Thinking in public

Power Shifter Launches Its Rapid MVP Service

Validate product ideas in weeks, not months. Our new Rapid MVP service pairs an expert team with generative AI to build fully working prototypes—fast.

Design Sprint Day Four: From Priorities to Prototypes

Day Four of our AI sprint: we mapped every must-have to real user needs, then set the stage for AI tools like Figma Make and Miro to take over.

Design Sprint Day Three: Prioritize, Debate, Drift

Day Three of our AI sprint: the team prioritized features and debated trade-offs—and drifted from vibe design workflows. What that drift taught us.

Design Sprint Day Two, Pt 2: Sketch, Share, Stress-Test

Day Two, part 2 of our AI sprint: the team put AI sketch tools—Miro, Claude, Stitch—to work generating and stress-testing early Farmstand user flows.

Design Sprint Day Two, Pt 1: Hunches to Directions

Day Two, part 1 of our AI sprint: turning rough hunches into high-fidelity directions for the Farmstand app, and choosing our AI-first toolset.

Design Sprint Day One: Planning the Farmstand App

Day One of our two-week AI sprint: can tools for vibe design and coding help a small team build a real mobile app? We set the plan and the rules.

Can AI Vibe Tools Build a Real Product in Two Weeks?

We're putting AI vibe design and coding tools—Figma Make, Claude Code, Bolt and more—to the test, building a real farm-stand app in just 14 days.

Why Composable Development Powers Smarter AI Agents

Composable systems aren't just flexible—they're the foundation AI agents need for real-time access to structured, modular content and live data.

Everything You Need to Know About AI Agents: FAQs

AI agents are reshaping business automation—but how do they actually work? Straight answers to the most common questions, pitfalls, and best practices.

Designing for Rage: How Platforms Profit from Chaos

The platforms we use daily are tuned for engagement at any cost. How rage-driven algorithms shape social media and elections—and what we can do about it.

Brand Meets Product: Insights from Katie Deloso

Episode 2 of The Brand Experience: Nurture's Katie Deloso on the "yellable why," storytelling, onboarding, and weaving brand into every product detail.

Headless CMS Basics: A Beginner's Guide

Chapter 1 of our headless CMS guide: the basics of going headless with Contentful and Sanity, the common pitfalls, and where the approach is headed.

The Future of Headless CMS and Your Business

Chapter 10: where headless CMS is heading, the trends worth watching, and what platforms like Contentful and Sanity mean for your content strategy.

Common Pitfalls in Migrating to a Headless CMS

Chapter 2: the most common mistakes teams make when migrating to a headless CMS like Contentful or Sanity—and how to avoid the costly ones.

Optimizing Content Delivery with API-Driven Architecture

Chapter 3: how API-driven architecture speeds content delivery in a headless CMS like Contentful or Sanity—for faster, more efficient performance.

Structuring Headless CMS Content for Flexibility

Chapter 4: how to structure content in a headless CMS like Contentful or Sanity so it stays reusable and adaptable across every platform you publish to.

Collaborating Effectively in a Headless Environment

Chapter 5: going headless changes how teams work. Strategies for keeping content, design, and development in sync with Contentful or Sanity.

Enhancing User Experience with a Headless CMS

Chapter 6: how headless platforms like Contentful and Sanity help you deliver consistent, personalized content that keeps users coming back.

Scaling Your Content Strategy with a Headless CMS

Chapter 7: how to scale content with a headless CMS like Contentful or Sanity—reaching new audiences without losing consistency as you grow.

Integrating Third-Party Tools with a Headless CMS

Chapter 8: how to connect third-party tools to a headless CMS like Contentful or Sanity to extend functionality and streamline content management.

Measuring the Success of Your Headless CMS

Chapter 9: the metrics and KPIs that show whether your headless CMS—Contentful or Sanity—is actually delivering results worth the investment.

Unlocking Headless CMS with Contentful and Sanity

Why agility and flexibility are now essential—and how headless platforms like Contentful and Sanity help you adapt, personalize, and scale content.

The Brand Experience Podcast

A podcast on what makes brands stick—where design, service, and purpose-driven storytelling meet. Conversations with the people shaping them.

Launching The Brand Experience YouTube & Podcast

Our new YouTube channel and podcast on how purpose-driven brands use digital experience to grow. Conversations with the CIOs and CTOs making the calls.

When (and When Not) to Include AI in Products

Knowing when to build AI into your product—and when to keep it simple—can make or break it. A practical guide to making that call with confidence.

One Year On: The Evolving Role of the CAIO

A year ago, the Chief AI Officer was speculation. Now it's real. How the CAIO role has matured—and what it signals about AI's place in strategy.

The Strategic Advantage of Proprietary LLMs for Brands

Some brands fear their agencies using AI. Why proprietary large language models can actually boost brand consistency, security, and control instead.

The Risks of Trusting LLMs and GPTs With Everything

LLMs are powerful, but they shouldn't answer every question. The risks of over-trusting them—and why tools like RAG and governance matter for accuracy.

How to Be the Boss of the Bots: Why Humanities Matter

As AI reshapes work, creativity and empathy matter more, not less. Why pairing tech skills with the humanities is how you future-proof a career.

Top 10 Mistakes When Moving to a Headless CMS

Our free eBook on the ten most common headless CMS mistakes—and how to avoid them. Drawn from 75+ headless projects and eight years of experience.

