Designing for Canada

After a short sabbatical and a decade in the U.K., I’m delighted to announce that I’m going to be the first Chief of Design with the Canadian Digital Service, a new initiative by the Government of Canada.

CDS’s mission is straightforward: to design, code, build and deliver simple, easy to use, accessible services for Canadians. When I first met the CDS team, I found a passionate, diverse group of people truly committed to placing user centred design at the heart of everything they do. It’s one of the many reasons I’m delighted to join the team and lead the design practice.

Canadians expect web services, like Gmail and Facebook, to be easy to use and accessible. There’s absolutely no reason why government services can’t be the same. The United Kingdom’s success with GDS and the U.S.’s success with the U.S. Digital Service and 18F are proof of this. During my time with the Ministry of Justice in the United Kingdom, my team and I designed and delivered services that made thousands of people’s lives easier and, in some cases, saved them money. I’m excited and delighted to have the opportunity to do the same here back at home.

Since the launch of CDS this summer, the team’s work and the scope of the projects has dramatically increased. CDS is going to be hiring designers of all kinds over the next couple of months. Please get in touch if you’re interested in joining the team.

I firmly believe that there’s no better opportunity to make an impact through design. At the Canadian Digital Service, you’ll work on projects that matter, in an open, transparent, inclusive, and diverse environment, to make the lives of your fellow Canadians better. It’s that simple.