The Big Story

How to supercharge the impact of your data insights

The uncomfortable truth about how humans actually process information—and what to do about it.

Here's a story that plays out in boardrooms every day: A VP opens her quarterly dashboard, stares at a wall of charts, and closes it within 30 seconds. She's not lazy. She's human.

American companies spend $73 billion annually on business intelligence tools, yet most executives still rely on gut instinct for major decisions. The problem isn't the data: it's the design.

When RBC created their NOMI personalized financial insights system, millions of users adopted it immediately. Meanwhile, Shopify merchants struggled with data-rich dashboards until the company developed their Polaris design system for consistency and usability.

The difference? These companies understood that having data and being able to act on it are completely different things.

The human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text, yet most organizations present critical insights like tax returns. We've optimized for analytical completeness while forgetting that humans need to make decisions.

The solution isn't choosing between data and design, but recognizing they're inseparable. Organizations that invest in user research and design see reduced support costs, higher tool adoption, and better decision-making.

Your data team built incredible tools. Now it's time to make them human.

Start by reading our full story: How design transforms data from information into action →

Community Engagement

Silence is Golden: The Power of Pause in Facilitation

Tash Willcocks—design educator, facilitator, and creative leader—shares why silence is a powerful tool in effective facilitation.

In her latest piece, she explores how thoughtful pauses can create space for reflection, boost participation, and deepen team insights. With years of experience guiding diverse groups, Tash shows us that saying less can often achieve more.

Read the full story (quietly).

Meet the Buttons

The Button Team’s Summer Highlights (So Far)

Zoey Li, Service Designer
“I was at the Calgary Stampede! And also took a trip up the Sunshine Coast to Sechelt where we went paddle-boarding, followed by a DIY taco night!”

Suha Fatima, UX/UI Designer
“I'm going to my first baseball game: Blue Jays vs. the Yankees and I’m so excited about that. I also explored the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington (and its huuuuuuge and beautiful, and pictured above). For the rest of the summer, I’ll continue exploring Ontario. Hamilton is prettier than when I first zipped through it.”

Anthony Bushara, Full Stack Developer
“This summer for whatever reason has been the summer of horror! (Don’t worry: I’m talking about movies and shows!) I started a bit early with Sinners which started strong, but I’m also looking forward to watching the new Jordan Peele movie, Him. Also, 28 Years Later, which will bring some life back into the zombie-horror genre. It’s a great summer of spooks that I'm here for.”

Charlyne Fothergill, Sr. HR Business Partner
“Summer is my favourite time of year. Being based on Vancouver Island with access to a lake, there is no better place!”

Your July and August Event Calendar!

Victoria

July 23 | AI Innovation Night: Explore Microsoft's AI Suite
A Victoria Microsoft AI Users and Innovators event showcasing Microsoft's AI tools. TIME: 6 PM - 8 PM PT PLACE: Peacock Billiards & James Joyce Bistro, 1175 Douglas St Unit C COST: Free | DETAILS

July 24 | VIATEC AI Meetup: Technology Track
A VIATEC AI-focused networking and learning event. TIME: 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM PT PLACE: Fort Tectoria – Shaw Conference Room, 777 Fort Street COST: Free | DETAILS

July 29 | Unlocking Innovation: Evolving Government Program and Service Reviews
An event exploring innovation in government program reviews. TIME: 2:30 PM - 4 PM PT PLACE: Online COST: $10 | DETAILS

Calgary

July 31 | Innovation Journeys: Lessons from the Frontlines
A Calgary innovation event sharing frontline experiences and lessons. TIME: 12 PM - 2 PM MT PLACE: Social Innovation Hub, Unit #290, 3553 31 St NW COST: Free | DETAILS

August 7-9 | Design Week: Calgary
A multi-day design conference and networking event. TIME: Multi-day event PLACE: Various locations in Calgary COST: Varies | DETAILS

Toronto

July 22 | AI Policy Tuesdays: The Future of Canadian AI Governance
A Toronto AI Aligners event exploring Canadian AI governance policy. TIME: 6 PM - 9 PM ET PLACE: 30 Adelaide East, Industrious Office 12th Floor Common Area COST: Free | DETAILS

July 24 | AI Safety Thursdays: Agentic Misalignment: How LLMs could be insider threats
A Toronto AI Aligners event examining LLM insider threat risks. TIME: 6 PM - 9 PM ET PLACE: 30 Adelaide East, Industrious Office 12th Floor Common Area COST: Free | DETAILS

July 24 | Toronto Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity (TAICO) July 2025 Meetup
A TAICO networking event focusing on AI and cybersecurity topics. TIME: 5:30 PM - 8 PM ET PLACE: Adaptavist, 43 Front St. E COST: Free | DETAILS

July 25 | AWS JAM Session by AWS User Group Toronto July 2025 Meetup
An AWS User Group Toronto hands-on JAM session. TIME: 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM ET PLACE: 18 York Street COST: Free | DETAILS

July 31 | JSpecify and the Nullness Checker: avoiding Null Pointer Exceptions
A Toronto Java User Group technical presentation by Werner Dietl. TIME: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM ET PLACE: Free Times Cafe, 320 College St. COST: Free | DETAILS

Worth Your Attention

What We’re Reading: Value of Design: Creating Agency Through Data-Driven Insights 

Value of Design explores how data-driven methodologies can redefine how we measure the impact of architectural design in real estate. Authors Andrea Chegut, Minkoo Kang, Helena Rong, and Juncheng Yang use New York City as a testbed to examine how design influences social and economic outcomes. Through AI, machine learning, and new data sources, like mobile phone and image data, the book proposes a groundbreaking model to quantify design’s financial and social value. This timely work offers real estate stakeholders a new framework for recognizing the tangible benefits of thoughtful, sustainable, and human-centric design in shaping the built environment.

Learn more and get the book here.

Further Reading

Stay on top of vital digital services news and tips by checking out insights from our previous newsletters

BUYING CANADIAN IS NOT ENOUGH: A practical technology roadmap for going from foreign vendor lock-in to harnessing Canadian innovation.

STREAMLINING FEATURE APPROVAL IN GOVERNMENT APPS: The Button secret for streamlining feature approvals for seamless, consistent user experiences across government applications.

ESCAPING THE SPREADSHEET NIGHTMARE: A government leader’s guide to making smarter BI decisions.

REKINDLING DIGITAL TRUST: Button helps our partners build digital trust with their citizens every day. Learn how with our video, blog and white-paper guides today!

🔥 THE NEWEST HOT BUTTON REPORT: Learn how to rebuild trust with your stakeholders. Download the full, free report now.

Curious what a Canadian-first tech stack could look like for you?

We’ll happily walk you through three smart swaps that improve resilience, and reduce exposure without breaking your workflows.

Book a 30-minute working session with Button.

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