The Honourable Mélanie Joly
Minister of Canadian Heritage
Mazi, your team's work is valuable for @CdnHeritage and all our public service. It ensures innovation and promotes risk taking. Good luck! https://t.co/BZfvs6NkFh
— Mélanie Joly (@melaniejoly) September 17, 2017
Owen Thomas Ripley
Chief of Staff to Deputy Minister of Canadian Heritage
“Mazi’s success is a testament to his ability to make and cultivate horizontal relationships in a short amount of time and to present theoretical concepts in an accessible way.”
Lindsay McLeod
Program Manager, Economic Initiatives at City of Edmonton
"Mazi demonstrated an exceptional mix of creative vision and responsiveness to political sensitivities associated with the project. He was quick to respond to a high volume of requests and flexible with last minute changes. I was very impressed with his talent and his professionalism."
Case Studies
Beyond Facts
Major Research Project
Through Interviewing 9 experts from Canada, US, and Australia and engaging over 40 different participants from across the country using dialogic design methodologies this research generated innovative proposals addressing the crisis in journalism. The research concluded with a workable roadmap and identified two key leverage points that would help journalism build trust with communities: Engagement and Accountability.
Design Thinking Capacity at PCH
Canadian Heritage
Consulting the deputy minister’s office to build greater capacity for stakeholder engagement, UX research, and systems thinking, and their potential value towards innovative product, program and policy development.
Social Innovation
OCADU
A critical look at some of the assumptions behind social innovation labs, their culture, and relationship to funding. Produced as a synthesis gigamap, this research investigates how and where a social innovation lab can create the most impact.
Edmonton Affordable Housing
City of Edmonton
Addressing general public's lack of trust in and support for development of affordable housing in their Edmonton neighbourhoods. Part of Mayor's initiative to end homelessness.
The Placeholder
OCADU
A look at how can we reduce the experience of impermanence in refugee camps by leveraging community networks and “best practices” for refugee funding to improve refugee mental health.
Core Competencies
Creative Leadership
Cultivating creative environments and nurturing strong client relationships.
My training in performing arts has given me the necessary skills for writing and delivering inspiring and engaging presentations and pitches. I am able to respond positively and calmly to shifting priorities, demands and timelines. For example at Canadian Heritage and Berlin, I have delivered many successful pitches, facilitated workshops around controversial issues, and developed tools for better assessing clients’ needs.
UX Research
Using Human Centred Design to better understand how humans interact with objects, systems, products and services
I have applied this philosophy as a service designer on several governmental programs, as well as a UX designer on iOS video games including The Price is Right™ and Jurassic Park™, both of which were among the top grossing mobile video games in the iTunes global ranking. I have also served as an adjunct professor of user experience design at Macewan university.
Systems Thinking
A mindset framed by inquiry rather than certitude, one that embraces paradoxes, appreciates complexity, and seeks multiple perspectives.
It is a way to approach complex problems, by constant zooming in and out, looking for patterns. It is about understanding interactions of the parts, as well as the function of the whole. My background in cybernetics and philosophy has trained me to think critically and always look further than what is presented.
Data/Information Visualization
I excel in creating provocative, clear, and rigorous visuals that enable the audience to understand abstract or complex concepts
- ideas that are otherwise challenging to describe through verbal language. Through effective use of visual communication, I was able to present complex research on affordable housing in a simple visual language to the general public.