In the industrial heart of Regina in the early '90s, nestled between the hustle of a design company and the mechanical hum of a printing press, Daryl Maksymec embarked on a journey that would redefine the world of form creation. His first project, designing a fax order form for a local Mr.Sub in 1993, marked the beginning of an odyssey spanning over three decades of innovation. This tale of transformation from paper to pixels encapsulates not just the evolution of technology but the enduring spirit of innovation that drives Maksymec.
Imagine the era when paper forms were crafted with meticulous detail, only to be sent miles away to Ontario for output on a Linotronic printer and couriered back to Regina as film negatives to create metal plates for large printing presses. Maksymec recalls, "Some forms and digital pieces were too large for a 3½-inch disk, and we had to upload the files using a digital BBS [Bulletin Board System] at speeds that now seem glacial." This was a time of tangible limitations, where creativity met the constraints of physical media.
The leap to digital was not just a step but a quantum jump for Maksymec. Founding Advanced Image Management in 1993, arguably one of Canada's first web design companies, brought him into the digital frontier, creating websites for numerous Saskatchewan businesses. Each client's desire for a digital presence came with a common request: a need for digital forms. Maksymec states, "This was a time before the convenience of Jotform or Google Forms, a time when such tools were the stuff of imagination." Maksymec was at the forefront, navigating these uncharted waters with a blend of creativity and technical prowess. "Back then," he reflects, "creating a digital form was akin to crafting a bespoke piece of software for every client."
By 1995, Maksymec's innovative spirit led him to develop Multiform, software that revolutionized form creation by enabling the design of digital forms within minutes. This tool, pivotal in the digital transformation of many businesses, remains in use on some legacy sites today. Despite its success, Multiform was a solution that Maksymec chose not to market publicly, preferring instead to offer it as a value-added service to his web design clients. This decision underscored a philosophy that would define his career: innovation as a means to serve, enhance, and elevate the customer experience.
After completing websites for the City of Regina, Saskatchewan Science Centre, Regina and Sask Tourism, plus countless others, Maksymec's journey took another significant turn upon his move to Calgary in October of 1997, where he joined DocuMax Enterprises, the largest FileNet integrator in Canada at the time. Here, he worked on creating user interfaces for CIBC's intranet and other high-profile projects, experiences that enriched his expertise and vision. From there, his career spanned roles at Xerox, Nevadabobs, and TPC (PGA Tour), each position offering new challenges and opportunities to refine his understanding of digital solutions and user experience.
In 2001, the founding of CanEquity marked a milestone in Maksymec's journey, establishing a national mortgage brokerage that was the first in Canada to offer a secure, P3P-compliant online mortgage application. CanEquity's success, with over 60,000 mortgage applications received online with a direct API to Filogix, was a testament to Maksymec's deepening expertise in digital form creation, particularly within the financial sector. Not only did the form gather mortgage leads, but it also created mortgage statistics, which built graphs and pie charts, including average incomes, loan amounts, and mortgage types, which were then anonymously featured on the website.
Yet, the desire to innovate further never diminished. After CanEquity, Maksymec returned to his roots in marketing and design in 2012, merging with two other established design firms. This collaboration led to projects with Alberta Mortgage Brokers Association, Jayman Homes, and TMG, each requiring custom online forms, digital survey apps, and complex applications, further honing his skills and paving the way for his ultimate venture: Wizara.
In 2018, he became a part-time CTO for a national mediation firm, where he increased the franchise's website traffic from a mere 3000 visitors a month to over 15,000 a month in a span of 35 weeks. But this caused a new dilemma: by increasing traffic, a better way to qualify leads needed to be addressed. The solution to handle this was simple: create a form that could not only qualify leads but also engage users to stay on the website, allowing them to answer questions that then could be used to create anonymous statistics organically so that, in time, they would be used as supplemental information that could be available on the website, thus increasing the authority of the website and creating new traffic. The need for a more advanced solution ignited Maksymec's passion anew, leading him to envision Wizara—a platform that would not only meet these advanced requirements but set a new standard for online form builders.
