Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries

Secure member portal

back end development
USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN
ux audit
front end development
branding
mood boards
visual design
usability testing
personas
user flows
low-fi prototyping
information architecture

In 2018, we worked with Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries to redesign their secure portal myCADSI, a member-and-government-only website for over 800+ member companies and government organizations. The new features planned for launch over the next two years required a fundamental change in how members view and interact with the portal, supporting open communication between members, increased visibility into organizational structures and—ultimately—the ability to connect members with vendors or governments facilitated by the client.

The client was seeking guidance on how to elevate the user experience for members while supporting plans for monetization of the platform.

My role in this project

  • Conducted a competitive review of similar services available such as WeightWatchers®, MyFitnessPal® and Noom®
  • Developed an overall user flow depicting service onboarding, food logging and integration with 3rd party services
  • Designed and built an extensive set of high-fidelity prototypes using AxureRP
  • Created a detailed property map that presented technology requirements alonside user interactions within the application
  • Completed a full branding exercise including mood boards, logo concepts and associated collateral
  • Designed various app screens and user flows using Sketch
  • Liaised with app developers throughout MVP process
Mobile app visual design samples
Unlike other weight loss apps, Fitmethod aims to simplify the often laborious process of finding and logging food.

In three simple interactions, a food can be entered into the user's food diary. User behavior is rewarded with achievements and educational content around nutrition. is some text inside of a div block.
Navigation and flow samples
The "My day" dashboard provides users with an overview of their current food diary with macronutrient and exercise activity visualizations.
Visual identity mood boards
As part of the rebranding exercise, I developed initial logo concepts paired with mood boards to demonstrate the corresponding design languages.
High-fidelity prototyping
Using AxureRP, I developed an extensive set of high-fidelity mobile prototypes that simulated key tasks like onboarding, logging food and entering physical activity.
User journey mapping
I developed a hybrid user journey / technology diagram that presented user movement through the app alongside key technology decision points. This was developed in parallel with business modelling.
Competitive review
As part of my competitive review, I diagramed one of the key differentiators for Fitmethod - simplified food logging. In this diagram, the number of overall interactions are compared between MyFitnesspal (a key competitor) and Fitmethod for logging a simple food like a banana, and a more complex food like a sandwich.

Our role in this project

  • Project management and liaising with client
  • Information architecture and site map development
  • High-fidelity prototyping to explore and define functionality/requirements
  • Visual design and user interface development
  • HTML/CSS 
  • Webflow prototype build
  • Conducting remote usability testing
  • Preparing usability report findings and recommendation
  • Liaising with back-end development teams/partners

As a user experience professional, this is one of those rare opportunities when you meet a client who has a clear vision that they can articulate correctly. From the initial pitch through to project wrap-up, we felt like an extension of the client team. We were constantly encouraged to push them, to challenge ideas, and develop rock-solid solutions.

The proposed UI was validated with members at the organization's annual CANSEC conference achieving a successful task completion rate of nearly 80% on its first iteration. We continue to work with CADSI on various enhancements and new functionalities added to the myCADSI portal.

View additional assets from this engagement

View more work samples