Software & tooling

The following software and tools are being actively used by UX researchers and designers at Transport Canada:

Miro - Team or Business Edition

Cloud-based virtual whiteboarding software used to:

Facilitate workshops
Conduct brainstorming sessions
Develop diagrams such as:
- Service blueprints
- Personas
- Site maps
- Business process flows
- Conceptual mind maps
- Product roadmaps

Current cost of $10 US/month (month-to-month) for the Team edition, $16/month (month-to-month) for the Business edition.

How to request Miro

Submit a Software Request Form. You will need your manager’s responsibility centre financing code (Example: 4-D-5B30-P61-120-4681-0000-0000-9) for billing purposes.

Related extensions

The Miro Web Clipper is a Chrome browser extension that’s an easy way to capture and save webpage screenshots directly into your Miro library. This avoids having to take screengrabs with third party apps and then copy and paste into Miro separately.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/miro-web-clipper/ecfnenchgjbicgaooadfdmcojkcmjblk

Figma (Professional Edition)

Cloud-based high-fidelity prototyping software.

Current cost of $15 US/month (month-to-month).

How to request Figma

Submit a Software Request Form. You will need your manager’s responsibility centre financing code (Example: 4-D-5B30-P61-120-4681-0000-0000-9) for billing purposes.

Axure Pro

Cloud-based high-fidelity prototyping software. This is no longer being recommended for new projects, but still in use for older projects at TC.

Current cost of $29 US/month (month-to-month).

Balsamiq Mockups (Desktop)

Low-fidelity prototyping software for initial ideation and low-level exploration of concepts.

Current cost of $89 US. This software is on TC’s approved software standards list.

How to request Balsamiq

Submit a Software Request Form. While there are TC licenses previously purchased, should there not be enough licenses available, it may need to be purchased. As a result, you will need your manager’s responsibility centre financing code (Example: 4-D-5B30-P61-120-4681-0000-0000-9) for billing purposes if that’s the case.

Greenshot

Basic screen capture and annotation software. Scrolling page capture only works in Microsoft Edge and can be a little glitchy but otherwise works well while waiting for SnagIt to be approved/installed.

This software is available to download for free.

Snagit

Screen capture and recording software.

Current cost of $79 CDN. This software is on TC’s approved software standards list.

How to request Snagit

Submit a Software Request Form. You will need your manager’s responsibility centre financing code (Example: 4-D-5B30-P61-120-4681-0000-0000-9) for billing purposes.

Camtasia Studio

Video capture software that can be used for task-flow capture and annotation. This software is on TC’s approved software standards list.

How to request Camtasia

Submit a Software Request Form. You will need your manager’s responsibility centre financing code (Example: 4-D-5B30-P61-120-4681-0000-0000-9) for billing purposes.

Colour Contrast Analyzer

Tool to test contrast between foreground and background colors to meet WCAG 1.4.3/1.4.6 contrast accessibility requirements.

This software is available to download for free.

Webex

For conducting remote usability testing sessions including:

Screen sharing of applications (both inside and outside TC’s network); and
Screen recording.

Self-serve registration and billed back to TC corporately via Shared Services.

Note: Microsoft Teams will not allow taking control of the desktop for external participants, and screen recording is disabled due to issues with storage of video files outside of Canada.

Microsoft Teams

Installed by default, but recording is not enabled without specific permission. Complete the user request form (see RDIMS #17625335), get it signed by your director, and forward it to tc.iminquiries-renseignementsgi.tc@tc.gc.ca

Microsoft Clarity

Clarity is a free user behavior analytics tool that helps you understand how users are interacting with your website through session replays and heatmaps.

How to request Microsoft Clarity

Submit a Software Request Form.

NV Access

NonVisual Desktop Access (NV Access) is a free and open-source, portable screen reader for Microsoft Windows.

This software is available to download for free.

JAWS

JAWS for Windows is one of the most widely used accessibility tools. A demo version can be used for up to 40 minutes at a time (reboot required afterwards to reset it) and can be used for accessibility testing. This software is on TC’s approved software standards list.

PDF Accessibility Checker (PAC)

Free download. Name says it all!

Foxit PDF Editor

Foxit PDF Editor allows you to create, merge, and edit PDF files, as well as perform accessibility checking of PDF documents.

How to request Foxit PDF Editor

Submit a Software Request Form.