Water from a stone: User research in government without users. — By Sidra Mahmood Senior Product Designer at Employment and Social Development Canada (Digital Experience and Client Data Channel) Users are part and parcel of user-centred product design. They are the customer and the lifeblood of a business. For any product to be successful, it must centre user needs early in…

As COVID continues to transform the way we work, many people are now exploring e-commerce to generate income. The opportunities are pretty endless as more people start to exclusively do their shopping online. The Canadian government has even partnered with Shopify to make it easier for Canadian entrepreneurs start an…

Or, how not to give patients a heart attack. In 2018, I went to see my doctor for a routine physiological exam. I’m as healthy as someone who smokes can be (I know, I know…), so I didn’t really have any significant concerns about my health. After the exam, the doctor told me that I should only expect to…

From a not-so-qualified “qualified” candidate. I got into work this morning and was informed that there was an individual looking to speak with me from an ominous sounding organization, and that the manner was ‘urgent’ and ‘confidential’. I put down my things and got on the phone immediately. …

In which our protagonist ends up in a sleep-induced lock down, featuring an iron turkey and a leftover sandwich. I left anatomy class this morning, the realization of the true weight of my life’s decisions causing my legs to buckle as I realized that weight was actually about 28lbs (4000…

5 Steps to Winning Startup Weekend — Last year on a whim I entered Startup Weekend Toronto. I was a higher ed web developer who had lost some of her love for startup culture after getting burned and learning a few lessons. What was supposed to be a weekend of learning and observing turned into one of…