It begins the moment you sit down. You look around the table and realize the faces are polite, but the decision is already tilting away from you. No one says it outright, yet you can feel the drift. Questions come that aren’t really questions. Support feels soft. And when the meeting ends, your … [Read more...]
Why Ottawa is Home
The canal is quiet at dawn. The water stands still, carrying the first blush of sunlight like a secret it isn’t ready to share. My breath feels amazing in the cool morning air, and the only sound is the soft rhythm of my footsteps along the path. It’s in moments like this - unplanned, unhurried - … [Read more...]
Intelligence in Pieces: Mapping the Mind of the Machine
It was the fall of 2000, and I remember sitting in a computer lab in Chicago. I was deep into my master’s program at the University of Illinois at Chicago, taking an advanced course in Neural Networks. At the time, it felt a bit like standing at the edge of something enormous but unfinished- … [Read more...]
The Disappearing User Researcher in the Age of AI
It began with a simple, powerful LinkedIn post by Urooj: a raw provocation about the evolving role of user research. He asked, what happens to traditional user research in a world where behavioural data is available instantly and at scale? What role do researchers play when insights are … [Read more...]
The Funnel is Gone. Your Brand is the Algorithm.
Obaid was in Ottawa this past weekend, and of course we met. These days the core emphasis of our in-person conversations is for me to get a download from him on what is happening in the Valley. In our chat, he described something that felt small at first. It was just a reflection on how … [Read more...]