Allan MacDonald

12 + Year Senior Product Designer & Design Strategist

To make complex problems into simple experiences.

Companies I’ve worked with

About me

Connecting the dots

Most designers either came up through visual design or engineering. I did both!
I've shipped code as a developer for years. I've crafted pixel-perfect interfaces as a UX designer and I've run a studio for four years, which means I've also sat across the table from clients trying to explain why their feature request is actually three different problems wearing a trench coat.That background means I don't just empathize with engineers and stakeholders. I've been them! I know what breaks in production, what makes a design system actually scale, and when to push back on a roadmap strategically.

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The PROOF

Feedback

Nice things folks have said

The design work was consistently high-quality, timely, and flexible. Every project was completed successfully, and the workflow was very effective. Communication was smooth throughout.

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harleen kaur

CEO of Ground News

The facilitation and design support brought clarity, structure, and alignment to a complex program redesign. The frameworks, playbook, and real-time interventions immediately improved session outcomes and helped us see meaningful progress. The work challenged assumptions with care and helped our team move from stagnation to innovation.

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zaccary dyck

Lead, Facilitation and IT at District 3

The website redesign translated our half-formed ideas into a clear vision for layout, structure, and functionality. The final result beautifully reflects our mission and has substantially increased visibility, engagement, and incoming requests. The process was guided with patience, clarity, and adaptability to our evolving needs.

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Clara Bolster-Foucault

Co-Executive Director

Allan brought deep UX research, product understanding, and thoughtful decision-making to the project. He consistently did the work to understand how other companies solved similar problems and tailored solutions to our product’s constraints. Communication was easy, patient, and reliable throughout.

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Michael Handelman

Senior Game Designer at Magpie Literacy

The UX and product design work was thoughtful, research-driven, and grounded in a clear understanding of user behavior. The design process was efficient and collaborative, with weekly updates and in-person problem-solving sessions that kept everyone aligned. Early user testing of the app brought extraordinary feedback.