At OXD, we often get questions from clients around pricing, timelines, and technologies. “How much would this new website cost?” “Can you get it built by a certain date?” “Which CMS should we use?”
As with most critical business investments, the answer is “It depends...”
The more information you have about the factors that impact the type of website project you have, the better equipped you—and your website design partner—will be to answer those important questions early on.
That’s why we created the Website Planning Guide. It’s helped potential clients understand the nature of their website project—from Simple to Complex—and it can help you too. In it, you’ll learn the different project approaches and the various methods OXD uses to ensure that your website is built with performance and business value in mind.
Planning your next website project doesn’t have to be frustrating.
I had an “aha!” moment when speaker Tammy Tsang reminded us that “Diversity does not mean inclusivity” in her “Developing a Critical Lens for Inclusive Design” talk. Often, the two words are used interchangeably, but they shouldn’t be. For example, if a marketing campaign includes a diverse group of people, it does not mean that it is inherently inclusive. If we only consider diversity but not inclusivity, then it can easily become tokenism. For example, when organizations hire specific groups of people in order to appear more “inclusive” to avoid criticism.
I found this incredibly eye-opening because sometimes we think we are doing enough to be inclusive when in reality, our actions could be producing the opposite effect. Being inclusive means having accurate representations of your demographic, consulting with minority groups through research and exploration, and not treating it as a trend.
I was doing a lot of “hmm-ing” at this event—I like to attend conferences with the intent of answering two main questions.
1. What can I adopt into my own processes? I walked away with a feeling that being physically present in a room with many other talented people creates an intangible benefit. This may be a benefit of engaging more of the senses that speaker Shaun Loftman talked about in his ‘Methods of Sensory Level Branding’ presentation. Spoiler alert: Did you know there aren’t only five?
Getting to hear the speakers share their processes for inspiration helped me to reflect on my own process and see where I can incorporate what I learned from them. It was also great to see people own their style and work to their strengths, even if it’s different from what they envisioned for themselves.
2. What’s coming in the future? Getting a glimpse of what’s happening now, and what’s possible in the future within the AR/VR space, thanks to Isabelle Udo, was eye-opening as well. I left the event knowing I have more questions to ask myself that will help me explore ways to grow and improve.
Photo: Caitlin, James, Lisa, and (Wil) exploring the roof of the Vancouver Public Library while on a DesignThinkers conference break. Photo taken by Wil Arndt and illustration of Wil Arndt, hastily drawn by himself so he didn’t feel left out.
I was nodding my head enthusiastically “yes!” when “Murals and Meaning” presenter Gemma O’Brien reflected on the similarities of endurance athletes and creatives. Gemma relates that her focus changed from tackling new (and uncertain) creative adventures to training to run an endurance marathon during the pandemic.
While I don’t run endurance marathons, I realized that my love for fitness (bodybuilding especially) may have given me a reason to not spend more time taking creative risks or experimenting with new techniques or projects. There is no right or wrong way to be creative. Which means more risk, more room to fail (in my mind). Fitness I can control a bit more, I know the science that by doing “x”, I can get closer to “y”. With being creative, sometimes we can’t even get to do “x” because we have no idea what “y” will ever be! This is something I’m planning to re-shape my framing around over the next few months.
I had all the feels at this event bringing home key takeaways and inspiration from several of the presenters.
I loved the story behind Gemma O’Brien’s illustration career and her notion of bringing your body into your work—listening to your body and then applying strategies employed by runners to optimize energy and endurance.
I had a “lightbulb” moment with everything Elizabeth Paul said about world-building as it applies to brands—that taglines aren’t enough anymore, that people need to know what the world of the brand feels like when they’re in it. This really crystallized a lot of the things I’ve been thinking about lately.
I also found great inspiration from Isabelle Udo’s brief demo of her AR work. It stirred feelings I hadn’t had since the early days of the web, back when everything was new and unknown, and people were still experimenting with everything, the barriers to entry were low, and a world of potential was waiting to be uncovered.
Wil messing around with AR filters to make OXD sunglasses
Creativity comes from connection
We had a great time being involved in such an inspiring event. Not only did we get to meet new people and learn new things, but we also spent time sharing, laughing, and of course eating, with our own colleagues.
