On a First Nations website project, the work that decides whether members actually use the new site happens before anyone opens a design file. It’s the consultation. When it’s done with care, you end up with a brief council can stand behind and a site people recognize as their own. When it’s rushed, you tend to get something that looks fine and quietly gets worked around by staff and members alike.
We wrote about why this matters in web design for First Nations governments. This post is the practical part: who to talk to, how to ask, and what to do with what you hear.
Be clear about what’s open for input
People give better feedback when they know what they’re weighing in on. Before you plan a single session, decide which questions are genuinely open: which services matter most, what members struggle to find, how the Nation wants to present itself, and where the language should appear. Things that are already decided, like the platform or the budget, are worth saying out loud too, so nobody spends an evening debating them.
Hear from more than council
Council and leadership set the direction, but they’re rarely the people using the site every day. Make sure the list also includes:
- The department staff who’ll publish housing notices, job postings and health program updates.
- Elders and knowledge keepers, especially for anything cultural or language related.
- Youth, who often notice the practical problems first.
- Members living off territory, who may depend on the website more than anyone for news and services.
- Members with limited internet access, since the site has to work on an older phone over a patchy connection.
Meet people where they already are
A mix of formats reaches more people than any single one. Community sessions work well, and sharing a meal usually helps with turnout. Short surveys, on paper as well as online, catch people who can’t come in. Staff interviews surface the day-to-day problems, and a table at an event or annual general assembly reaches members who’d never book time for a website conversation.
Follow the Nation’s own protocols for how Elders and knowledge keepers are invited and recognized, including honoraria where that’s the practice. If sessions would work better in the Nation’s language, plan for interpretation from the start.
Ask about tasks, and skip the colour debate
“Do you like this design?” gets you opinions that are hard to act on. Questions about real situations get you a brief: the last time you needed something from the Nation’s website, what was it, and did you find it? What do people call the office about that the site should answer? What would you want a young person, or a new staff member, to find first?
Keep a running list of the answers in people’s own words. They’re the raw material for the site’s structure, and later on they make great test questions when you’re checking whether the new navigation works.
Settle consent for photos, stories and cultural content early
Decide who approves what before content starts arriving. Photos of community members need permission, ceremonial or sacred content may not belong on a public site at all, and language content is best reviewed by the Nation’s language authority or fluent speakers. Ask council directly how the Nation wants its information handled: what gets collected, where it’s stored, who can reach it and what happens to it later. It’s much easier to build those answers into the process than to retrofit them the week before launch.
Report back before anything gets built
Share what you heard back with council and the community, and show how it shaped the plan. A simple summary of the main insights and highlights does the job: what people told you, the themes that came up most often, and the decisions those themes led to. People are far more likely to take part next time when they can see their input went somewhere. Then do a second, lighter check on the draft structure before design starts, while changes are still cheap.
Plan the time honestly
Consultation usually adds several weeks to a project. Council meeting cycles, community events and seasonal calendars all affect when people can take part, so build them into the timeline instead of hoping they won’t collide with it. Rushing this stage rarely saves time anyway, because the decisions tend to get reopened later.
Why Nations work with Ideahack on this
We’ve spent almost a decade building websites with First Nations governments and Indigenous organizations, and consultation is where that work starts. Here’s what that looks like with us:
- The listening comes first. Stakeholder conversations, council presentations and community input sessions happen before any design work begins.
- Work you can go and look at. We’ve built websites for the Tŝilhqot’in National Government, the Nisg̱a’a Nation, Nisg̱a’a Language & Culture and TNDC.
- Your identity stays yours. The Nation’s own art and colours are used with permission, and its language is spelled correctly on every screen.
- A site your own team can run. Training and documentation are part of the build, and most of our clients stay with us after launch.
See how we approach Indigenous website design, or get in touch if your Nation is planning a new website.
Comparing agencies? See the six that name First Nations government work on their own sites, and the questions to ask them: First Nations government website agencies in Canada.
Frequently asked questions
How should a First Nations government run community consultation for a website redesign?
Start before any design work, with a clear idea of what’s open for input. Hear from council, the staff who publish, Elders and knowledge keepers, youth, and members living off territory, using a mix of community sessions, short surveys, staff interviews and conversations at events. Ask about the tasks people struggle with rather than design preferences, settle consent for photos and cultural content early, and report back what you heard before the site is built. Ideahack runs this kind of consultation, including council presentations and community input sessions, for First Nations governments.
Who should be consulted for a First Nations website?
Council and leadership, the department staff who will publish and maintain content, Elders and knowledge keepers, youth, and members who live off territory and may rely on the website most. Members with limited internet access matter too, since the site has to work for them on older phones and slower connections.
How long does community consultation add to a website project?
Usually several weeks, depending on council meeting schedules, the number of community sessions and seasonal and cultural calendars. It’s worth planning for at the start, because rushing consultation tends to cost more time later when decisions get revisited.
How do you handle photos and cultural content on a Nation’s website?
Agree early on who approves what. Photos of community members need permission, ceremonial or sacred content may not belong on a public site at all, and language content is best reviewed by the Nation’s own language authority or speakers. Ask council how the Nation wants its information handled too: what gets collected, where it’s stored and who can reach it.
Ideahack Digital is a Vancouver-based agency that builds websites with First Nations governments, public agencies and nonprofits. Get in touch →
