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Sydney Harder, IncluCity Calgary Communications
Nov 21, 2022
The 5th annual Start Alberta Tech Awards powered by ATB took place on November 17, 2022. The awards recognized 10 individuals and organizations for their success and contributions to Alberta’s innovation ecosystem, and for making a significant impact in the province’s tech sector.
The Grand, November 17, 2022. IncluCity Calgary, an inclusive usability testing service, was named the winner of the Start Alberta 2022 Digital Talent Champion Award. This award is significant to IncluCity Calgary as it sparks conversations about including diverse voices in the innovations in Alberta.
“We work with a lot of local communities to connect them to become testers of the technology that’s emerging in Calgary and in Alberta,” explained Stephen Yuen, co-founder and Board Member of IncluCity Calgary. “What this award means to us is more than just spreading the word about inclusive design and inclusive testing, it’s really about showcasing the amazing volunteers and testers we have in the community.”
The Digital Talent Champion Award
The Digital Talent Champion Award presented by SAIT highlights those who are dedicated to developing and fostering one of our province’s most critical resources: digital talent. The award recognizes companies, programs and/or individuals who have demonstrated outstanding commitment and leadership in developing the talent ecosystem, growing the digital talent pool and–as a result–accelerating innovation and diversification in Alberta.
IncluCity Calgary is championing digital talent in several ways. They are providing meaningful skill-building opportunities for individuals who are entering or building their skills in the technology sector to engage with usability testing and inclusive and accessible design. Volunteers work with senior UX Developers and User Experience Architects to design tests, facilitate testing sessions with diverse Calgarians and report anonymized findings to client organizations. These activities are highly desirable for Albertans looking to increase their digital skills in a friendly, welcoming environment. IncluCity is also working with tech developers and innovators to improve the diversity, equity and inclusion in their solutions, services or processes. Lastly, they are creating potential pathways for diverse individuals from their tester pool to participate in Alberta’s growing innovation economy.
IncluCity Calgary is expanding their impact in the community and tech ecosystem by:
Recruiting testers: seeking a diverse group of Calgarians that would be paid to test products and services. Sign up at www.inclucitycalgary.ca/become-a-tester.
Building partnerships: identifying client organizations who would like to test their solutions. Sign up at www.inclucitycalgary.ca/test-with-us.
Attracting volunteers: finding passionate individuals interested in UX design and sharing our vision of making Calgary more accessible for all. Sign up at www.inclucitycalgary.ca/join-our-team.
About IncluCity
IncluCity Calgary is a registered nonprofit organization that is building relationships across sectors to improve the usability of services, solutions and processes for everyone. They have expanded their capacity to run tests for clients including Chic Geek and Rainforest Alberta and have facilitated workshops with funding from Calgary Foundation. They have a team of over 100 volunteers who are engaged in making Alberta more inclusive and accessible for individuals regardless of race, gender, or ability.
About Start Alberta
Start Alberta provides a digital gathering space for Alberta’s Innovation Ecosystem. The platform, powered by Dealroom, easily and swiftly provides users with macro-level information including the total number of tech start- and scale-ups, individual and cumulative funding rounds, and more micro information helpful in conducting preliminary due diligence. Start Alberta was created through the foresight of several Founding Partners: The A100, Alberta Enterprise Corporation, and the Venture Capital Association of Alberta who saw the opportunity and need to bring transparency to a previously opaque industry sub-segment.
About Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)
SAIT is a polytechnic in Calgary equipping students with essential skills for career success in industry. Whether looking to upskill or change careers, they enable lifetime learning through relevant, customized education.
We enhance the global competitiveness of our students and region. With more than 11,000 industry partners, they are blurring the lines between industry and SAIT to strengthen the economy.