OXD Creative Director Wil Arndt has been invited to judge the student submissions for The Salazar Award, presented by Design Professionals of Canada (DesCan),formerly Graphic Designers of Canada. The Salazar Award is presented annually by GDC/BC and founding sponsor Metropolitan Fine Printers. All GDC/BC design students are invited to submit work in branding, interactive, motion, and print categories. The judging committee is composed of GDC professionals who will select the talented winning student designs based on the overall quality and clarity of the work.
It’s a huge honour to support this awards event as a judge. The calibre of work that this talented next generation of designers has demonstrated leaves me humbled and inspired, and I can’t wait for the world to see what BC designers are capable of!”
Wil Arndt, Creative Director, OXD
The Design Professionals of Canada states they are committed to leading, supporting, and advancing professional design communications in Canada. They are a membership-based community throughout Canada who have been establishing standards for design professionals since 1956.
In honour of Asian Heritage Month 2022, we’re pleased to share the story of our Gastown neighbour S.U.C.C.E.S.S., a social services organization supporting those embarking on their Canadian journey. Based in Chinatown, they are one of British Columbia's largest nonprofits.
We've also updated our ever-popular list of festivities and delicious Asian food favourites shared by our staff.
The power of coming together
S.U.C.C.E.S.S.
The mission of S.U.C.C.E.S.S. is to empower people of different diversities to realize and achieve their goals. Their programs support the human need—and right—for a sense of belonging, wellness, and independence.
Given the unfortunate rise in anti-Asian crimes across BC, it’s a priority more than ever for S.U.C.C.E.S.S. to bring awareness to the many ways in which Asians have enriched Vancouver. The organization has been integral in advancing anti-racism solutions with governments.
Source: S.U.C.C.E.S.S. 2020/2021 Annual Report
Our organization is proud to stand against racism and hate crimes in our communities, and across Canada. If we don’t take a stand, and hold our heads high, these events will spiral downward. We must learn to live harmoniously while respecting and sharing the values of one another.”
Queenie Choo, CEO at S.U.C.C.E.S.S.
When COVID-19 hit, the organization pivoted their services to address emerging and evolving needs. Through more funding, they have expanded essential services to support those experiencing isolation, marginalization, and exclusion.
One of those essentials is a multi-lingual counselling program providing mental wellness services. The pandemic tripled the need for this service, and S.U.C.C.E.S.S. has responded by expanding the program to include virtual delivery. They have been able to serve 24% more clients than in previous years.
S.U.C.C.E.S.S. also offers a host of other important programs and services. With support from fundraising efforts and dedicated volunteers, the organization has accomplished a lot in 2021, including:
A program giving isolated seniors and refugees in the Tri-Cities technology to access up-to-date government and community resources about COVID-19, and to stay socially connected.
Increased support for affordable housing residents, including access to groceries and prepared meals, and ways to maintain their health and wellness.
Welcoming and supporting over 9,600 temporary foreign workers (TFWs) arriving in Vancouver through the Community Airport Newcomers Network (CANN) program. Arrivers to BC received important health and safety information to live and work here.
S.U.C.C.E.S.S. offers many other services including: obtaining gainful employment, learning the English language, building economic resilience for female immigrants, and developing leadership skills for youth.
For more information, to donate, or check out their volunteer opportunities, please visit the S.U.C.C.E.S.S. website.
Yarrow Intergenerational Society for Justice
A community partner of S.U.C.C.E.S.S., the Yarrow Intergenerational Society for Justice supports the youth and low-income immigrant seniors living in Chinatown and the Downtown Eastside neighbourhoods. They offer a range of programs to help their clients, including the Sticky Rice Collective led by queer and trans youth who organize intergenerational events and engage in social justice leadership in Chinatown. Yarrow is also working to bring awareness and improve the language barriers for seniors whose first language isn’t English, in accessing COVID-19 related health care. To support Yarrow, you can take part in their Heart to Heart fundraising efforts running until June 20.
We hope you take the time to celebrate (and taste!) all the different ways Asians have enriched our community for Asian Heritage Month 2022—and every month. Here are just a few ideas from our staff on how to get started.
Be an ally
Together we can contribute to creating safe spaces for our community members. There are many ways to be an ally to people within a minority group or those being discriminated against. You can learn more by taking courses, reading stories, and joining initiatives. Here’s a few resources we’ve found to get you started:
BOLT Safety Society’s Safe Buddies program consists of volunteers who help individuals who are feeling unsafe get to their destination safely. This includes seniors, non-binary people, and women, and is inclusive of transgender and cisgender people.
