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Mila Cann

@milacann.bsky.social
614 followers 306 following 38 posts

Principal, Enterprise Digital Experience. Leading government-wide UX, digital transformation and AI initiatives, service standards and design systems. milacann.com linkedin.com/in/milacann

PostsRepliesMedia
Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
America.gov is interesting for reasons that have very little to do with AI. The real shift is toward a service layer that can hide the structure of government from the people using it. The future of government websites isn’t better websites. It’s making the org chart irrelevant.
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Designers don’t sit outside the organization. Our role is to help organizations make better decisions by balancing user needs with business goals, technical constraints, policy requirements, operational realities, risk, accessibility, and sustainability.
medium.com
Good designers advocate for users. Great designers understand the business.
Many designers see themselves as user advocates. That’s a good thing. Organizations need people who can bring user needs into the…
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Reposted by Mila Cann
Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 15/06/2025
After 20+ years in product, service design, and public sector transformation, I have a confession: I hate Design Thinking. It shows up with workshops, then disappears before the real work begins. It's not design. It's change management. 👉 Read the article on Medium: medium.com/design-bootc...
medium.com
Why I hate Design Thinking
Design Thinking bails before the hard work begins
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Reposted by Mila Cann
Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 25/01/2025
Have you ever felt out of the loop when developers talk about Git? In this article, I break the basics of Git down into digestible parts, so you can confidently join the conversation with your developer colleagues. 👉 Full article: medium.com/design-bootc... #UX #Designsky #ProductDesign #git
medium.com
An introduction to Git for UI/UX designers
As a UI/UX designer, you’re always in the process of learning and mastering the latest design tools, techniques, and whatever else the…
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 15/06/2025
When I need to design products or services under pressure, I rely on 3 things that consistently work: ✅ Talk to people who talk to people. ✅ Deep dive into your data. ✅ Use heuristics and proven patterns. 👉 Read my latest article on Medium: medium.com/design-bootc...
A promotional image for a Medium article by Mila Cann. The background features a black-to-orange gradient. White text reads: “If you can’t do user research, do these 3 things. Tactics that work when time is tight and stakes are high.” At the bottom, there's a circular photo of Mila Cann with the URL “milacann.medium.com” and the Medium logo.
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 15/06/2025
After 20+ years in product, service design, and public sector transformation, I have a confession: I hate Design Thinking. It shows up with workshops, then disappears before the real work begins. It's not design. It's change management. 👉 Read the article on Medium: medium.com/design-bootc...
medium.com
Why I hate Design Thinking
Design Thinking bails before the hard work begins
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 01/06/2025
Canada Dry ginger ale, chicken noodle soup and soda crackers. 🤒
AI generated image of Bob Barker consoling a sick child.
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
Scroll bars, 1988–2012: A visual history of digital fashion trends. 1988: Shoulder pads 1998: Business casual 2001: Denim everything 2006: Soft pastels 2009: Athleisure 2012: Scandinavian capsule wardrobe #UX #UI #ProductDesign #DesignSky
A vertical timeline graphic showing the visual evolution of scroll bars from 1988 to 2012. Each year features a different scroll bar design, gradually simplifying over time—from thick, high-contrast elements in the 1980s and 1990s to subtle, minimal styles by 2012. The scroll bar progressively loses detail, color, and dimensionality, illustrating a shift toward flat design and minimalism.
