Humanizing Migration
🎯 Challenge
This academic research project was conducted as part of the Business Design curriculum at OCAD University. Students were tasked with identifying an area of public interest that could serve as a platform for a viable business opportunity. The team selected the theme “Migrants & Megacities” to investigate the multifaceted challenges and opportunities posed by large-scale migration to urban centers.
🧭 Project Overview
Project Title: Migrants & Megacities
Course: Business and Design Thinking (SFIN), OCAD University
Timeline: September – December 2019
Team Members: Gulnar Joshi, Kendra Fernandes, Shahria Khan
Role: Business Design Researcher
Key Contributions: Ideation, Conceptualization, Storytelling, Visual Illustration, Team Collaboration
❓ Research Question
What impact does large-scale migration have on destination cities, and how does it influence the integration and assimilation of new migrants into these urban cultures?
📚 Secondary Research Insights
The team conducted extensive secondary research to understand the scope of global migration and its concentration in urban areas. Key findings included:
In 2017, over 258 million people (1 in every 30) were living outside their country of birth.
Over 90% (approximately 222 million) had migrated voluntarily.
1 in 5 global migrants resided in the world’s 20 largest cities.
Of Canada’s 7 million foreign-born population, 46% lived in Toronto alone.
🧠 Persona & Empathy Study
To gain a deeper understanding of immigrant experiences, the team developed four richly detailed personas based on real interviews. Pseudonyms and avatars are being used to preserve confidentiality
🔹 Mahreen Karim
Female, 42: Political asylum seeker, single mother of two, employed as a credit controller in the GTA.
🔹 Maruf-ul-Haque
Male, 29: International student and Express Entry PR holder, living in downtown Toronto.
🔹 Ranjita Singh
Female, 46: PR via Quebec investor stream, blue-collar worker, mother of three, residing in the GTA.
🔹 Hector Gomes
Male, 48: PR via work visa, new father, IT sales manager with a mid-sized firm in the GTA.
🌐 Systems & Stakeholder Analysis
To broaden the scope, the team employed the PESTL framework (Political, Environmental, Social, Technological, Legal, and Lifestyle) across three timelines: immediate, near, and distant futures. This enabled a layered understanding of the macro-forces influencing immigrant experiences.
Additionally, detailed stakeholder maps were developed to capture the range of actors involved before and after migration. Each stakeholder’s influence and role were evaluated, and influence diagrams were created for both pre- and post-migration phases.
🔁 Ecosystem Mapping
The ecosystem was visually mapped to show the interplay between various stakeholders and systemic forces. Interaction types were color-coded:
🔴 Red for stress-inducing
🟡 Yellow for neutral
🟢 Green for value-generating
The map featured violet nodes for immediate stakeholders and blue zones for extended ecosystem players.
🗺️ Mapping the Immigrant Journey
To frame actionable interventions, the team identified four distinct phases of an immigrant’s journey:
Discover – researching destinations
Engage – making preparations and first contacts
Interact – executing critical early tasks upon arrival
Outcome – achieving early milestones of integration
✍️ Experience Mapping & Human Factors
A more granular experience map was developed to track emotional and practical shifts through each phase of the journey. This was further supported by a Five Human Factor analysis, which revealed how immigrants’ needs fluctuate significantly over time, especially during the first 70 days post-arrival.
🧩 Problem Statement
How might the integration and assimilation experience of immigrants into large cities be improved—for migrants, the cities, and native populations—within the first 0 to 2 years of resettlement?
💡 Opportunity Space
The research revealed that immigrants often lack tailored, real-time, and trustworthy support systems during their initial transition. Emotional vulnerability and procedural complexity compound the stress of migration. These gaps represented critical opportunity areas for design-led innovation.
🛠️ Conceptual Solutions
The team proposed three interconnected, human-centered services:
🌐 MigInfo
A personalized neighborhood ranking platform driven by big data, public/private APIs, and user-generated content.
Benefit: Offers over 300 unbiased filter options, enhancing confidence in early decision-making.
Value: Helps users find neighborhoods that align with their needs (e.g., culture, schools, cost) during the Discover phase.
🏠 FirstSeven
A host-matching program connecting newcomers with local residents who reflect similar cultural backgrounds and dietary practices.
Benefit: Encourages trust, emotional support, and guided learning-by-doing during the Interact → Outcome phase.
Value: Assists with essential setup tasks such as getting a SIN, opening a bank account, or buying a SIM card.
🤝 FirstSeventy
A localized service platform that taps into tacit community knowledge to provide culturally specific micro-services (e.g., halal meal prep, childcare, transport).
Benefit: Facilitates smoother micro-adjustments throughout the first 70 days of settlement.
Value: Helps immigrants navigate the long tail of integration with ongoing, culturally resonant support.
🧾 Business Model Innovation
Using the Flourishing Business Model Canvas, the team integrated social and environmental considerations into the service ecosystem. The business case illustrated how MigInfo, FirstSeven, and FirstSeventy could operate cohesively to promote long-term integration outcomes.
The business model was collaboratively developed on Miro, emphasizing circular value, ecosystem health, and stakeholder inclusion.
👥 Team Contribution & Collaboration Ethos
Our collaborative ethos emphasized equity in workload, skills-based role allocation, and mutual respect. All members had the autonomy to contribute meaningfully, and prior consent was obtained before assuming additional responsibilities.
✍️ Acknowledgment
Acknowledges collective authorship and the adaptation of this content from the team’s final project report.