Design that starts with people
Pivot is a Toronto-based experience and service design studio. Since 1998, we've helped organizations — many of them working in healthcare and other complex domains — apply human-centred design to transform challenges into clear, effective digital experiences that add value every day.
We do this through a process we call Informed Design: a research-first approach that starts with understanding real people in real situations with real needs, then builds from that understanding outward. We don't guess what users need. We find out. The result is effective design that puts people first.
Why work with us?
Deep experience in complex domains
We've spent 25 years designing for industries where getting it wrong has real consequences; industries such as healthcare, government, regulated environments. We understand the constraints, the project partners, and the difference between a solution that looks good in a deck and one that survives contact with reality.
Research-driven design
Our work starts with understanding people. Through user research, project partner interviews, and evidence-informed design, we make decisions based on real needs rather than assumptions.
A small, senior team
No account managers. No junior designers handed the file after kickoff. The people you meet in the pitch are the people who do the work which means better decisions, more efficient workflow and a studio that's genuinely accountable for the outcome.
Meet The Team
Founder & Principal
Ian Chalmers
Lead Writer & Strategist
Rob Tait
Senior Visual Designer
Brenda Little
Senior UX Designer
Lauren Levy
Senior UX Designer & Developer
Dave Brennan
UX Designer
Sam Laurier
Lead Developer
Melvyn Loa
Good Boy
Sunny
DesignMeets
We love design so much that we created DesignMeets; an event series where design professionals share hard-won insights, challenge assumptions, and argue (productively) about the future of the discipline. Come find your people.
Have a complex challenge on your plate?
Let's talk. We've been solving them for 25 years.