Specialization

Product & Experience Design

Human-centered product design for enterprise platforms, customer apps, and complex service flows.

About This Offering

SYSTEMshift designs intuitive, insight-driven digital experiences that balance user needs, business goals, and technical realities. From responsive apps to internal platforms, we specialize in shaping products that scale—grounded in research, structured in architecture, and delivered with clarity.

Whether you need an MVP that makes sense or a redesign that transforms adoption, we turn messy systems into usable, useful experiences.

Services Include

→ End-to-End UX & Product Design
→ Interaction Models & Task Flows
→ Accessibility & Inclusive Design
→ Wireframes, UI Patterns, and Prototypes
→ UX Audits & Journey Optimization
→ Information Architecture & Content Models
→ Design Support for Developers & Agile Teams

Featured Projects

TD Domestic Wire Origination Redesign (2021)

→ Overhauled digital wire transfer interface for internal & commercial users
→ Introduced clear flows, embedded help, and form logic improvements
→ Reduced failed transactions and service tickets significantly

YorkU – SAVY Virtual Assistant Design (2020)

→ Designed conversational experience for 24/7 AI assistant
→ Structured content to match student mental models
→ Adopted by 50,000+ students to access academic, health & campus info

BMO Trident Product Bundle (2020)

→ Reimagined onboarding for bundled bank products (chequing, savings, credit)
→ Simplified flows across legal, compliance, and service platforms
→ Delivered blueprint-to-interface model for enterprise rollout

Air Canada Chatbot Concept (2020)

→ Mapped core user intents across loyalty and travel operations
→ Designed adaptive flows for multilingual, mobile-first interface
→ Piloted as part of broader AI adoption strategy

ExxonMobil Speedpass+ Payment App (2019)

→ UX and flow optimization for complex cross-device interactions
→ Integrated account, payment, and loyalty systems
→ Supported developer handoff with annotated designs

About Bernadette

Bernadette Smail is the founder of SYSTEMshift and a former IBM iX consultant with over 15 years of experience in UX, AI, and digital transformation. She’s led product and platform design for TD, Air Canada, ExxonMobil, and major Canadian institutions. Her approach combines rigorous research, UX architecture, and scalable systems thinking.

Ideal Clients

→ Product teams launching or relaunching digital services
→ Enterprises with fragmented or legacy customer experiences
→ Startups building MVPs with long-term viability
→ Organizations integrating design into agile delivery

Credentials

Testimonials & Recognition

Endorsements from UX, AI & Business Leaders

Helen Romano

Head of IBM iX

Bernadette is an exceptional UX/UI researcher and designer. Her strategic insights and design expertise consistently delivered impactful solutions, making her highly sought after by clients and product teams alike.

Ranvir Malik

Senior Managing Consultant

IBM Canada

You are outstanding—you make a difference. Your unselfish support introduced us to the Mural universe, leading to transformative collaboration.

TD CCaaS Genesys Integration

Uddipana Baishya

Senior Design Researcher

TD Invent

Bernadette, your blend of skills is truly impressive. Managing repository design, development, testing, and debugging as a one-woman team was remarkable. You handled a heavy workload under tight deadlines with composure and adaptability, always eager for feedback and continuous improvement.

TD UX Research Repository