We are Bassan

Bassan is a highly-skilled, highly-experienced team of professionals specializing in user experience. We build vast custom digital maps, bringing a sense of adventure to every challenge.

Our story

Why Bassan?

Our name is inspired by that of a graceful, sharp-eyed seabird—the bassan (gannet in English). Bassans are outstanding flyers. Gliding high above the sea with eyes fixed on a target, their every move is calm, precise, instinctive. Then they swoop…

Like the bassan, our mission is to survey and dominate a vast territory (digital in this case), never losing sight of the goal, ready to zero-in on high-quality targeted solutions.

 

Building on over a decade of experience, driven by a timeless instinct

Founded a decade ago, Bassan offers a wide range of UX services, including research, user-centred design, knowledge transfer and support, as well as assessments of the user-friendliness and efficiency of interactive solutions.

Our goal is to build bridges between the needs of organizations and those of their target audiences through clever, intuitive interaction systems. We achieve this by providing our clients with a wide range of UX solutions of the highest quality.

Our quest for the best continues to guide us every step of the way.

Our story

A human-centred business from the get-go

2011

Making it solo

After working for over 15 years in various organizations, Alain Robillard-Bastien decided in 2011 to take the risk of going out on his own, founding Ergoweb. Fun fact: the company’s name is a blend of the words “ergonomics” and “web”—a term he had been using since the 90s in a training course. Since “ergoweb” was omnipresent on his website at the time, the term already had a strong organic search index.

2012

What happens in Vegas...

Contrary to the popular expression, what happens in Las Vegas doesn’t always have to stay there. It was at a UXPA conference in that city that Alain met Gabrielle Granger.

After some stimulating discussions about user experience, they begin working on a number of UX research and evaluation projects. As the usability industry grows, they discover the full extent of each other's skills and how much they complement one other.

2015

First collaborations with Catherine

Within the Montreal UX landscape, Catherine Dionne and Alain began collaborating by organizing TLMUX events that brought the community together around user experience. This professional rapport, built on a shared vision and a mutual interest in advancing the field, developed naturally and grew stronger over time.

2016

Birth of a team

In 2016 it becomes official: Gabrielle and Alain decide to partner up and develop Ergoweb. This proves to be a good decision. They hire their first team members to meet the growing demand. With more and more projects coming in, the need for proper office space becomes pressing and the company puts down roots. Once a one-person venture, Ergoweb is now a full-fledged UX consulting agency.

2018

Reaching new heights

"By 2018, Ergoweb is becoming a key player in the world of UX in Quebec and Canada. The company fine-tunes its service offering, hires new staff, forges alliances and garners major projects from businesses in Quebec and elsewhere.

Convinced of the value of their complementarity, Alain and Catherine decide to collaborate professionally as well. Catherine joins Ergoweb to formalize processes, support operational quality, and strengthen internal methods. The collaboration between Alain and Catherine develops quickly, creating a dynamic of continuous growth within their partnership.

This phase marks a turning point for the agency, which is now able to address strategic and complex needs where the quality of management is just as fundamental as UX excellence.

2020

Exploring new terrain

In 2020, Ergoweb participates in the PME Montréal Innovation Pathway to stimulate creativity and explore new development opportunities. The exercise leads them to reflect on the company’s positioning and future evolution. They begin redefining their brand and service offering, while the overall acceleration of digital transformation drives sustained growth.

2023

Bassan: a new concept takes flight

Bassan was officially launched in early 2023. The essence of Ergoweb can still be strongly felt in the new corporate alignment. Its soul is infused in the brand, which is trusted and enduring. This new identity offers services tailored to the strategic needs of organizations, with a strong focus on collaboration in the areas of customer experience and user experience.

For our clients, Bassan is a highly competent, well organized and approachable ally and business partner. Our mission is to pave the way to simple, clear and pleasant experiences.

2025

Turning a page, writing another

The year 2025 marks a significant transition. Gabrielle begins a carefully considered professional redirection that had been openly discussed with Alain and Catherine, who fully support her project. Catherine’s appointment as Vice-President allows for a smooth transition, giving Gabrielle the space needed to pursue her ambitions, and giving Catherine and Alain the latitude to continue developing and growing the company.

2026

Looking ahead

In 2026, Bassan enters a new phase of growth driven by the complementary leadership of Alain Robillard-Bastien and Catherine Dionne. Together, they strengthen the agency’s strategic positioning at the intersection of digital transformation, customer experience, and applied artificial intelligence. They continue to grow the company with the conviction that performance and innovation must evolve with respect for people, by valuing emerging talent, work-life balance, and sustainable collaboration.

A team of experts with an approach that is always focused on collaboration.
Every project we undertake is undertaken together, from start to finish.

Alain Robillard-Bastien

President and Partner

Founder and partner of Bassan, Alain is a respected, well-known UX consultant. With over 25 years of experience working in user experience, his expertise has contributed to numerous successful service strategies.

Alain’s winning formula consists of well-thought-out actions, coupled with a success-oriented attitude. He is not afraid of tackling the important and complex challenges that come with many projects. Over the years, he has developed a holistic view of the user experience and customer experience.

Alain has expanded his expertise beyond screens to the systemic and organizational aspects of the field. He thus leads Bassan by guiding clients and being an active participant and collaborator in their endeavours. The key to success in UX/CX is not only expertise, but also the quality of the relationships between the various stakeholders—essential in maintaining a profound understanding of the business issues at hand. And this is an area in which Alain excels!

" Hurry up and take your time." - Yves Sanssouci

Catherine Dionne

Vice-President

Vice President of CX and Operations at Bassan, Catherine Dionne stands out for her leadership capabilities and sharp understanding of human behavior. A certified UX Manager and PMP, she has been leading multidisciplinary teams and large-scale projects for over a decade.

She understands that an experience is more than an interface. It needs to live within the DNA of an organization, across its services, touchpoints and internal processes. With a background in strategic advisory and deep expertise in UX, CX and applied artificial intelligence, Catherine not only helps organizations define the right strategies, she also guides them in operationalizing those strategies in alignment with their business realities. That is where success truly happens.

"Ideas are cheap and abundant; what is of value is the effective placement of those ideas into situations that develop into action." - Peter Drucker

The Bassan method

Maximize innovative experiences while minimizing risk—that’s what our highly effective and proven four-step methodology helps you achieve.

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