I.J. Makan

I.J. Makan has had a varied and impressive career, beginning with a Graduate Teaching Assistant role at Saint Mary's University in 2016. In 2017, they took on a Product Designer role at their own company, I.J. Makan. In 2019, they founded Hylomorphe, a company that empowers underprivileged kids to dream, achieve and rise above their circumstances. In 2020, they held Product Design Lead positions at Leap Audio, Astreas, and Cirqel. Most recently, in 2021, they were appointed Head of Design and Director of Product Design at Rootine, where they led Rootine design system patterns, designed and implemented a single-checkout process with end-checkout logic, and worked collaboratively with Engineering, CX, Marketing, and Growth to identify requirements and opportunities for improvement. Additionally, I.J. Makan has been the Editor-in-Chief and Podcast Host at Kazingram Dialogue since 2017, where they have interviewed over 40 guests on their experience and expertise.

I.J. Makan has a Master's Degree in Philosophy from Saint Mary's University and a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy from Tyndale University. Additionally, they have obtained three certifications from LinkedIn: Python Quick Start (June 2020), Interaction Design: Design Patterns as Building Blocks (April 2020), and Design Thinking: Understanding the Process (March 2020).