Jay Schacher

Every year, the Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD), Design Professionals of Canada (DesCan) and Société des designers graphiques du Québec get together to review our joint Code of Ethics. This document provides a framework for practicing design as ethically as possible. It's a wide reaching document that covers everything from working with clients, to our responsibilities to society and the environment, competitions and fees, intellectual property and so more. This year, when we sat down to review the document, there was only one word on our lips: AI. (Yeah, yeah it's technically an acronym, I know.) This AI-related update offers guidance for designers on the incorporation of AI into their work. These changes reflect AI's growing impact on the industry and the need to address concerns about transparency, data ethics and fair compensation for creators. We've purposefully kept the rules and best practices vague in an attempt to keep them relevant as the technology continues to evolve. Because we all know it's going to continue evolving, fast. https://lnkd.in/gmKVgz8v

123

4 Comments

When it comes to user research, we can’t just provide a long laundry list of pain points and tiny fixes. 📝 That’s not enough. 👇 Researchers so often get stuck in the hamster wheel of incremental product improvement that we aren’t actually spending enough time with our research (synthesizing it using design thinking) to provide true innovative solutions. (As you know, providing innovative solutions is the KEY to creating real impact.) Instead, what usually happens is that stakeholders receive these research reports with a big long list of basic, surface-level pain points to address at the end (🥱), along with some basic recommendations, and they get added to some product/feature roadmap, prioritized, and implemented in a routine life cycle. 🤷 This is great, to an extent! BUT, hello!!… DESIGN (the bigger umbrella of design) is NOT about identifying a million pain points and painfully fixing each one. Design is about creating experiences and things that delight ✨ and excite 🤸people, while being functional. User research should support that. 👉 Try not to get stuck in this trap when you’re working on your next project.  Next time, when you’re looking at a fresh set of raw research data: 🧩 Strategize: Employ frameworks to start processing the themes and repeating ideas in your data. 🧘‍♂️ Marinate: Let these themes and ideas wash over your subconscious again and again, even while you sleep! 🌀Bend and push your creative mind: Work hard at putting those ideas together in new and exciting ways. 💥 Don’t stop until you get to the magic: You will find those “aha” moments waiting underneath it all. 🎯 Communicate and sell that magic in your reporting: Showcase opportunities that will actually get at the deep-rooted design problem and elevate your organization into a trendsetting power player. The way we do this for our clients is through Action Plans. Yes, we still provide the laundry list of pains — because it IS still useful. BUT, the genius 🧠 we deliver is in translating these larger themes into ACTIONABLE and INNOVATIVE solutions that will literally transform the way those businesses deliver their products and services, and propel them ahead of the industry. This is how you get noticed in your UX career — bringing these types of solutions to the table!! #UserResearch #UXResearch #DesignInnovation #UXCareer #DigitalTransformation

16

Looking to level up your design game and master design thinking? This course is for you. Discover the art of crafting user-focused solutions through continuous iteration, testing, and improvement. We’ve partnered with Fouad Jallouli, Director of Service Design at Government of Alberta, to bring you a structured, interactive course designed to help you master Government Design Foundations through practical, hands-on learning. Here’s what you’ll learn: 🔸Learn the fundamentals of design thinking: Build a strong foundation in design thinking principles to approach challenges with a user-first mindset and foster innovation within your team. 🔸Explore problem definition and ideation techniques: Discover how to define problems effectively and generate creative, strategic solutions. 🔸Master prototyping and testing: Gain the skills to build prototypes and run meaningful tests to ensure your solutions meet real user needs. 🔸 Understand leadership and sustainability in design: Learn how to lead design thinking initiatives and embed sustainability and inclusivity into your work for long-term impact. 📚 Whether you're already in govtech or want to apply your design skills to create lasting impact, this course will guide you through every step. 🔗 Start learning today: https://lnkd.in/gJiW_fNd This course is included in Uxcel Pro — our membership that gives you access to 20+ interactive courses, skill tests, certifications, and more. #design #designthinking #creativethinking #servicedesign #productdesign #uxlearning #uxcel #uxeducation #careerboost

44

2 Comments

Are you unsure whether or not your PDFs are actually accessible? Do you want to stop guessing and finally know for sure? In the latest episode of Design Domination, you'll find out 5 reliable ways to check a PDF for accessibility, so you can design and test your PDFs with confidence. You'll also learn two mistakes many designers make when assessing a PDF’s accessibility, so you don’t repeat them in your workflow. Check out the link in comments. #pdfaccessibility #accessiblepdf

16

1 Comment

FREE REGISTRATION NOW OPEN! First in a series: At the Front Line: How AI Is Giving Clinicians Time Back Connected Care in Action: Real Progress, Real Stories, Real Impact https://lnkd.in/gHnJEZQT Healthcare in Canada is being reimagined — not in theory, but in practice. Across clinics, communities, and systems, people are rethinking how care is delivered, how information is shared, and how technology can help close gaps instead of widening them. And at the heart of this transformation? Innovation. Not as a buzzword, but as an accelerant. It’s what turns bold ideas into better outcomes. From AI tools that ease clinical workload, to Indigenous-led digital solutions, to platforms that put health information directly in patients’ hands, innovation is pushing progress forward in real time. But change doesn’t happen by chance. It’s built through partnerships, lived experience, and a shared commitment to doing things differently. Connected Care in Action is a five-part national webinar series hosted by Longwoods and Canada Health Infoway. It’s about what’s working, what we’re learning, and how we move forward, together. Each session explores a key piece of Canada’s Connected Care journey, spotlighting the real-world innovations –and the people behind them– that are reshaping the system. These aren’t theoretical discussions. They’re grounded in practice, focused on outcomes, and rooted in the belief that smart, inclusive innovation is the right way to scale better, more Connected Care for everyone.

