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We design
better experiences.

We are an experience design consultancy who takes both human and natural systems into consideration when designing experiences and services. Our goal is to design sustainable digital products, brands, and services that are relevant, meaningful and regenerative.

Everything we do begins with Design Research.

All of our projects are rooted in Design Research. We want to learn as much as we can about you and your audience — business objectives, brand values, long-term goals, and pain points; as well as your audience’s perspectives, motivations, and contexts. This deep dive provides us with a rich understanding that takes the guesswork out of design and results in more targeted solutions that satisfy the needs of your users and grow your business value. Through this transformative process we call Informed Design, we partner with you and your audience, working together to co-design engaging experiences and services.

More on Informed Design

At PIVOT, we've been practicing UXD for over 20 years. Through our Informed Design process, we combine systems thinking with user experience and design research to create valuable solutions that lead to rewarding interactions and service experiences with your brand.

User Experience Design (UXD)
We design products and services with the complete user experience in mind, using empathy to look beyond usability and function to consider all the relevant contexts of each individual interaction.

We design exceptional user experiences by taking the time to understand real people in real-world scenarios. Before we think about aesthetics, we seek to understand the humans in front of a product. We ask you the right questions; questions that enable us to get a clear look at your audience and the contexts in which they interact with your product. Understanding users’ behaviours and motivations can make the critical difference between success and failure.

Pivot translates research insights into digital products that delight users and provide a solid ROI for our clients. See how Pivot can take you down the path to inspired design and quality design solutions realized through a user-centric approach with the ability to take your user experience to the next level.

Tactics & Outcomes
  • Website Design
  • Web & Mobile Applications
  • Native Software Applications
  • Interactive Prototypes
  • Wireframes
  • Information Architecture
  • User Research & Validation
  • User Flows & Journey Maps
  • Experience Maps
  • Usability Testing & Reports
  • Competitive Analysis
  • Analytics Audit

We employ a wide range of methods, tools and techniques to understand and visualize how users experience a service, alongside all of the interconnected components and complexities that make up and impact the service delivery. This strategy allows us to uncover new insights and co-create superior service experiences.

Service Design
Service Design identifies areas of friction and opportunity in your service flow to inform program development, service and interaction design upgrades, improve employee and customer experience, and more.

The most fundamental difference between Service Design and UX Design is the nature of the design problem that we are trying to solve. A service is typically made up of many different touch points, such as a website or a mobile app. While UX Designers are typically tasked with solving problems that are confined to these individual touch points, Service Designers look at the entire end-to-end service experience. They focus on understanding and shaping how all touch points work together, and what a user is thinking, feeling, and experiencing at each stage of the journey. Service designers don’t just consider the perspective of the end user, but also those responsible for delivering the service.

Tactics & Outcomes
  • Service Blueprints
  • Journey Maps
  • Future State Mapping
  • Ecosystem Diagrams
  • Stakeholder Worksessions
  • Concept Design
  • Field Research & Observation
  • Concept Testing & Validation

Digital experiences and services must be backed by brands that people recognize, love, and — most importantly — trust. PIVOT’s Informed Design process ensures the visual representation of your brand instills trust and aligns with your organizational goals, while accurately reflecting your brand's positioning.

Brand Design
PIVOT’s Informed Design process ensures the visual design of your brand is an accurate representation of what you stand for and resonates with your audience.

A brand is not a logo. Your brand exists beyond any visual or communication vehicle. It is both a tangible and emotional experience that encompasses a broader perception of your brand as a whole. A brand is what people think of you.

We leverage a user-centered approach to brand experience design that combines elements of design research, user experience (UX), customer experience (CX), and brand identity design all in one. Instead of jumping to assumptions about what a brand should be, we prioritize an understanding of real people and how they perceive you. This is the key to creating meaningful connections, cultivating trust and long-term customer relationships, and inspiring people who positively experience your Brand to tell their story to others.

Tactics & Outcomes
  • Logo Design
  • Identity Design
  • Brand Guidelines
  • Communication Design
  • Brand Strategy
  • Visual Assets
  • Competitive Brand Analysis
  • Brand Stakeholder Research
User Experience Design (UXD)
We design products and services with the complete user experience in mind, using empathy to look beyond usability and function to consider all the relevant contexts of each individual interaction.

