Hi there! My name's Evan Rees, a UX/UI Designer/Researcher and Visual Artist in Toronto. I have 5 years of professional UX design, working on various academic and market research teams to conduct user research on products. My experience working with AI as a Generalist Specialist has allowed me to gain insight into the growing need and research for AI and how to integrate it, ethically and in parallel with existing infrastructures, to improve the user experience. I have a deep love of connecting to people, and employ this when conducting participant-based usability testing to make them feel at ease, and get the most valuable feedback as possible to iterate on the design,

Evan Michael Rees

PRO

Hi there! My name's Evan Rees, a UX/UI Designer/Researcher and Visual Artist in Toronto. I have 5 years of professional UX design, working on various academic and market research teams to conduct user research on products. My experience working with AI as a Generalist Specialist has allowed me to gain insight into the growing need and research for AI and how to integrate it, ethically and in parallel with existing infrastructures, to improve the user experience. I have a deep love of connecting to people, and employ this when conducting participant-based usability testing to make them feel at ease, and get the most valuable feedback as possible to iterate on the design,

Available to hire

Hi there! My name’s Evan Rees, a UX/UI Designer/Researcher and Visual Artist in Toronto. I have 5 years of professional UX design, working on various academic and market research teams to conduct user research on products. My experience working with AI as a Generalist Specialist has allowed me to gain insight into the growing need and research for AI and how to integrate it, ethically and in parallel with existing infrastructures, to improve the user experience. I have a deep love of connecting to people, and employ this when conducting participant-based usability testing to make them feel at ease, and get the most valuable feedback as possible to iterate on the design,

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Work Experience

Lead Educator at FIKA Cannabis, Toronto
November 1, 2024 - Present
Worked at Toronto’s busiest cannabis store located in Union Station, responsible for safely handling cash deposits and inventory, managing conflicts, and educating customers to provide the best product experience. Managed day-to-day operations including key holding in a high-traffic environment with daily sales between $21,000 and $28,000, serving 700-800 customers daily.
Senior UX Research Consultant at Phase 5 Consulting, Toronto
June 30, 2023 - July 28, 2025
Led and created user testing for various large financial institutions assessing mobile banking apps and websites usability. Managed over 20 projects simultaneously during a 6-month tenure, delivering professional and succinct reports meeting tight deadlines. Provided detailed analysis and insights to stakeholders to improve product design and usability.
UX Researcher at LINCS, University of Guelph
January 31, 2023 - July 28, 2025
Led design workshops and coordinated design iterations between development, project managers, and UX designers for a semantic web tool for humanities researchers. Conducted heuristic evaluations and user testing to improve system designs while ensuring AODA and WCAG compliance. Co-authored research papers and presented findings at conferences.
UX Designer/Researcher at HealthyDesign.City, Toronto
May 31, 2022 - July 28, 2025
Drafted and revised ethics protocols for research approval, created usability testing tasks, recruited team members, and executed over 65 usability tests for a climate change policy tool. Analyzed results and produced reports to guide development before deployment.
Software Development Bootcamp Participant at University of Toronto SCS
June 30, 2025 - July 28, 2025
Completed an intensive 6-month virtual software development bootcamp covering languages and technologies including HTML/CSS, JavaScript, TypeScript, NodeJS, PostgreSQL, AI prompt engineering, and React. The program aimed to enhance UX/UI design skills alongside backend development knowledge.
Audio Generalist Research Expert at Mercor
October 1, 2025 - Present
Evaluated emerging AI systems through structured audio-based testing to assess clarity, behavior, and usability. Created rubrics defining ideal AI responses, guiding engineering toward improved model output and user trust.
Senior UX Research Consultant at Phase 5 Consulting
January 1, 2023 - June 1, 2023
Led usability testing and UX evaluations for 20+ mobile/web banking products (TD, CIBC, BMO, RBC). Delivered weekly insight reports that improved task clarity, flow efficiency, and accessibility. Designed task-based usability protocols and heuristic reviews under tight, rapid-release timelines. Presented findings to product teams, influencing roadmap priorities and design decisions.
UX Researcher at LINCS, University of Guelph
September 1, 2021 - January 1, 2023
Led workshops and interviews with researchers to understand needs around data visualization and knowledge mapping. Designed and iterated UI concepts for Research Space, focusing on clarity, accessibility, and flow improvements. Partnered with developers and PMs to align design intent with technical constraints. Co-authored a peer-reviewed paper; presented findings at INKE 2023.
UX Designer & Researcher at HealthyDesign.City
June 1, 2021 - May 1, 2022
Led and executed 65+ usability tests for a national climate visualization tool. Synthesized findings into a 60+ page report that guided pre-launch design updates. Contributed mid- and high-fidelity design iterations with a focus on accessible, intuitive data presentation.
Lead Educator at FIKA Herbal Goods
November 1, 2024 - September 1, 2025
Lead educator and floor lead for Canada’s highest-volume cannabis retailer (700–800 customers/day). Supported customer experience, conflict resolution, and team training.

Education

Masters of Information at University of Toronto, Faculty of Information
September 1, 2020 - September 30, 2022
Honors Bachelor of Arts at University of Toronto
September 1, 2015 - June 30, 2019
Software Development Bootcamp at University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies
January 1, 2024 - January 1, 2025
Master of Information (UX Design & Research) at University of Toronto
January 1, 2020 - January 1, 2022
Honors BA, Sociocultural Anthropology at University of Toronto
January 1, 2015 - January 1, 2019

Qualifications

Add your qualifications or awards here.

Industry Experience

Financial Services, Software & Internet, Government, Education, Retail, Professional Services, Media & Entertainment