Hi! I'm Joel. I work on projects that build community and make lives easier through human-centred design.

Currently @ Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE). Previously @ Ontario Digital Service (ODS).

Founder at Warm Light Design Company.

Background

I believe in the impact of design: thoughtful design can transcend medium and materiality to really impact people. I'm formally trained in user experience design, and in my day to day work I try to build simple, beautiful digital experiences that help bring people together.

Outside of my day to day work, I hold a great appreciation for other mediums and practices. I'm specifically fascinated with architecture, industrial design, and carpentry. In my free time, I fantasize about moving to New Zealand and working with an architect to design my own home.

Education

Honours Bachelor of Design, User Experience Design
Wilfrid Laurier University (Ontario, Canada)
  • Graduated with distinction
  • Minor in Philosophy
  • Golden Hawk of the Year (2020)
  • Athletics Award of Excellence (2020)
  • Dean’s Honour Role (2020)
  • Alumni Association Award of Merit (2018)

Skills

  • Design thinking
  • Persona building
  • Interface design
  • Wireframing
  • Rapid prototyping
  • Journey & empathy mapping
  • Collaboration/teamwork
  • Teaching the value of design
  • Leading feedback sessions
  • Research operations
  • Receiving feedback
  • Time/priority management
  • Facilitating workshops
  • Analytic analysis
  • Making cool stuff

Experience

2022-Present
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2020-2022
Senior UX Designer @ Ontario Digital Service (ODS)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • Lead interaction designer for Verify Ontario, with >2,000,000 downloads and >40,000,000 scans
  • Facilitated over 140 usability tests and feedback sessions
  • Trusted with leading research engagements with partners and working as a practitioner and a coach to help teams at various levels of digital maturity do human-centred work
  • Appointed to Digital First Assessment panels as a UX expert
View featured case study
2016-Present
Founder @ Warm Light Design Company
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I officially founded Warm Light in 2022 with the goal of creating a design studio focused on quality and meticulous care for the human experience. Before Warm Light, I've been freelancing as an individual practitioner for years.
  • Branding, graphic, web and print design for partners, consumers and clients (client list available upon request)
  • Consulting on UX design for partners and clients
  • Developed icon packs for jailbroken iOS devices, which were deployed via a self-built GitHub repo
  • Designed and developed personal brand and portfolio website independently
View featured case study
2019-2020
Lead UX Designer / Researcher @ UltuCup
Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
  • Worked closely with CEO, PR/content team and sales team to re-design and develop new e-commerce site
  • Conducted feedback sessions with potential customers
  • Re-built the site completely to be mobile friendly
  • Improved Google PageSpeed score from 32 to 98
2018
Lead UX Designer @ Concourse Global
Remote (company based in New York, USA)
  • Designed a dashboard empowering university recruiters to connect with prospective international applicants
  • Created wire-frames and prototypes in sprints
  • Hosted dozens of usability tests and feedback sessions with internal stakeholders and external clients
  • Coached developers to build on-time and under-budget
2017-2021
Multiple paid co-curricular roles and pro-bono design projects @ Wilfrid Laurier University
Ontario, Canada
During my undergrad, I got really involved with the university. I volunteered in a number of roles before transitioning into the paid leadership positions of each office. I also did course work with a number of community partners to build my skills and help contribute to each organization's human-centred design practice.
  • Editor-in-Chief, The Carnegie [Laurier Brantford's Yearbook] (2017-2020)
  • Digital Production & Outreach Coordinator, Laurier Athletics and Recreation (2019-2020)
  • Facilitated workshops with high school students as representative of Laurier’s UX program (2019-2021)
  • Residence Life Don [R.A.] (2018-2019)
  • Coach & Captain, Extramural Volleyball (2017-2020)

Software
proficiencies

  • Adobe Creative Cloud Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, XD, InDesign, Premiere)
  • Sketch (+ Zeplin)
  • InVision, InVision Studio
  • Figma
  • HTML/CSS/JS
  • GitHub
  • Wordpress
  • Webflow
  • SketchUp