We design exceptional user experiences by taking the time to understand real people in real-world scenarios. Before we think about aesthetics, we seek to understand the humans in front of a product. We ask you the right questions; questions that enable us to get a clear look at your audience and the contexts in which they interact with your product. Understanding users’ behaviours and motivations can make the critical difference between success and failure.

Pivot translates research insights into digital products that delight users and provide a solid ROI for our clients. See how Pivot can take you down the path to inspired design and quality design solutions realized through a user-centric approach with the ability to take your user experience to the next level.

Tactics & Outcomes
  • Website Design
  • Web & Mobile Applications
  • Native Software Applications
  • Interactive Prototypes
  • Wireframes
  • Information Architecture
  • User Research & Validation
  • User Flows & Journey Maps
  • Experience Maps
  • Usability Testing & Reports
  • Competitive Analysis
  • Analytics Audit
Service Design
Service Design identifies areas of friction and opportunity in your service flow to inform program development, service and interaction design upgrades, improve employee and customer experience, and more.

The most fundamental difference between Service Design and UX Design is the nature of the design problem that we are trying to solve. A service is typically made up of many different touch points, such as a website or a mobile app. While UX Designers are typically tasked with solving problems that are confined to these individual touch points, Service Designers look at the entire end-to-end service experience. They focus on understanding and shaping how all touch points work together, and what a user is thinking, feeling, and experiencing at each stage of the journey. Service designers don’t just consider the perspective of the end user, but also those responsible for delivering the service.

Tactics & Outcomes
  • Service Blueprints
  • Journey Maps
  • Future State Mapping
  • Ecosystem Diagrams
  • Stakeholder Worksessions
  • Concept Design
  • Field Research & Observation
  • Concept Testing & Validation
Brand Design
PIVOT’s Informed Design process ensures the visual design of your brand is an accurate representation of what you stand for and resonates with your audience.

A brand is not a logo. Your brand exists beyond any visual or communication vehicle. It is both a tangible and emotional experience that encompasses a broader perception of your brand as a whole. A brand is what people think of you.

We leverage a user-centered approach to brand experience design that combines elements of design research, user experience (UX), customer experience (CX), and brand identity design all in one. Instead of jumping to assumptions about what a brand should be, we prioritize an understanding of real people and how they perceive you. This is the key to creating meaningful connections, cultivating trust and long-term customer relationships, and inspiring people who positively experience your Brand to tell their story to others.

Tactics & Outcomes
  • Logo Design
  • Identity Design
  • Brand Guidelines
  • Communication Design
  • Brand Strategy
  • Visual Assets
  • Competitive Brand Analysis
  • Brand Stakeholder Research

Interested in learning more?

Listening is a skill we take pride in, so let’s chat!

We’d love to hear about what you’re working on and discuss how we might apply our Informed Design process to create meaningful solutions together!

It was an absolute pleasure to work with the Pivot team. You are smart, strategic, flexible and strike a great balance between meeting client needs while staying grounded in informed design.”

VP Marketing & Public Affairs, ALS Canada

What's Important to Us

Diversity, Equity & Inclusiveness

DEI is our centerpiece. We place high value on the roles different cultures and ethnicity play in our work. Just as we recognize the distinctive individual contributions and collaborative group dynamics that define the creative process.

Circularity in Design

Circularity and circular design powers the growth of the circular economy. Perpetually regenerative by design, it’s a totally circular system where waste is “designed out” by intelligent design and its affinity to nature.

Community

PIVOT is a proud member of the community where we live and work. We’re dedicated to looking out for our neighbours and for promoting the local organizations, causes and activities that have a nurturing influence on everything that happens here.

More on PIVOT's values

Partnership

Bringing the community together to empower and enhance the influence of design.

This Pivot initiative is a thought leadership event platform for diverse design professionals looking to share experiences, express points of view and explore new avenues for design solutions to improve the quality of our everyday life. 
 

Coming Up...
Transforming Women's Health: Conversations for Change
October 16, 2024, 4:30-5:30 PM EST
Guest Speakers:
  • Dr. Simone Vigod: Head, Department of Psychiatry, Senior Scientist and Shirley A. Brown Memorial Chair in Women’s Mental Health Research, Women’s College Hospital
  • Dr. Sheila O'Keefe-McCarthy: Associate Professor, Brock University Department of Nursing
  • Dr. Mireille Norris: Internist and Geriatrician, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Learn more