The conception of Wizara came to life in 2020 alongside business partners Scott McIndless and Philip Roe. It was not merely a significant milestone in the evolution of digital form creation; it heralded the start of a new era. At the heart of this innovation was the pioneering "text-to-form" technology, allowing users to effortlessly generate forms by simply describing what they need in plain language. This revolutionary feature was just the beginning of what set Wizara apart.
Wizara was meticulously designed to ensure that every form could easily match the look and feel of any company's branding, making each form feel like an integral part of the business it serves. Beyond aesthetics, Wizara effortlessly connects with other software and services through integration with various products and APIs, streamlining operations and enhancing functionality.
Understanding the importance of insights, Wizara offers powerful metrics tracking, providing businesses with actionable data on how their forms are performing and how users are interacting with them. This ability to analyze and adapt based on user feedback is complemented by an array of engaging features, including interactive animations that bring forms to life and native QR code integration, which opens up new avenues for accessibility and interaction.
One of the most groundbreaking aspects of Wizara is its collaborative nature, facilitated by the ability to create teams, share, export, and import digital forms. This not only makes it easier for businesses to manage their forms across different departments and business units but also cultivates a vibrant community of developers who can share their innovative form designs. This collaborative ecosystem encourages sharing and innovation, enabling businesses and developers alike to explore new possibilities in form design and functionality.
The development of Wizara was deeply influenced by Maksymec's rich experience, meticulously shaped through his collaborations and partnerships across the financial, logistics, and legal sectors. Integral to this journey were Josh and Eli Kellendonk, two remarkably talented brothers who have been pivotal in Maksymec's projects for over 15 years. Their collective expertise and dedication played a crucial role in the iterative development process, grounded in real-world application and constructive feedback, guaranteeing that Wizara not only meets but exceeds the multifaceted requirements of today's businesses.
Today, Wizara stands as a testament to the power of vision, innovation, and the relentless pursuit of improvement. With features designed to transform the way businesses interact with digital forms, from theme application and collaborative access to robust backup and restore capabilities, Wizara is redefining the landscape of digital form creation.
As we look to the future, Wizara is not just standing still. We're excited to announce upcoming native integrations with two major platforms: Trimble Truckmate and Finastra Filogix. These enhancements are part of our commitment to continuously improve Wizara, making it an even more powerful and user-friendly tool for digital form creation.
Trimble Truckmate Integration: Trimble Truckmate is a comprehensive management software used by trucking companies to streamline their operations. By integrating Wizara with Trimble Truckmate, we're bringing the power of efficient, digital form management directly into the logistics and transportation sector. This means trucking companies can quickly create and manage forms for their specific needs—such as vehicle maintenance reports, driver logs, and cargo tracking forms—right within the familiar environment of their management software. This integration aims to make paperwork a breeze, saving time and reducing errors for companies on the move.
Finastra Filogix Integration: Finastra Filogix is a leading platform in the Canadian mortgage industry, connecting brokers and lenders for streamlined mortgage processing. Our integration with Finastra Filogix will allow mortgage professionals to seamlessly create and use forms that are automatically compliant with industry standards and directly connected to the Filogix network. Whether it's applications, assessments, or any other mortgage-related form, Wizara will enable users to generate these documents effortlessly, ensuring accuracy and speeding up the mortgage approval process.
With ongoing enhancements to our user interface design and an eye on integrating cutting-edge technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR), Wizara is set to lead the next wave of innovation in digital form technology. Daryl Maksymec's journey from a small design company in Regina to the forefront of digital form solutions with Wizara is a testament to the power of perseverance, innovation, and a deep commitment to enhancing client experiences. It illustrates how a simple idea, nurtured with dedication, can evolve into a tool that revolutionizes how industries manage their digital paperwork.
We invite you to experience the future of digital form creation with Wizara. Visit our website to see firsthand how our innovative platform, guided by Daryl Maksymec's visionary leadership, can transform your digital interactions.
Wizara is setting new standards in the digital world, one form at a time.