48

As we experience this moment of transformation, the designer’s paradox has been showing up: that moment when your vision and creativity stretches forward and the culture you are in isn’t quite ready to follow. It’s not rejection. It’s the signal that something new is trying to break through. Design leadership sits right in that tension. Here’s an exploration of why that tension matters and how to move through it → https://lnkd.in/e359CAVA #designleadership #designexcellence #AIdesign #transformation #designimpact #enterprisedesign

22

1 Comment

This is what happens when you don’t think through edge cases, real-world context, or how your product will be used over time. Design doesn’t end at the mockup. Test it. Contextualize it. Stress it. #UX #ProductDesign #HumanCenteredDesign

31

3 Comments

Why do so many designers cringe at self-promotion? It's a feeling we see often in our Future of Design class at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). But today, our fireside chat with Carrie M. helped our students reframe the idea of "selling yourself." Carrie shared her incredible journey through fintech, gaming, and her work with IBM and a sustainability B-Corp. But the most powerful moment came when she described self-promotion not as pitching a persona, but as simply telling the truth about the problems you’ve solved and why they mattered. Her advice on transitioning from UX/UI to product design, staying grounded in delightful experiences, and using storytelling to create opportunities was invaluable. Three simple but powerful takeaways from our conversation: - Lead with facts and outcomes, not just your role. - Hold onto your values, because the right teams and clients will find you. - A career is a marathon, not a sprint. Protect your energy and never stop learning. Thank you, Carrie Mah, for generously sharing your time and wisdom with our students. We run these sessions to bring real-world experience into the classroom. If you were there, what’s one line from your portfolio that best tells the truth about your work? #hereatsait #interactivedesign #UXUI #Graphicdesign #webdev #Gamedevelopment #SADT #SAIT #Designcareers #Portfoliotips #UXDesign

39

4 Comments

🚨 The next wave of UX goes beyond screens. Designers who build AI tools, not just layouts, will lead the way. 🤖 AI platforms like Cursor, Onlook, and V0 enable designers to create their own utilities, automating workflows, seeding data, running accessibility checks, and more... without writing a single line of code. 👉 In my latest Medium article, I explore how designers can stop waiting for plugins (or dev bandwidth) and start building their own AI-powered tools. I also share 18 concrete examples you could build today to make your work faster and smarter. If you’ve ever wished, “I just need a tool for this...” this one’s for you. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gQDiD6Bj #UXDesign #AI #Productivity #DesignOps #Cursor #Onlook #V0

17

2 Comments

We always say this, but this week, we are a bit louder, given that it's National Accessibility Awareness Week in Canada, #NAAW2025. Accessibility is not just altruism—good accessibility is good business. ➡️ When your digital content works for people of all abilities, you expand your Audience (1 in 4 adults live with a disability). Why design a site that turns away potentially 25% of your market? Inclusivity broadens your reach. ➡️ Accessible websites see improved SEO. Many accessibility best practices (clear structure, alt text, fast performance) also boost search rankings. Investing in accessibility drives engagement and loyalty. It's not just compliance; it's a competitive advantage. Good accessibility is good business. Check out our free accessibility audit provided by accessiBe on our website: https://lnkd.in/gbHusNsw

9

2 Comments

Digital Health Canada is pleased to publish a new report made possible by the members of the CHIEF Executive Forum Working Group "Setting the Winning Conditions for AI-Powered Healthcare." Congratulations to the members of the Working Group on the success of their efforts under the guidance of Group Champion Ted Scott (Hamilton Health Sciences): Ted Alexander (Amplify Care), Angel Arnaout MD, MBA (Provincial Health Services Authority), Noralyn Baluyot (TransForm Shared Service Organization), Tamara Brown (Health Canada | Santé Canada), Michael Caesar (University Health Network), Prab Gill (Provincial Health Services Authority), Marc Koehn (Accenture), Kiza (Pakizah) Kozak (Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital), Dawn Lake (Doctors of BC), Michael Millar (Verto), Andrew Nemirovsky (Interlace Health), Prithvi Srinivasan, and Chris Sulway (OntarioMD) The Working Group developed a set of key governance and operational questions to be posed to eight leading Canadian healthcare organizations actively utilizing artificial intelligence. The responses gathered from these organizations are now available as a resource for other healthcare institutions looking to establish the right conditions for the successful implementation of AI-driven solutions. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/dV7a2QwT

56

1 Comment