Every year since 2002, OXD has celebrated the Gastown Grand Prix with an annual party. Some of the best views of Vancouver's legendary pro-cycling race are from the second floor of our office on Water Street. It's an enviable spot that was made even better when we shared the experience of great food, drinks, and music with our staff, family, and friends.
ThoughtFarmer's very own Jen Gerth even participated in the race on July 12, 2023.
Join us for our webinar "QA Matters: Why quality assurance is critical to delivering high quality software products" on Thursday, May 18 at 9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET. Jim Peers, QA Manager at OXD will guide us through how we use quality assurance testing to ensure the success of our digital products for our clients, while creating an accessible and secure experience for their users.
Over the course of this informative 45-minute session (30-minutes plus 15-minute Q&A), you’ll learn:
Who should attend this webinar? Frontend developers, user experience designers, project managers, product owners, business analysts, and anyone who wants to deliver an exceptional digital product.
*Note, this webinar was held live and recorded on May 18, 2023. Jim Peers is now retired.
The annual company party is always a highly anticipated event for OXD and ThoughtFarmer staff, and this year was no exception. On April 28, 2023 the view from The Roof banquet room at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver did not disappoint.
The evening was filled with excitement and celebration, as employees gathered to reflect on another year of working with great people and success. From the delicious food to the lively music and even a dress-up photo booth, everyone had a fantastic time creating new memories and letting loose.
OXD and ThoughtFarmer have seen tremendous success over the years. This can be attributed to the shared commitment to craft, the drive to solve hard problems, and the focus on empowering people with technology. However, none of this would have been possible without the amazing people who make up our companies.
As the night came to an end, everyone raised their glasses to toast to the past year and look forward to the future. It was a night to remember, and one that will surely be talked about for years to come. Be sure to check out some photos from the night and see for yourself just how much fun we had!
The discussion on the implementation of Agile methodologies in government to enhance inclusion and innovation was an enlightening and motivating experience.
It was exciting to be part of the “Agile Government: Innovation and Inclusion In Public Management” webinar because we’d been specifically invited to share our experience on adopting Agile methodologies to promote anti-racism and inclusion in our work and workplace. Our article on this topic had caught the attention of the organizer, Larry Rosenthal, from the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and we were grateful to be able to continue the conversation on May 4, 2023.
The panel was moderated by Larry and featured panelists Jacqueline Antalik and Deborah McKenzie from OXD, Christopher 'CP' Richardson of Agile in Color Inc., and Professor Andrea Headley of the McCourt School at Georgetown. The series of virtual webinars on government, innovation, and inclusion in public policy are free and open to the public.
“I leave the conversation today stimulated and optimistic about where we can take things from here, with the vision and leadership of inspiring colleagues like you.”
Larry A. Rosenthal, Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley
Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is an important aspect of our work. We strive to be transparent in our efforts, which helps keep us accountable. Our leadership team is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible workplace environment for all. Although DEI initiatives can be challenging, we believe that every small step in the right direction is a significant one towards creating a more equitable and just world.
The Vancouver Sun Run is one of OXD’s longest-standing employee events—we’ve been running it since 1999! This year will be our 24th year participating in the 10-kilometre race on Sunday, April 16, 2023.
The Sun Run mission is to be Canada’s leading and most influential 10k race, inspiring healthy, active lifestyles for people of all ages and at any fitness level year-over-year by offering fun and accessible community-based running/walking event and programs in BC.”
vancouversunrun.com
Check out some of photos from OXD staff participating in the 2004 Sun Run.
Will we see you on the pavement?
OXD is honoured to have been part of the extended BC Parks team that has won the 2023 VanUX Award for Best Public Sector Experience. BC Parks submitted for their ongoing digital transformation work, including the redesign and implementation of the new camping reservation system, a new BCParks.ca, and the day-use pass digital service. OXD has worked in partnership with the digital service transformation team at BC Parks since 2021, providing strategic direction, leadership and coaching, project management, as well as user research, UX design, content strategy, product development, and quality assurance (QA).
The 9th Annual Vancouver User Experience Awards took place March 29, 2023 in front of a packed house at the Hollywood Theatre in Vancouver. OXD are proud sponsors and community supporters of the event, having hosted and organized past editions of the award show. OXD VP Gordon Ross was the 2023 Jury Chair, convening the judging of the eight award categories:
This year saw close to 80 award entries, demonstrating the breadth and depth of the Vancouver experience design community.
OXD co-founded the Vancouver User Experience (VanUE) meetup in 2004 and is looking forward to 2024 to celebrate the 10th VanUX Awards and the 20th anniversary of the VanUE meetup.
In British Columbia, the Climate Action Secretariat (CAS) and Emergency Management and Climate Resilience (EMCR) partnered on resilience research, with OXD guiding the analysis of data usage across sectors.
BC's Climate Preparedness and Adaptation Strategy (CPAS) outlines actions to address climate impacts and build resilience throughout the province.
CAS identifies government sectors proactively addressing climate adaptation. While EMCR focuses on natural hazard risk reduction, the distinct data applications by both entities highlighted the necessity for collaboration. Their united aim? Developing an effective future data strategy.
Before rolling out a formal data strategy, CAS and EMCR turned to OXD. Their objective was to comprehend the diverse facets of climate adaptation data—its context, sources, and users.
Using a service design approach, we supported the initial discovery research to understand the needs and uses for this data to make risk-based decisions from the perspectives of the Ministries, their partners in local government, climate organizations, and the private sector. As part of our analysis, we also identified challenges in accessing data and opportunities that could be addressed through a data strategy. This work is foundational to designing a future cross-government data strategy.
The project team included staff from CAS Climate Risk Management, service designers from the Service Transformation Branch, and OXD.
The project unfolded in three stages:
The united endeavor promises enhancements in data quality and accessibility. It aims to bridge any data gaps and empower users across British Columbia with enhanced capacities and skills.
Our research and service design approach made sure the strategy was firmly rooted in actual user needs. This ensured the people working with the data, using the data to make decisions, and asking for the data, are successful.
The 9th Annual Vancouver User Experience Awards is March 29, 2023 at the Hollywood Theatre in Vancouver. OXD are proud sponsors and community supporters of the event, having hosted and organized past editions of the award show. OXD VP Gordon Ross will be the 2023 Jury Chair, convening the judging of the eight award categories:
OXD co-founded the Vancouver User Experience (VanUE) meetup in 2004 and still actively supports the group and the VanUX awards. We’re looking forward to seeing the amazing work from organizations in Vancouver at year’s event.
