This eBook contains the beginnings of Canada’s incredible UX story

I always thought he would become an artist. As in, someone who painted paintings that hung in galleries. Ivo was one of those kids who could seemingly draw anything, and even in grade seven we were in awe of his talent. I recently found out he had become, instead, an architect, then a set designer for theatre productions. These were roles that would never have occurred to us as kids — kind of like someone turning out to become a user experience (UX) designer today.

Just as UX has enlarged our sense of what “design” is or could be, it is evolving in tandem with the growing proliferation of mobile technologies. As information becomes more digitized it is also becoming more available, across a range of devices and involving all kinds of transactions. The smartest organizations are beginning to recognize that those experiences need to be shaped, optimized and measured so that customers and citizens get what they need, when they need it, in the most positive and engaging way possible. To further their efforts, we’ve just published UX Design in Canada: How to Compete in a User-Centric World, an eBook that captures how that movement is manifesting itself in Canada.

CommerceLab’s mission is to help get more of the breakthrough ideas generated by innovative academics and entrepreneurs into real products, services and companies. We’re doing that in many different ways, but a big part of it is capturing the best practices in areas like UX design as they emerge, profiling the leading lights in the profession and identifying the opportunities and challenges that they face.

This eBook compiles some of the best writing we’ve done on UX design so far, including coverage from major industry events, conversations with UX designers who talk candidly about the ups and downs of their work, plus some ideas and inspiration they’ve contributed to us directly. Our hope is that it starts a conversation about what a UX designer in Canada can achieve, the kinds of peer community that’s developing, and the kind of person more Canadian organizations should consider hiring. I also hope it will broaden our perspective about the unique skill sets around UX. We need to begin identifying the characteristics required so that we can better educate and nurture UX talent. Canada will ultimately need more intentional UX designers than those who simply wind up in the role.

Of course, this eBook marks only the beginning of this story. Look for our continued coverage of UX design research and adoption every day on CommerceLab. Join our audience by commenting on our work or authoring a guest post. Share this eBook widely with people who will capitalize on the insights it offers. Doing any of these things will help CommerceLab succeed, and for that you have our thanks.