Storyteller, Designer, and Educator | Red & Yellow Creative School of Business
Analogue Gal in a Digital World. I am a storyteller at heart. For centuries, stories are how humans connect, share knowledge, and inspire change, and that is the thread that runs through everything I do. I am a passionate educator and facilitator, with a knack for creating spaces where people feel empowered to learn, imagine, and grow. Currently, I lecture Digital Design at a tertiary level at Red & Yellow Creative School of Business, weaving motion design, interaction design, and narrative thinking into my teaching. Before stepping into academia, I ran my own entrepreneurial design business, helping small businesses, often those with a passion for change, find their brand voices in saturated markets. Alongside this, I facilitated workshops and spoke at events such as Lionesses of Africa, Future Females, and The Business Women Success Club, always driven by the same goal: to connect people through creativity. Whether I’m in a lecture hall, a boardroom, or a community space, creativity and design are my chosen rabbit hole, rooted in storytelling; much like Alice, I dive in willingly, exploring ideas, meaning, and possibility in a world that can often feel absurd. Design is how I navigate that wonderland: a place where curiosity fuels problem-solving, and where storytelling becomes a compass for making meaning. I believe in design for good: using creativity to make meaningful, positive changes in the environments we inhabit and the communities we are part of. This philosophy drives my work, whether I’m mentoring young designers, exploring new ways to integrate storytelling with technology, or creating workshops that inspire fresh perspectives. In an age dominated by algorithms and automation, I aim to bring the human touch: the analogue heartbeat in a digital ecosystem. My mission is simple: to empower, to connect, and to inspire through the transformative power of design and story. https://www.behance.net/lizpienaar
Senior User Experience Designer | Capitec
A creative thinker with a passion to figure things out. With 15 years' experience in applying myself to design thinking in some form or another, I still learn something new everyday and that's humbling. From leading Getsmarters UX for 5 years and 5 years as a Senior UX at Capitec, the only challenge greater has been a father to twin boys and taming my dad bod.
Chapter Head: Design Enablement - ABSA
Lizette Coetzee-Strydom is a dynamic leader with a rich and varied skill set, currently serving as Chapter Head: Design Enablement at Absa Personal and Private Bank. With a foundation in Law and currently pursuing her Master’s in Business Leadership, Lizette brings both strategic insight and academic rigor to her work.
Her career spans multiple disciplines, equipping her with deep expertise in communication, organisational management, performance optimisation, and sales. Known for her ability to build strong relationships and navigate complexity with clarity, Lizette excels at identifying risks, driving operational excellence, and fostering progress in challenging environments.
Her courageous, structure-driven approach is balanced by a compassionate leadership style that enables her to connect meaningfully with others. Whether she's streamlining systems or mentoring teams, Lizette is a force for positive change, blending empathy with impact.
Head of Design & Analysis | Co-Founder
I am a Senior UX/UI and Product Designer, Head of Design at Monkey & River, and co-founder of Azi User Testing. I have experience spanning startups to enterprise. I am very passionate about human-centred design that bridges the gap between user needs, business goals, and the unique realities of the South African context. I have led design teams, worked on international products, mentored emerging talent, and spoken at multiple industry events, advocating for pragmatic, inclusive, and locally relevant UX practices.
Co-Founder | Human-Centred Researcher | Designer
Nicola is a seasoned digital product designer and researcher with over a decade of experience in human-centred design, educational development and knowledge transmission. Her career has included design and management roles in e-commerce, finance, education and the social impact sector, driven by advocacy for accessibility and inclusivity. She is co-founder and experience lead at The Empathy Lab
Designer | Mentor | Speaker
Alfi is a founder and product designer specialising in mentorship, education and software. His expertise spans advertising, fintech, and smart technology, including IoT. In advertising, he honed his passion for communication and presentation. Fintech exposed him to managing large teams and the effectiveness of podcasting, while IoT ignited his interest in cutting-edge technologies and hardware solutions. His career trajectory showcases a blend of innovation, leadership, and a deep commitment to education and mentorship.
Founder of Mantaray Africa
Founder of Mantaray Africa, a UX research & strategy company that operates across the Global South. We help businesses gain cultural insights and local context to create more inclusive products and services that people love.
