
Connect all tools into a seamless Embark ecosystem
Impact
The redesigned public ecosystem made RESPs easier for parents to understand and use. More families explored schools, careers, and savings earlier, building trust in Embark as a supportive partner. By providing intuitive tools, clear explanations, and age-appropriate experiences, we helped parents plan with confidence, making RESP planning simple, actionable, and empowering.
As part of this work, I redesigned the entire website structure, including:
90% of the current live pages
Site menu navigation, with a clear split between Parents and Expecting Parents (RESP, Tools, Learning, Money Major, Offers, Company)
Key pages such as Refer a Friend, Understanding RESP, Career Kickstart Quiz, Partnerships (CFL, UFT, PolicyMe, etc.), RESP products, RESP tools (calculator, career & school matcher), Embark Student Foundation, How to Get SIN (for expecting parents), and Login/Sign-Up pages
Updated all components and the design system to ensure a consistent, scalable, and accessible user experience across the entire ecosystem
Result
This project taught me to design for a wide range of users—from curious kids to teens and parents making big financial decisions. I saw how clear, educational design builds trust for families facing complex topics.
It also showed that great design works best with strong data. Going forward, there’s a big opportunity to make RESP planning even more helpful and empowering for families.
Embark (Public) + Design System
Overview
Empowering parents to understand RESPs from the very beginning, with clear, trustworthy guidance throughout their child’s life. An educational, public-facing experience that builds confidence and supports families from first questions to solid financial planning decisions.
Role
Product Designer
Challenges
RESPs are confusing.
Many parents don’t know how grants work, how much they can save, how to pick a school, or what careers their children might want. Most banks don’t help—their sites are full of jargon and aren’t designed for real family needs.
Embark saw a gap: parents need clear, trustworthy information long before opening an account.
Opportunity
Opportunities in the redesigned public ecosystem:
Build trust with new and expecting parents
Parents were often unsure about RESPs and financial decisions. By providing clear, easy-to-understand explanations and step-by-step guidance, we could make families feel confident using the platform, increasing engagement and trust.
Help kids explore their interests early
Kids lacked structured ways to explore careers and goals. Designing tools like the Career Kickstart Quiz provided an interactive way to guide decision-making, fostering early engagement with education and career planning.
Guide teens and parents in finding schools that fit goals and budgets
Families struggled to connect career and educational goals with practical school options. Creating tools like the Career & School Matcher allowed users to explore suitable options, reducing confusion and improving decision-making.
Provide access to partnership programs
Parents were missing opportunities to leverage partnerships for additional resources. The Partnerships page made programs (e.g., CFL, UFT, PolicyMe) visible and easy to explore, helping parents maximize benefits for their children.
Make RESP planning simple, actionable, and empowering
Many families faced complexity with RESP products, tools, and processes. Redesigning pages across the platform (RESP products, RESP tools, Embark Student Foundation, Refer a Friend, etc.) and splitting navigation for Parents vs. Expecting Parents created a structured, intuitive experience, encouraging early exploration and confidence in planning.
Design Process
Research
Interviewed parents with different financial knowledge
Studied competitor sites and education tools
Mapped needs for expecting parents, kids, and teens
Found pain points: confusion, mistrust, overwhelm
Design Approach
Use plain language, not financial jargon
Build trust with modern, clear visuals
Provide tools with clear next steps, not just static content
Connect all tools into a seamless Embark ecosystem
Impact
The redesigned public ecosystem made RESPs easier for parents to understand and use. More families explored schools, careers, and savings earlier, building trust in Embark as a supportive partner. By providing intuitive tools, clear explanations, and age-appropriate experiences, we helped parents plan with confidence, making RESP planning simple, actionable, and empowering.