The Richmond Night Market is back for 2022. This year’s theme is Summer Magic Rainbow and boasts performances each weekend, an International Food Fair, and Express Passes. The market was founded in 2000 and it's now seen as the largest of its kind in North America. The market attracts over 1 million visitors from around the world each year. Founder Raymond Cheung incorporates entertainment and themes to the market each year. Previous themes include Return of the Dragon, Magical Candyland, and Pirates.
explorASIAN 2022
The 26th annual explorASIAN Festival features over 60 Asian Heritage Month events, both in-person and virtual, held across the Vancouver area. The event includes live performances, workshops, and speaker sessions.
This year’s festival spotlights emerging Canadians of Asian descent in arts and culture. There is expanded programming exploring important issues that Asian Canadian communities in our region and beyond are facing. The event runs through May 31, 2022. Check out the full event guide.
Vancouver Hong Kong Fair
The very first Vancouver Hong Kong Fair is happening on Saturday, May 14 from Noon to 6 pm. The event is hosted by HK House, and will take place at SFU Harbour Centre. A limited number of free tickets will be available at the door.
“The fair is a free gathering of Vancouver-based Hong Kongers to celebrate and preserve their unique culture. It’s also a safe and welcoming space where folks can support the community’s artisans, creators and small businesses.” —Heiky Kwan, HK House.
LiterASIAN 2022
LiterASIAN is celebrating its 10th anniversary with this year’s event, Finding Our Voices: Telling Our Stories. Originally launched in 2013 as a community-building initiative, LiterASIAN is a festival celebrating the works of Asian Canadian and racialized writers. The event is May 7-15 and tickets are available through Eventbrite.
Support local restaurants
If you know anything about OXD (and our sister company ThoughtFarmer), you know we love to eat! Several of our staff considers themselves foodies, so we took to our #food Slack channel again this year and asked our staff for their favorite Asian restaurants and eats.
Preston Chang, a Software Tester at ThoughtFarmer, enjoys the Omelet Hayashi Rice from Noah’s Cafe, the Pork Belly Bowl at Yama cafe, the Omakase Aburi Sushi at Takenaka has take out only or you can try their food truck), and the Beef Noodle Soup at Torafuku.
OXD Designer Shirley Zhou says the food courts at Crystal Mall and Richmond Public Market will take you on an Asian food adventure. “Don’t be intimidated at how busy they get, it's worth it!”, she boasts.
Ayumi Tanaka, a Software Developer at OXD likes Shanghai Dimsum House at Crystal Mall. Don’t forget to bring cash since they don’t take cards.
Lawrence Chan, Senior System Administrator at OXD, has lots of favourites, so we’re listing some new ones from last year’s recommendations! Check out Dosanko for homestyle Japanese food. For a diverse menu of hawker-style dishes, Singapore Hawker is worth the drive to Coquitlam. Family-run New Town Bakery and Restaurant has been serving the very best chinese and filipino baked goods and pastries since 1980.
ThoughtFarmer’s Director of Customer Success, Carolien Dekeersmaeker, enjoys Kissa Santo, a delightful fusion of Japanese and Italian cooking. And the urban atmosphere at Kingyo is perfect for their tapas-style Japanese fusion food and drinks.
Some restaurants may even be offering special meals or treats for Asian Heritage Month around Vancouver in 2022! It's worth the online search to see what's happening near you.
Let’s all celebrate Asian Heritage Month 2022… together!
What makes our communities great is the diverse and interesting cultures and personalities we bring to them. Use this month as a special opportunity to celebrate and value the contributions and culture of our Asian neighbours—this month, and all year round!
Caitlin Aboud, Lilian Leung, Lisa Farmer, and Tyrel Narciso volunteered at Design Day for GOOD 2022. This one-day event is a collaborative initiative composed of design, marketing, and digital professionals organized by Cyan Bold Design and hosted by Staples Studio Kelowna, in partnership with the Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC) BC Chapter, now Design Professionals of Canada (DesCan). Volunteer teams get partnered with a local non-profit organization and work together to create multiple pieces to support their cause.
