Jury Member

VP UX, Shopify
Co-Author, Tragic Design

Cynthia leads UX at Shopify and is also the author of Tragic Design. Passionate about human beings and their means of communication, Cynthia has always sought a deeper understanding of how people think, interact, and connect.

Communication has thus been a key ingredient in her technological endeavors. A Université de Montréal graduate in industrial design, she was awarded the 2010 RAÉDIUM prize for Chouette!, a technological communication platform to strengthen intergenerational relations. Her slick solution allows preschool kids and seniors to share the same interface, using the poetry of light and play.

Since she joined Shopify, she sprinkled her creativity in many important projects, notably working on web and mobile interfaces. Cynthia excels particularly in a field that is not always fully understood: she creates smart, emotional connections between companies and users. She works as a project lead and user experience (UX) designer. She has a knack for strategic design, ergonomics, and problem-solving. Her wide range of experiences brought her broad recognition as a leading expert on multi-platform interface design.

On top of her daytime job, Cynthia mentors startups and is regularly invited to speak at events around the world, where her playful approach both startles and charms. In her conferences, she shares her passion and her point of view: user-centered design is a reality, not a utopian methodology.