About Iffat
Experience: UX Research, UX Design, Service Design, Brand Design, Video/Motion & Storytelling
Having spent most of my career (14 years!) at a small UX design firm in Toronto, I've had the opportunity to wear many hats and to grow into a leadership role. Working with Canadian clients from the Healthcare, Financial, Not-for-Profit, Education, and Government sectors have afforded me the chance to really put a research-driven process to the test.
With a UX-first approach, I’ve had the privilege of working with organizations of all sizes to use my analytical and empathic skills to learn from their unique clients to create better, more meaningful service design outcomes. I am a firm believer that good research drives teams to do great design and that it’s all possible here, right here.
Good research empowers great design.
Origins
Hi I’m Iffat — 2 parts analytical, 3 parts creative — born in the Middle East on the tiny island of Bahrain, of South Asian descent, I studied Design at the prestigious York/Sheridan program in Toronto and then worked the better part of my career (so far!) for many healthcare clients while at Pivot Design Group.
While at Pivot, I’ve had the good fortune of leading a small team, creating the research-oriented process that we employ through all our UX projects, and working closely with my clients to deliver meaningful research and design outcomes. From apps to experiences, my strengths lie in:
strategizing research approaches that focus on learning about people
synthesizing research findings into distilled and actionable design next steps
balancing organization goals with user needs to lead teams to design better, more meaningful experiences.
I’m a momma to 3 little ones, a serial maker, and a UX Researcher & Designer. I bring a unique perspective to work, play, and life, and I’ve always got a creative project on the go.
PAST CLIENTS
TD
|
ALS Canada
|
Ausenco
|
Roche Canada
|
Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
|
Toronto Rehab Institute
|
SickKids Hospital
|
Canadian Digestive Health Foundation
|
Women's College Hospital
|
Khan Communication Services
|
NeuPath Health Inc.
|
TD | ALS Canada | Ausenco | Roche Canada | Canadian Partnership Against Cancer | Toronto Rehab Institute | SickKids Hospital | Canadian Digestive Health Foundation | Women's College Hospital | Khan Communication Services | NeuPath Health Inc. |
“Iffat always has a thoughtful and strategic approach to the design process that brings a great deal of value-add to our projects. She takes the time to understand our needs and remains a close collaborator as we work through how to marry content and concept in a way that would resonate with the user.
For me, this collaboration reflects the design process at its best—it results in the design of a compelling piece that can be widely used by all areas of our organization to communicate what we do, how we do it, and why it’s important.”
Communications Director
Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
“I appreciated that the recommendations and perspectives Iffat brought to our group facilitation sessions were grounded in the needs of our community — always reminding us of WHO we are designing for.”
VP Marketing & Public Affairs
ALS Canada
“Being able to translate complex, scientific concepts into easy-to-digest words and images that can empower behavioural change, is difficult. Iffat seems to do this with ease. She listens and develops simple phrases and likable characters, evocative content and stimulating graphics, all cleverly and strategically packaged in a way that helps us deliver messages that change lives.”
Executive Director
Canadian Digestive Health Foundation
As a designer, you have to be able to listen first and foremost. My strengths lie in balancing organization goals with user needs to lead teams to design more meaningful experiences.
-
UX Research & Service Design Capabilities
one-on-one interviews
personas
co-design sessions
journey maps
service design blueprints -
UX Design Capabilities
information architecture & wireframing
interactive prototypes (figma)
brand design and naming
UI design (apps, websites, kiosk interfaces)
print applications
physical spaces
service design storytelling/story boarding