Ready to Switch to Webflow? Here's Where to Start

We're long-time fans of low-code and no-code platforms like Webflow. A practical starting point for moving your site, web app, or product over.

Designing With Diversity: Accessibility in Insurance

"Differences are our greatest strengths." How we partnered with accessibility experts Wandke Consulting to make insurance more usable for everyone.

Why Scoping Software Projects Is So Hard

Scoping is one of the hardest parts of building software—an upfront guessing game. Why it's so difficult, and a more reliable way to approach it.

JP Holecka Named BC's 2022 CEO of the Year

Our CEO JP Holecka has been named BC's 2022 CEO of the Year—recognition of years of growth, award-winning work, and leading with empathy and simplicity.

Everything's Gone Headless—Is Your Org Ready?

Headless has hit a tipping point, and the options are overwhelming. How to cut through the noise and decide whether headless is right for your business.

Why We Sponsor Team Ladouceur

A digital agency and a women's curling team have more in common than you'd think—where curling, entrepreneurship, and neurodivergence meet.

Why IT Teams Should Embrace the Lean Startup Approach

When you're not quite fluent, it's safer to keep it simple. Why IT teams that adopt a Lean Startup mindset help their clients, partners, and people win.

The "Creator Middle Class" Runs on Third-Party Tech

First came the side hustle. Now a "creator middle class" is emerging—powered by the third-party platforms that digital transformation made possible.

Apps: What You See Is Only the Tip of the Iceberg

Cheap apps rarely succeed, and users expect more than ever. We go beneath the surface to reveal the true cost of building an app that adds real value.

Who Should You Partner With on Your Next Product?

Dev shop, creative agency, consultant, or product studio? Our white paper weighs the benefits and drawbacks of each so you can pick the right team.

Betting on Ourselves: The Future of Luxury Watch Shopping

We've built hundreds of products for clients. Now we're building one for ourselves—a new take on luxury watch shopping, with our own skin in the game.

Unsplash: Disrupting the Stock Photo Industry

How Unsplash turned a side-of-desk hustle into a multi-layered business model—and what product teams can learn from the way it found its profit.

Webinar: Rethinking CX Needs in 2021

More than 80% of leaders planned lasting changes to how they serve customers. Our webinar on applying Lean Service Design to your 2021 CX strategy.

luxxee Closed Beta: Apply for Early Access

After seven months building quietly in the luxury watch space, we're opening a two-month closed beta for luxxee. Apply to help shape what's next.

Power Shifter Wins UX for Product at the VanUX Awards

Our work with Delta Controls won Best UX for Product at the Vancouver User Experience Awards—a win for our team and a standout client collaboration.

A Crash Course in Agile Product Design from EdTech

COVID-19 stopped in-person learning cold and exposed how far behind EdTech had fallen. What agile product design can teach any industry under pressure.

The Advent of Lean Service Design in the COVID-19 Age

COVID-19 compressed roadmaps from years into weeks. Why service design is shifting from big engagements to smaller ones focused on business outcomes.

Power Shifter CEO Elected to the ICA Board

CEO JP Holecka has been elected to the board of the Institute of Communication Agencies, which represents Canada's most influential agencies.

4 Tips to Choose an AI Project That Won't Fail

Data science partner Hamid Omid shares four practical tips for picking an AI project that's set up to succeed—before you sink time and budget into it.

A New Way to Write RFPs

Part 3 of 3 on the RFP problem: how to refine, refresh, and reimagine the process so you actually find the agency that's right for your project.

Think an RFP Is Your Only Option? Think Again.

Part 2 of 3 on the RFP problem: five effective ways to find a qualified agency partner for your next project—without defaulting to a request for proposal.

4 Reasons Great Agencies Aren't Answering Your RFPs

Part 1 of 3 on the RFP problem: why the best agencies quietly pass on your request for proposal—and what that signals about the process itself.

5 Problems With Relying on Zoom During the Pandemic

Zoom became a lifeline for remote work overnight. But the rush exposed real drawbacks for users—five problems worth weighing before you depend on it.

Product Design Insights: 7 Great Reads for April

April's reads: a rising no-code software trend, the pandemic's lasting impact on product and design, and more. Seven curated picks from our team.

Why "Stand the F Back"? Our COVID-19 Campaign

A look at why provocative swag became our way of helping change behaviour—and flatten the curve—during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Applying Service Design Principles During a Pandemic

Grocery stores rewrote the rules of shopping overnight. A look at how service design principles played out in real time during COVID-19.

Power Shifter CEO Joins the Forbes Agency Council

CEO JP Holecka has been accepted into the Forbes Agency Council, an invitation-only community for leaders of top PR, media, creative, and ad agencies.

Power Shifter Named a Top Agency in Canada by Clutch

For the second year running, Clutch has named us a top Canadian digital product studio—based on real client feedback. A look back at the recognition.

Stop Designing for Your Industry, Start With Customers

Vertical specialists are overrated. Why the best user experiences come from studios that bring cross-industry thinking—not the same template every time.

Should You Keep Product Development In-House?

Done right, digital products do a lot for your business. Why outsourcing product design—rather than forcing it in-house—often delivers a better result.

The Human Touch: How Empathy in UX Strengthens CX

Design is more scientific than it looks—but empathy is what makes it work. How the human behind the process shapes UX, and the customer experience.

Power Shifter Named a 2019 Clutch Leader

Clutch.co has ranked Power Shifter a 2019 leader among Canadian product designers—based on verified client reviews on the B2B ratings platform.