Nomadic Labs is now Dreamside Digital! Read more about it in the blog post 👉

A digital product studio committed to using design and technology for good

Let's make a website you'll love

*or app, tool, automation, bot... whatever it is you're dreaming of!

Hello! I'm Shay and I'll be your web developer.

I'm a creative developer with a decade of experience spanning full-stack web development, web design, graphic design, online communications, and project management.

In 2018, I co-founded Nomadic Labs, a digital agency committed to working with nonprofits and social enterprises. In 2024, Nomadic Labs rebranded as Dreamside Digital, with a renewed vision for creating digital products that engage and empower communities and enable organizations to accelerate their impact.

Say hi 👋
Shay

I work with organizations who share my values

Inclusion

I strive to create products for diverse audiences with a wide range of abilities. That goes beyond checkboxes and compliance; accessibility and inclusion is foundational to my design process.

Collaboration

We'll bring together your subject matter expertise, my technical knowledge, and the voices of your community to co-create a product that truly serves your needs. When a project calls for additional skills, I don't hesitate to tap into my network of amazing collaborators!

Open-source

I'm able to deliver outstanding results by leveraging the power of open-source tools built by thousands of developers - and I actively contribute back to the open-source ecosystem.

What I do

Beyond specific services, I take the time to deeply understand my clients' needs (and constraints) so that we can come up with an appropriate digital strategy together.

  • Prototyping
  • Automation
  • Integration
  • Branding
  • Graphic design
  • UI/UX design
  • Web development
  • Custom software

Here are some of my favourite projects

  • Screenshot from the home page of the Abortion Access Tracker showing a map of Canada with points across the map

    Abortion Access Tracker

    A centralized resource for information about policies, laws, and regulations that impact abortion access in Canada.

  • The home page of the new CIPPIC website

    Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic

    CIPPIC is a well-established legal non-profit with over a decade of articles and research on their website. We moved all their existing content to a new website with a refreshed design, intuitive navigation, and a better backend editing experience for the CIPPIC team.

  • Three screens from Unboring KW: the home screen, the events screen, and a map of public art

    Unboring KW

    A community directory of family-friendly events and things to do in Kitchener-Waterloo

  • A poster with an illustrated sun and jester hanging on a white brick wall

    The Longest Night: A Solstice Play

    Illustrations and print design for a community theatre production

  • Two screenshots of the app homepage and one of the prompt screens

    Directions to Nowhere in Particular

    Directions to Nowhere is a web-based app that provides thoughtful prompts for users to interact with their surroundings, often combining the digital and physical worlds.

  • A video demo of the chatbox in action

    Safe Support Chat

    An embeddable, privacy-focused chatbox that connects to a secure messaging app called Matrix. Safe Support Chat is used by sexual assault support centres across Ontario."

  • Colourful raphic collage of a young Black woman

    Pathways to Care

    Pathways to Care provides access to services, research, and events through their website. The website includes a tool for finding and accessing mental health services that is powered by 211 Ontario data.

  • The home page of the RISE Cities website

    RISE Cities

    Web design and development for an urban sustainability initiative from the BMW Foundation

  • The home page of the new Feminist Law Reform 101 course website

    Feminist Law Reform 101

    An open access course developed by the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL)

The stellar organizations I've worked with

Black Health Alliance
International Labour Organization
CIPPIC
Code for Canada
NAWL
BMW Foundation
From Later
The Bentway Conservatory
Primal Glow Communications
Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres (OCRCC)
Technoscience Research Unit
International Development Research Centre
Trinity Square Cafe
Connecting the Dots (a project of Black History Ottawa)
Endeva

So what do you have in mind?

I offer two standard packages that cover the requirements of many typical projects. Both options give you a huge amount of flexibility in terms of design and functionality, and I can build additional features as needed. If you have even more specialized needs, I'd be happy to put together a proposal for you.

Feel free to reach out to me at shay@dreamsidedigital.com and we'll get the conversation started!

Editorial website

If your website is going to be focused on great content such as a blog, portfolio, or news site, this is the package for you.

  • Custom designed website with up to five page templates to suit your content needs
  • Modern content management system so you can edit and update the website yourself
  • Ability to tag, categorize, and sort your content
  • Built to look great and work fast on all screen sizes
  • Meets WCAG 2.0 accessibility standards
  • Includes web analytics
  • Includes SEO tools

Optional add-ons:

  • Managed hosting
  • Ongoing tech support and development
  • Additional features such as commenting, social media integrations, email notifications, and more.

$6,000 + HST

Data-centric website

If you're looking to build a website with a more data-centric purpose such as location mapping, data visualization, or a resource directory, this package may be right for you.

It includes everything from the Editorial website package, plus:

  • Custom developed database with a data management system
  • Data visualizations for your use case, such as mapping, graphs, tables, etc.
  • User interface for sorting, filtering, and searching data

Optional add-ons:

  • Managed hosting
  • Ongoing tech support and development
  • Additional features such as integrations with other apps, automated data input, and more.

$9,000 + HST

Looking for something else?

I am very open to taking on projects that fall outside my standard packages. I'll work with you to understand your needs, come up with an appropriate strategy, and create a proposal for your approval.

Here are some examples of projects that would be in my wheelhouse:

  • Creating a web app with user accounts and members-only features
  • Branding, logo design, and illustration
  • Develping a custom plugin or component
  • Refreshing the design of an existing website
  • Technical support and/or training

Contact me to discuss your needs and request a proposal.