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
This is what happens when you don’t think through edge cases, real-world context, or how your product will be used over time. Design doesn’t end at the mockup. Test it. Contextualize it. Stress it. #UX #ProductDesign #DesignSky #HumanCenteredDesign
Three pencils with the phrase "TOO COOL TO DO DRUGS" printed on them. As the pencils are sharpened, the phrase shortens — first to "COOL TO DO DRUGS," and then to "DO DRUGS," unintentionally reversing the original anti-drug message. The image illustrates how poor design decisions can lead to unintended consequences over time.
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
Sure, the details are on the same section of the site and can be found here: www.canada.ca/en/immigrati...
canada.ca
Canadian citizenship - Canada.ca
Canadian citizenship
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
No problem! I should also mention the categories were just updated a few weeks ago to include education, such as teachers, child care educators and instructors of persons with disabilities and a ton of trades: www.canada.ca/en/immigrati...
canada.ca
Canada announces 2025 Express Entry category-based draws, plans for more in-Canada draws to reduce labour shortages
Immigration is essential to supporting Canada’s economic growth. As labour requirements in key sectors continue to evolve, it’s important that Canada’s immigration system is nimble and responsive to o...
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
www.canada.ca/en/immigrati...
canada.ca
Immigrate through Express Entry
Immigrate to Canada as a skilled worker through Express Entry. Check eligibility, fees, documents, rounds of invitations, and steps for applying.
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Reposted by Mila Cann
The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 02/03/2025
18F, a team in the General Services Administration, was tailor-made for government efficiency and technology, writes @matteowong.bsky.social. Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency wiped it out.
theatlantic.com
DOGE Killed a Government-Efficiency Team
“It’s chaotic, and it feels like it’s chaotic on purpose.”
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Reposted by Mila Cann
Alt18F @alt18f.bsky.social · 01/03/2025
18F was doing exactly the type of work that DOGE claims to want – yet we were eliminated shortly after midnight. Read our letter to the American people: 18f.org
18f.org
We're not done yet | 18F
697187356803
Reposted by Mila Cann
Government of New Brunswick @govnb.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
A new GNB.ca is here. The official GNB website has undergone big changes to provide you with an improved user experience. www.gnb.ca/en.html
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
When UX leaders don’t have a seat at the table, there will be signs… 🤣 Somewhere, a UX designer and brand manager are screaming into the void. #UX #Design #ProductDesign #ProductManagement #ContentDesign #AI
A screen capture of the ChatGPT model selection drop-down non intuitive model names like o1 o3-mini, o3-mini-high, etc.
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 25/01/2025
Have you ever felt out of the loop when developers talk about Git? In this article, I break the basics of Git down into digestible parts, so you can confidently join the conversation with your developer colleagues. 👉 Full article: medium.com/design-bootc... #UX #Designsky #ProductDesign #git
medium.com
An introduction to Git for UI/UX designers
As a UI/UX designer, you’re always in the process of learning and mastering the latest design tools, techniques, and whatever else the…
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
Here we go again... 😅 #UX #CX #Brand #Designsky #Marketing
Ben Affleck smoking meme, caption reads: Microsoft 365 (Office) is now Microsoft Copilot 365. He is surrounded by 10 years' worth of logo rebrands.
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 19/01/2025
When I saw this screenshot, I thought it was a joke—but no, it’s the real deal. (The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations or face a ban. The app has been removed from U.S. app stores and users get this message.) There’s a lot to unpack here…
The text in the image reads:

Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now
A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.

We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
Clicked on a website for a local WALK-IN blood clinic last week. Top of the website: fax number. Finally found the address in the footer after some poking around. 🤦‍♀️
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
Thanks for the feedback! My main point is that in a truly agile setup, designers and developers work as one cross-functional team, sharing the same sprints. That way, ‘handing off’ designs isn’t needed at all—everyone collaborates live and evolves the product together.
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
🔥Design handoffs are the hidden waterfall in your agile workflow.🔥 A handoff assumes that a design is “done” and ready to be implemented without further collaboration — this is a waterfall mindset, not an agile one. Design and development should collaborate continuously. #UX #DesignSky #Agile
medium.com
Design handoffs don’t belong in agile environments
The hidden waterfall in your agile workflow
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
My colleague is writing a guide to understanding user feedback for our internal stakeholders, and I sent her this for her slide deck. 🤣 If you know who created this, please tag them. #FunnyFriday #Design #UX
A meme that says "When you act on everyone's design feedback..." and shows a series of 4 AI-generated airplanes, each is hilariously distorted with additional decks, engines or other parts.
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
Nice! ☺️
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Reposted by Mila Cann
Stuart Robson @sturobson.com · 07/01/2025
Relatively New Things You Should Know about HTML Heading Into 2025 from @chriscoyier.net frontendmasters.com/... #FrontEnd #WebDev
frontendmasters.com
Relatively New Things You Should Know about HTML Heading Into 2025 – Frontend Masters Boost
Accordion details, toggle switches, styleable selects, responsive video, and more!
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
Can confirm. 😅
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
🎨 Check out Color.review – a free web-based tool that helps you explore and test accessible color choices. Ensure your text and background combinations meet WCAG contrast requirements, making your content more inclusive and readable for all users. #Accessibility #WCAG #UX #Design
color.review
Colors that look and work great for everyone
A modern tool for exploring and finding accessible colors. Make sure that everyone can see your creations.
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
No problem! 🤜🤛
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
Did you know accessibility best practices aren’t just for websites and applications? They can be used to improve print and environmental graphic design too, creating better experiences for everyone. RGD’s ‘AccessAbility 2’ handbook shows how to design with inclusion in mind. #UX #Accessibility
rgd.ca
AccessAbility 2: A Practical Handbook on Accessible Graphic Design
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
Accessibility best practices recommend avoiding centered, justified, or right-aligned text. WCAG explicitly prohibits justified text. Centered and right-aligned text disrupt predictable line starts, making it harder for people with dyslexia, cognitive disabilities, or magnification users to read.
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
Oh, my. Tell me you don’t know anything about accessibility without telling me you don’t know anything about accessibility. 🤦‍♀️
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
Happy to hear it! 🤜🤛
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
Nice! I took the leap into public service almost 7 years ago after 15 years of startups and freelance. I was the first UX hire in a gov with tens of thousands of employees! There’s so much to do, learn and teach. It was one of the best career decisions I ever made. 10/10 would do it again.
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
You forgot “Agile is Dead”, Virtue Signalling and a Humblebrag, but I suppose most of those could be filed under Cringe. 🤣
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
I feel this so hard. I every presentation. Every article. At least once. 😂
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
Making sure content is clear and easy to read is an essential part of accessible and inclusive design. In this guide, I'll explain contrast and contrast ratios, outline key WCAG accessibility standards, and provide simple tips to help you meet these requirements. #Accessibility #UX #ContentDesign
medium.com
A plain language guide to WCAG contrast requirements
Making sure your content is clear and easy to read for as many people as possible is an essential part of accessible and inclusive design.
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
I wish I had the time, my colleague and I keep a Miro board of gems. Ironically, Miro is a repeat offender. Open it up to crowdsourced submissions and let the community highlight some shady design!
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
Love a good UX wall of shame. I’d also like to see one for big tech companies’ failures meeting basic accessibility standards…
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
Dual-track career paths are so important in design and development. When people management is the only option for career progression, who leads the work? Not everyone wants to be a people leader. Promote your best ICs, pay them well, and let them lead vision and mentor the next generation.
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
There’s no paywall on any of my content - that’s just Medium’s CTA overlay asking you to create an account. You can close it with the X on the right. 😊
A screenshot of Medium settings showing the paywall is off.
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
👋 If you’re a UX designer who wants to improve lives and make a real difference, the public sector might be the right place for you. Here’s 5 reasons why. 👉 Read the full article on Medium: medium.com/design-bootc... #UX #UIUX #Design #Government #SeviceDesign #PublicService
medium.com
Why UX designers should consider a career in the public sector
If you’re a UX designer who wants to improve lives and make a real difference, the public sector might be the right place for you.
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Reposted by Mila Cann
Patrick Neeman @usabilitycounts.bsky.social · 22/12/2024
I improved the UX Starter Pack. It's up to about 95 now. Ping me if you want to be added. go.bsky.app/EbLWXGH
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
For a minute I was going to guess number of items, then it threw me a curveball. Whenever I see no particular order I assume it’s based on “most popular first” in an attempt to be helpful, but it just totally confuses everyone. 🤣
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
I’d love to be added to the starter pack! I lead government-wide UX strategy with a focus on AI, accessibility, and digital services. Just started exploring Bluesky today—this starter pack is super helpful, and I’m excited to connect!
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Mila Cann @milacann.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
🌟 Government digital services: 5 transformational trends for 2025 🌟 In 2025, governments will reimagine how they design, develop, and deliver digital services. Let’s take a look at 5 leading trends enabling this transformation: medium.com/design-bootc... #UX #Design #ServiceDesign #Government
medium.com
Government digital services: 5 transformational trends for 2025
Public sector organizations are entering a new phase of digital transformation.
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