The New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) is a mandatory digital form required for all international travellers entering Aotearoa New Zealand. Designed to help manage COVID-19 and biosecurity risks, the platform collects essential information such as travel history, health status, and contact details.

To replace a time-consuming paper process, the NZTD was developed as a mobile-first web platform — reducing stress for travellers and improving operational efficiency at the border.

A multi-agency and multi-vendor collaboration brought this platform to life. It was designed to deliver:

• Clear, accessible user flows for a wide audience.

• A consistent UI design system to support long-term scalability.

• Multi-language adaptability.

• A stable, mobile-friendly experience optimised for travel environments.

As a support UX/UI designer, I contributed across several streams of the project. My work included:

• Scaling UI designs across devices and breakpoints

• Creating interactive prototypes and animation flows in Figma

• Supporting and maintaining the design system

• Co-authoring the project’s handover documentation, including style guides, UX flows, UI rationale, and reusable components

• Observing user testing sessions and synthesising feedback

This project challenged me in ways I didn’t expect — not in what I could do, but in how I could lead from behind the scenes.

I learned how to navigate complex stakeholder environments, adapt to high accessibility requirements, and work alongside another senior designer with a very different style. I balanced design clarity with flexibility — and helped shape documentation that could stand on its own long after the handover.

But my most significant growth came from learning to let go of visibility. While I contributed significantly to the project’s delivery, I wasn’t recognised publicly. That experience hurt — but it also showed me something deeper:

That I don’t need to be seen to have an impact.

That leadership doesn’t always look like a spotlight.

And that what I build quietly still holds.