As part of this work, I redesigned the entire website structure, including:
90% of the current live pages
Site menu navigation, with a clear split between Parents and Expecting Parents (RESP, Tools, Learning, Money Major, Offers, Company)
Key pages such as Refer a Friend, Understanding RESP, Career Kickstart Quiz, Partnerships (CFL, UFT, PolicyMe, etc.), RESP products, RESP tools (calculator, career & school matcher), Embark Student Foundation, How to Get SIN (for expecting parents), and Login/Sign-Up pages
Updated all components and the design system to ensure a consistent, scalable, and accessible user experience across the entire ecosystem
Result
This project taught me to design for a wide range of users—from curious kids to teens and parents making big financial decisions. I saw how clear, educational design builds trust for families facing complex topics.
It also showed that great design works best with strong data. Going forward, there’s a big opportunity to make RESP planning even more helpful and empowering for families.
Embark (Public) + Design System
Overview
Empowering parents to understand RESPs from the very beginning, with clear, trustworthy guidance throughout their child’s life. An educational, public-facing experience that builds confidence and supports families from first questions to solid financial planning decisions.
Role
Product Designer
Challenges
RESPs are confusing.
Many parents don’t know how grants work, how much they can save, how to pick a school, or what careers their children might want. Most banks don’t help—their sites are full of jargon and aren’t designed for real family needs.
Embark saw a gap: parents need clear, trustworthy information long before opening an account.
Opportunity
Opportunities in the redesigned public ecosystem:
Build trust with new and expecting parents
Parents were often unsure about RESPs and financial decisions. By providing clear, easy-to-understand explanations and step-by-step guidance, we could make families feel confident using the platform, increasing engagement and trust.
Help kids explore their interests early
Kids lacked structured ways to explore careers and goals. Designing tools like the Career Kickstart Quiz provided an interactive way to guide decision-making, fostering early engagement with education and career planning.
Guide teens and parents in finding schools that fit goals and budgets
Families struggled to connect career and educational goals with practical school options. Creating tools like the Career & School Matcher allowed users to explore suitable options, reducing confusion and improving decision-making.
Provide access to partnership programs
Parents were missing opportunities to leverage partnerships for additional resources. The Partnerships page made programs (e.g., CFL, UFT, PolicyMe) visible and easy to explore, helping parents maximize benefits for their children.
Make RESP planning simple, actionable, and empowering
Many families faced complexity with RESP products, tools, and processes. Redesigning pages across the platform (RESP products, RESP tools, Embark Student Foundation, Refer a Friend, etc.) and splitting navigation for Parents vs. Expecting Parents created a structured, intuitive experience, encouraging early exploration and confidence in planning.
Design Process
Research
Interviewed parents with different financial knowledge
Studied competitor sites and education tools
Mapped needs for expecting parents, kids, and teens
Found pain points: confusion, mistrust, overwhelm
Design Approach
Use plain language, not financial jargon
Build trust with modern, clear visuals
Provide tools with clear next steps, not just static content
Connect all tools into a seamless Embark ecosystem
Impact
The redesigned public ecosystem made RESPs easier for parents to understand and use. More families explored schools, careers, and savings earlier, building trust in Embark as a supportive partner. By providing intuitive tools, clear explanations, and age-appropriate experiences, we helped parents plan with confidence, making RESP planning simple, actionable, and empowering.
As part of this work, I redesigned the entire website structure, including:
90% of the current live pages
Site menu navigation, with a clear split between Parents and Expecting Parents (RESP, Tools, Learning, Money Major, Offers, Company)
Key pages such as Refer a Friend, Understanding RESP, Career Kickstart Quiz, Partnerships (CFL, UFT, PolicyMe, etc.), RESP products, RESP tools (calculator, career & school matcher), Embark Student Foundation, How to Get SIN (for expecting parents), and Login/Sign-Up pages
Updated all components and the design system to ensure a consistent, scalable, and accessible user experience across the entire ecosystem
Result
This project taught me to design for a wide range of users—from curious kids to teens and parents making big financial decisions. I saw how clear, educational design builds trust for families facing complex topics.
It also showed that great design works best with strong data. Going forward, there’s a big opportunity to make RESP planning even more helpful and empowering for families.
