Save Interactive Design

Leading a campaign to save a beloved university program.

In 2013, a team of students, teachers, alumni, employers, and community members came together to fight Capilano University's proposed budget cuts, which included suspending the well-respected Interactive Design program.

I graduated from the Interactive Design program in 2012, after two years of learning skills as varied as information architecture, user experience design, visual design, front-end web development, usability testing, database design and development, communications, marketing, and project management. Our program had a 90+% job placement rate, with almost all of our grads going on to successful, well-paying careers in tech and design.

When I learned of the university's plan to cut the Interactive Design program, along with many others, I immediately resolved to fight back against the proposed cuts. Here's what I said about the program at the time: "The tech industry in Vancouver is booming, and no program in the province is more tightly connected to industry and responsive to their ever-changing needs. I envision our program playing a central role in the university, helping other programs execute on their game-changing creative and digital ideas. Programs like Interactive Design are what set Capilano University apart, and I urge the Board of Governors to save this program and allow us to continue putting out the top UX/design/development talent in Vancouver's tech and creative industry."

Over the course of a few months, I volunteered many evenings and weekends to lead a team of students and alumni to develop a campaign to save the Interactive Design program. Together, we developed brand guidelines and a style guide for our campaign, which informed the design of our web presence and social media strategy. We had messages of support coming in from hundreds of concerned alumni, employers, and community members who understood the value of the program and its ability to put out top-tier designers and developers. In fact, our campaign quickly attracted the attention of Capilano University faculty, who we worked with to develop the My Cap Is campaign. Although we were ultimately unsuccessful in getting the university to reverse its decision, I am immensely proud of the work we were able to achieve.

More Projects

Check out what else I've been working on.