Roadmap
2025/2026
Strategic Themes
Increase:
- Trust in GCDS to encourage adoption
- Clarity in the strategy and direction of GCDS
- Collaboration with other teams and departments
Product deliverables
| Deliverable |
Status |
| Improve onboarding flow for developers |
✅ Completed |
| Improve onboarding flow for designers |
✅ Completed |
| Improve form input components with better validation |
✅ Completed |
Research
| Activity |
Status |
| Usability of GCDS Icons |
✅ Completed |
| General accessibility testing with Fable |
✅ Completed |
| Support ticket analysis |
✅ Completed |
Engagement & Collaboration
| Activity |
Status |
| English and French demos |
✅ Completed |
| Forum |
✅ Completed |
| Newsletter and blog posts |
✅ Completed |
| Digital Transformation Office on new Footer links |
✅ Completed |
| Engage with the IT Accessibility Office for the next accessibility audit |
✅ Completed |
| Explore Modal component from Department of Fisheries and Oceans |
✅ Completed |
Product deliverables
| Deliverable |
Status |
| Launch CSS Shortcuts v1 |
🔄 In progress |
| Security enhancements |
🔄 In progress |
Research
| Activity |
Status |
| Post launch analysis |
📅 Planned |
| Data table component research |
🔄 In progress |
Engagement & Collaboration
| Activity |
Status |
| English and French demos |
📅 Planned |
| GC Design System Forum including a presentation from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans |
✅ Completed |
| Newsletter and blog posts |
📅 Planned |
| Collaboration with National Resources Canada on MapML plugin |
🔄 In progress |
| Collaboration with Department of Fisheries and Oceans on an Angular starter app |
🔄 In progress |
Product deliverables
| Deliverable |
Status |
| Exit alpha: go live |
🔄 In progress |
| Release Data table component |
📅 Planned |
| Additional starter apps for React, Angular |
📅 Planned |
| Explore Sa11y accessibility plugin |
📅 Planned |
Research
| Activity |
Status |
| Flexibility and customization needs |
📅 Planned |
| Data table component usability and accessibility |
📅 Planned |
| CSS Shortcuts usability |
📅 Planned |
Engagement & Collaboration
| Activity |
Status |
| English and French demos |
📅 Planned |
| GC Design System Forum |
📅 Planned |
| Newsletter and blog posts |
📅 Planned |
| Collaboration with Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Library and Archives Canada on .NET starter app |
📅 Planned |
Product deliverables
| Deliverable |
Status |
| Additional component or pattern: Autocomplete or Modal (Department of Fisheries and Oceans contribution) |
📅 Planned |
| Resolve priority blockers to adoption |
📅 Planned |
Research
| Activity |
Status |
| Adoption blockers |
📅 Planned |
| More usability testing |
📅 Planned |
| Accessibility testing |
📅 Planned |
Engagement & Collaboration
| Activity |
Status |
| English and French demos |
📅 Planned |
| GC Design System Forum |
📅 Planned |
| Newsletter and blog posts |
📅 Planned |
| Collaboration with Digital Transformation Office on most used patterns of Canada.ca |
📅 Planned |
Completed in 2024/2025
- Mandatory elements alignment with Canada.ca
- Support for NextJS
- Released a bilingual design library
- Full VueJS package
- Improvements to Angular package
- New and updated components: Card, Fieldset, Icons, Stepper, Date input, Notice
- Deployed GCDS Card component on Adobe Extension Manager for Canada.ca
- Released the basic page template
- Provided an introduction and path to GCDS from design.canada.ca
- Conducted a GC design community market survey
- Created new pages on GCDS accessibility information and testing
- Accessibility testing completed with 30 people through the year
- 5 completed usability research activities through the year
- Established a contribution model
- Post demo surveys
- Created the GCDS mailing list and quarterly newsletters
- Created recurring demos with self sign up
Collaboration and support channels
Check out our Get involved page to learn about what we're working on and how you can contribute.
Visit our GitHub repo to report an issue or make a suggestion.
Product Roadmap Disclaimer: Change is Expected
The product roadmap is a living document, subject to change based on shifting priorities, resource availability, and unforeseen dependencies. Any item that has not yet started may be reprioritized or replaced by a higher-value initiative. Items currently in progress may encounter delays as we navigate challenges and learn along the way.
We share this roadmap to foster transparency, encourage collaboration, and align with our stakeholders. Your feedback and contributions are always welcome as we refine our path forward.
2025-08-27