Managing the workload of four designers across six engineering teams is no easy task, but UX Manager Jason Gagnon has it figured out.
Jason first learned of BIM Track in September 2018, when Jimmy Plante, CEO, invited him to lunch to discuss the company, construction technology, and the future of the AEC industry. “At the time I was working at Vooban,” recounts Jason, “but I took the meeting because I was impressed by Jimmy’s passion. I knew that he would be a great guy to work with.”
He offered Jason a position at BIM Track, to introduce best design practices to the company. The mission: to understand the client’s expectations while using the BIM Track platform. But Jason initially decided against accepting the offer. “By then I had already worked for 15 years in graphic design and front-end development. My career was stable, and my partner and I were expecting our first baby. I didn’t want to upend that with the stress of a new job.”
This would all change a few months later, while Jason was on parental leave, which is a guaranteed right for people living in Quebec, and which gave him time to think. “My meeting with BIM Track kept playing in my head. I decided to go for it.” In April 2019, Jason accepted the offer.
The kind of care Jason takes in making decisions has direct impacts on the work he does as the UX Manager, using Human-Centered Design (HCD). “I’ve always loved and been fascinated by technology and how people use it: the newest gadget, the latest innovation… And by adopting HCD, we’re able to consider the end-user’s experience in every development we make on the platform.
Jason’s HCD process begins with fact-finding: user interviews, surveys, conversations to see where the user experience can be improved. Then he and his team will develop some prototypes before any line of code is written. This allows he and his team to ensure that what they are about to develop will meet real-world needs.
“A recent example of how we used HCD is in the development of BIM Track Mobile, which we built from the ground up. We know our users are going to love it because we found out exactly what they needed from it.”
When Jason is not at work, he is still thinking about construction. “I studied as an electrician, and I love doing home renovations. I’ve lived in three houses, and I’ve stripped each one down to build it back up.”
What does the future have in store? “I prefer to focus on the present, because I’ve got enough projects to keep me busy! That said, there’s a lot of opportunity for career growth at BIM Track, so of course I’m considering next steps. All I know is that no matter what, as long as I’m here I know I’ll be working with an amazing team of talented, cool people, and I’ll feel confident that we’re building something that will last.”