A consulting firm dedicated to making
Experiences
better.

We shape new services and business models that will deliver the greatest impact on customer satisfaction, the bottom line and society at large.

The principles and methods that guide our practice, result in strategies and systems that transform businesses and entire communities.

Sydney looking down at her notes.
Rochelle interviewing a caregiver.

Strategic Impact Areas

Our vision of creating a kinder, more beautiful future is ambitious, because it means improving thousands, maybe millions of people’s lives.

We focus on the sectors, systems and clients that seek large scale change and transformation, prioritizing those with the greatest potential for positive social and economic impact.

  • We were originally founded with a vision of creating workplaces where people look forward to Monday mornings. Although our purpose has become more ambitious, we still believe that design can transform employee experiences.

    By embedding ourselves within corporate functions and departments, we engage employees across every touchpoint and interaction, highlighting the moments that matter, then co-creating and prototyping new services and experiences.

  • Instead of turning our backs on large public serving institutions when they need us most, we work alongside them, guiding large-scale change from within.

    By embracing new technologies, mindsets and ways of working, together we deliver better services for all citizens regardless of their age, culture, economic situation, education, gender, geographic location or race.

  • Healthcare is a service that no one wants, but everyone needs. As in most countries, the public healthcare system in Canada is under pressure. Service design is gaining momentum as a way of ensuring future solutions focus on patients' needs in the planning of health care.

    We work with healthcare providers to better understand the needs of patients, caregivers, and staff, while considering the wider systems around them. We simultaneously create better experiences while nudging those systems to evolve.

  • Social innovation is the act of developing new ideas to solve complex issues, such as poverty, homelessness, and racism within the for-profit, nonprofit and public sectors.

    Unfortunately, the current approach to transformation in the social sector lacks coordination, experimentation and resourcing. We put community engagement, collaboration and participatory design at the heart of innovation and change.

Asfa helping a family at the Pay-What-You-Want Market.

Our culture

When people show up to work in authentic ways, everything gets better. We work in inclusive and non-hierarchical ways so everyone, regardless of role or title, can thrive in a friendly and creative environment.

All of our team brings expertise in connecting and integrating the right approaches, at the right time, to achieve success for our clients, projects and communities.

J5 team on a hike in the beautiful Rocky Mountains.
J5 team surrounding a campfire at The Rise on St. Patrick Island in Calgary.
A group of people participating in an activity outside.

Awards & Recognitions

  • The Service Design Award, founded by the Service Design Network in 2015, is the most prestigious award honoring service design excellence from around the world.


  • J5 was selected as the winner of the 2022 Alberta Health Service Launchpad competition for our digital playbook for caregivers in collaboration with Gordie Howe Centre for Alzheimers Research and Education Society.

    This competition is open to patients, doctors, nurses, patient experts, caregivers, healthcare administrators, entrepreneurs and students across Canada.

  • The Calgary HOPE award recognizes individuals, teams and organizations who have made substantial contributions in the lives of Calgarians experiencing significant life changes.

    These awards recognize excellence for those making the greatest impact on complex community problems while demonstrating the values of community, empathy, partnership and diversity.