The OXD team of volunteers partnered with Ethos Society for Sustainable Living, a non-profit that helps people in Kelowna who have disadvantages find a forever home, while promoting creativity, self-growth, and acceptance. Together, we redesigned and rewrote their existing brochure, refreshed their logo and typography, got them set up on Instagram, and drafted a letter for fundraising opportunities. Check out some of the final assets.
Brochure created by OXD volunteers for Ethos Society for Sustainable Living
As first-time participants, the OXD team was able to engage Ethos in the design process through creative presentation approaches not seen in previous Design Day for GOOD events. OXD’s commitment to the cause shone through with their meticulous process for content creation. You showed the value of having a seasoned team of design-thinkers to create impactful content that exceeds expectations. Thank you, Lisa, Lilian, Caitlin, and Tyrel, for taking a chance on the initiative. You rocked it!
—Chris Bingham, Owner and event organizer, Cyan Bold Design
Social media assets/concepts created by OXD volunteers for Ethos Society for Sustainable Living
In the eight-hour day, the collective group of volunteers were able to produce brochures, logos, social media assets, user experience website audits, promotional items, and letter templates for four Okanagan-based non-profits.
To learn more about the event, or to volunteer next year, get in touch with us at hello@oxd.com.
OXD worked with FortisBC to redesign their Talking Energy website. The modernized site allows for better community engagement, with more tools to improve the exchange of ideas and information on energy projects and topics that matter to British Columbians.
The site provides information on current energy projects, stories surrounding the people affected by community initiatives, and resources for regulatory processes and safety awareness.
The redesigned website now lives on a robust content management system, based on a microsite strategy developed by OXD. This new site is more sustainable for their current and future needs by including variable layouts and content types that can be customized on each page. The improved website design better aligns with the FortisBC brand and better supports the website’s engagement tools.
Take a look at FortisBC’s new Talking Energy website.
OXD design professionals, Caitlin Aboud, Lisa Farmer, and Wil Arndt are ready to join hundreds of creative professionals at the 23rd DesignThinkers VAN conference. This year’s theme is Defy, and questions attendees to Defy the expected, Defy the mediocre, and discover their creative power.
RGD DesignThinkers brings together a broad range of people to explore creativity, design thinking, and the future of design. DesignThinkers VAN is May 31 to June 1 and offers both in-person and virtual options. Keep an eye out for updates on event highlights and what we learned after the event!
We asked a few of our talented User Experience Designers what some of their most (and least) favourite UX trends are for 2022.
Most favourite trends
Inclusive, accessible design
“While these aren't new topics, people are talking more about inclusive design and accessibility. Stakeholders are learning more about these topics and integrating user experience strategies into their business goals. To stay up-to-date, I love the resources provided on the UX Trends website.”
“Designers are really leaning into making the digital world a place that everyone can be a part of. Inclusive design makes digital products better for everyone.”
“I think collaborative tools for continued remote work like Figma and Miro are helping companies with developing their own design systems and adopting collaborative work methods. I’m happy to see more interest and participation in using flexible, adaptive, and accessible research methodologies and frameworks.”
—Lilian Leung, User Experience Designer
Cursor interactions
“I really like how some organizations are starting to play with cursor interactions. Now, instead of the typical cursor arrow hovering and clicking a button as we expect, we’re seeing small differences in the cursor itself, the animation of the cursor and the feedback when the cursor is in different states. I've seen it done well, and not so well, but the cool thing is that people are being innovative and trying to to make the user experience a little more fun. Although I don't think this trend is 100% there yet, it's neat to see how it will evolve. Check out these inspirational examples from Dribbble.”
“Personalization by algorithm is going to continue to grow in 2022 but does it really work? I don't know about you, but Netflix and Spotify are pretty terrible at predicting what I will like. And they hide things from me that I want to see and hear. Personalization will keep improving, but for the moment, it still feels like something that gets in the way, rather than helping. Not to mention that it forces us into a myopic bubble, which has been damaging to society as a whole.”
Lilian and Astrid think there’s a lot of talk surrounding AR, VR, and XR and we’ll see those trends continue within "metaverse" spaces. Lilian believes there's a lot of promise in development of avatars and web 3.0, but they feel that the "trendy" approach of mixed speculative things like crypto currencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) is limiting and damaging in the long term.
