09:05 - 09:50

Design Leadership in a Post-COVID world

Talk TBC

Alexander Oloo | Head of Design

10:00 - 10:25

Failed Design Systems

In this year's international design systems survey, conducted by the Sparkbox (https://designsystemsurvey.sparkbox.com/2022/), only 65% of respondents agreed with the sentence: "The design system meets my needs". While there is a range of resources showcasing successful design systems, the remaining 35% are often not accounted for. While it is understandable that few teams (or individuals) would publish examples of their ventures into design systems that ended in failure, this results in more than a third of all attempts at design systems being excluded from the discussion at large. This talk covers common themes and insights gained from anonymous interviews conducted with various practitioners and team-members involved in design systems that ended in failure.

Schalk Venter | Product Design Lead, Lecturer

11:00 - 11:25

Deliberate environmental design to put patients in a more receptive state for treatment

Oral health continuously faces the problem of not being seen as a priority in South African communities. Individual motivation to see an oral health professional mostly occurs only when a problem arises (feeling of pain). Seeking dental healthcare at this late stage results in experiences that are more painful than they would be otherwise. To improve the experience of individuals, the environment has proven influential in travel, hotels, restaurants, banks, retailers and hospitals (Bitner 1992). Stemming from the marketing industry, Servicescape is a framework that describes the role the environment can have on influencing emotive and behavioural intentions of consumers (Bitner, 1992) (Mohd Amin, Mohd Wahid and Ismail, 2015). Similarly, healthcare Servicescape known as Healthscape focuses on improving facilities to compete with the rate of ‘growing patient consumerism’ (Lee, 2011). Healthscape is used to improve patient-centred care as a market strategy. However, there is a need for South African practices as a general body to create a change in perception towards oral health, to re-establish the affiliations the societal majority of the country has to oral health. This study attempted to use the environment to place patients in a more receptive state for dental healthcare treatment. Findings were collected through interviews, ethnographic research, surveys and experiments, focusing on the cognitive, physiological and emotional responses of individuals. Results lead to the design of a dental health Servicescape guideline, outlining techniques in content, lighting, audio, activities and wayfinding that can be used to place patients in a pleasant passive state.

Aalia Coovadia | UX Designer

11:35 - 12:00

Applications of Behavioural Science in Product Design

How can a brand stay relevant in a world saturated with so many digital products competing for a customer's attention, time, and resources? Growing digital adoption requires a deeper understanding of what causes users to behave in a particular way and what compels them to click. When we reinforce specific user behaviours, we ingrain habits that become self-sustainable without requiring external triggers such as advertising. As UX Designers, our primary goal is to build enjoyable products by improving usability and accessibility. But when we integrate Behavioural Science into the UX Design process, the outcome is a persuasive product that retains the user's attention and drives engagement. In this talk, I will discuss Behavioural Design techniques and the science behind them.

Carl Sidler | Experience Director

13:00 - 13:25

The Optimist

What are some of the most impossible problems to solve? It can be any problem; societal, professional or life. Think about it for a moment. How about an in-person UX conference? Done! Can we do it on Mars? How about bringing back the woolly mammoth? And then, for the parents, how feasible is a toddler without tantrums? Our world is filled with a million and one problems and some of them look intimidatingly impossible. In this talk, Steyn argues that all problems are soluble as long as they adhere to the laws of physics. It’s an optimistic worldview not only applicable to temper tantrums but also how you tackle design problems at work and beyond.

Steyn Viljoen | Product Designer

13:35 - 14:00

The gift of the gab

Talk TBC

Sean Dunn | UX Design Lead

14:10 - 14:35

Let’s play “What’s that journey!”

What is a good user experience if not intuitive? In my talk I’ll host a mini game show called “What’s that journey!” where the objective would be to find a specific journey on a web/mobile page displayed on the screen. I’ll throw in a mix of really interesting interfaces that may or may not be intuitive. After this fun, I would break down what makes an interface intuitive, and the benefit of this. This can better help the audience know the value of good UX/UI and how it’s application can have real business value. I’ll breakdown what made certain interfaces intuitive, and show real ways to improve on the non-intuitive ones.

Sasja McKay |

14:45 - 15:10

All Product Designers should dabble in 3D Printing

Prototyping forms a major part of the product design process. The process of 3d printing, from the design idea, the sketch, the 3d model, the first draft print, iterations, reprints and finally the final deliverable. This process illustrates the collaborative (Virtual or hands on) product design process in a different way.

Michael Marais | Product Designer

09:05 - 09:50

What happens when two courageous and humble women collaborate?

Talk TBC

Edna Chelule | Managing Director and Co-Founder

& Nomonde Shezi | Managing Director & Co-Founder

10:00 - 10:25

Mentorship: The foundation of a healthy design industry

From the psychological significance of a parent-child relationship to the unraveling of the modern schooling system, in this discussion, we will approach humanity's attempts at passing knowledge on across generations and the lessons we can learn from them and apply in our daily social and professional engagements. In this series of talks, you will be able to take away 3 things. 1. A strong argument for the importance of mentorship in the building of a relatively new industry. 2. Building a working knowledge of some of the underlying biological processes that undergird human development ​​3. And a clear & PRACTICAL guide on how to begin your career as a mentor in your own domain of knowledge.

Alfi Oloo | Product Designer

11:00 - 11:25

What are Design Systems and how they can create a valuable omni-channel experience for your users

Key points: What is a Design System and how they can create a better omni-channel experience for your users. How Design Systems help product teams collaborate better while working in a remote based company. Approaching Design Systems from a Web vs Mobile perspective. How Figma improves design collaboration while working remotely. How to ensure a cohesive design language between product teams by using a shared Design System.

Megan Venter | UX/UI Designer

& Monique du Plessis | UX/UI Designer

11:35 - 12:00

Case study: Transforming healthcare for Africa

Africa’s people rely on an under invested, under resourced care system with long queues, poor and late diagnostics. This has led to a surge in NCDs, and life expectancy 10 years below the global average. Providing access to quality primary care, early in the health cycle, reduces the impact on economic productivity. Through delivery of an affordable healthcare platform, we can contribute positively to the overall GDP of Africa. Unu Health will empower people to manage their health across their healthcare journey. I will take you through our design journey.

Wynand McCabe | Head of Experience Design

13:00 - 13:25

Embracing a multidisciplinary design approach for a more cohesive customer experience

In a heightened competitive landscape, customer experience is critical to business success. As key stakeholders in the end-to-end delivery of digital products and services, CX hinges on our understanding of the application at all touchpoints. In this talk, I’d like to discuss how we can transcend our roles as user experience and interface designers by embracing a more holistic design mindset from ideation to implementation. By reflecting on how and when we work together, I hope this will challenge us to move beyond just usability and ease-of-use thinking towards a more enjoyable and cohesive experience.

Natalia Carvalho | Founder and Digital Director

13:35 - 14:00

Being quietly confident

What if my entire team hates me? Do I know what I'm doing? Is my design work good enough? Or... Am I just gaslighting myself? Gideon talks about general challenges designers face around assessing their work, how Covid affected our perception of ourselves and our work, and how to reset your approach to be quietly confident and happier at work.

Gideon Carstens | UX Designer