Senior UX Designer
I'm a User Experience Designer at Reach Digital Health, where my focus is on designing digital products that improve the health outcomes of our end-users by building their decision-making ability when it comes to healthier behaviours. Our team prioritises humanity, empathy and simplicity in our solutions. We rely on solid user research to create experiences that are valuable and serve the fundamental role players in public health: healthcare departments, administrators, health workers, and patients. In my previous position at Neurozone® I worked with a team of neuroscientists to build an application that assesses users' psychological resilience, calculates the most effective ways to build resilience on a personalised and individual level, and makes recommendations. We practiced data-driven design, shaping our solution by spending time with coaches and professionals - our target audience. I believe that understanding the context of users and their unique needs is paramount. We can only build a better world if we begin with compassion and empathy. And we can only have empathy with people if we spend time getting to know them, their stories, their challenges and their needs. We need to learn to listen and observe. We must base our design efforts on the insights we gain by spending time with people and observing them interacting with our products.
User Experience Designer | Adapt IT
I am an energetic and vibrant individual who brings enthusiasm, colour, and positivity into every space I enter. I thrive on human connection and enjoy meaningful conversations that spark new ideas. Outside of work, I recharge through long walks, immersing myself in music—whether Jazz, Rock, or film scores—and spending time reading, as I’m an avid bookworm. Passionate about making a difference, I approach my work with purpose and integrity. I’m naturally reflective and prefer to process ideas deeply before forming opinions, which allows me to engage thoughtfully and intentionally. I balance creativity with structure, keeping organized, taking notes to stay clear-minded, and ensuring open communication that benefits both myself and those around me. I see myself as a lifelong learner, embracing each day as an opportunity to grow and discover. Authenticity matters to me, and I thrive in environments where I can bring my full self to the table.
Senior Digital Product Designer | MakeReign
Theresa Rose is a multi-disciplinary digital designer, driven by a passion for meshing her deep technical expertise with human-centered creativity and craft. Her design journey started in the fast-paced world of fin-tech startups, where she quickly learned to leverage design as a powerful tool to help small businesses grow. From there, her role evolved as she dove into mastering motion design and 3D animation in the fast paced world of broadcast television. Driven to expand her strategic thinking, she moved into B2B service design, building on the foundational principles of user research and end-to-end UX. Currently, she focuses her energy on the e-commerce industry, merging all these skills to manage complex design systems and bridge the critical gap between design and development. Away from the screen, she’s a dedicated animal lover caring for her three rescue pups and a bunny. She’s also an avid hiker, runner, and yogi, who’s always keen for a brave dip in the icy Atlantic.
Senior Digital Product Designer | MakeReign
Amy Tayler is a Cape Town–based Senior Digital Product Designer who specialises in research-led, insight-driven product work. With seven years of experience across e-commerce and digital retail, she’s built a reputation for bringing calm, clarity, and structure to complex problem spaces. Her work spans the full product lifecycle; from deep user research and experience strategy to interaction design, prototyping, and guiding teams through thoughtful delivery. Amy cares about making digital experiences feel intuitive and considered, and she thrives in environments where she can blend systems thinking with real-world user understanding. Whether she synthesises customer insights into clear direction, shapes scalable experience patterns, or supports cross-functional teams, she approaches each challenge with curiosity, care, and a steady hand. Outside of work, Amy can usually be found feeding a sourdough starter, drinking chai, tending to her vegetable garden, or wandering through forests looking for mushrooms.
Product Designer | Estrela Studio
Kristen Patterson is a Senior UI/UX Product Designer at Estrela Studio, working across fintech, e-commerce and web design. With published research in Brand and Brand Building South Africa, she combines strategic thinking with a human-centered approach and is passionate about creating research-led designs that balance user needs with business goals.
Creative Director | Estrela Studio
Leigh is a Creative Director with a knack for balancing big ideas and tight timelines. Outside of work, she’s “momager” to Penelope, her dog and social media star. A champion of animal welfare and a lover of good snacks, Leigh brings creativity, humour and heart to every project.
Access to conference only on the 03rd & 04th December. NB - This ticket excludes Workshops
Discover how leading voices in UX are shaping the future of business in a world of evolving technology, changing consumer habits, and shifting industry dynamics. Join us at UXSA to learn from those driving real transformation.
As technology, consumer habits, and industries evolve, the real transformation happens through connection. At UXSA, you’ll have the opportunity to network with leaders, peers, and innovators who are shaping the future of experience design.
1Stay ahead of the curve by exploring the latest developments in UX, including AI-driven research, designing for neurodivergence, and applying human-centric approaches in an evolving digital landscape.
3Hear from knowledge-filled speakers and gain exposure to different cultural and professional approaches. From career growth stories to designing in resource-constrained environments, the talks will challenge and inspire.
2Gain practical tools and fresh insights through workshops and talks covering everything from UX fundamentals to advanced strategies. Walk away with hands-on experience you can immediately apply to your work.
4GET EXPERIENCE
As technology, consumer behaviour, and industries shift, transformation is no longer optional. Learn how the leaders in UX are shaping what’s next at UX South Africa.
Dive into three days of inspiring talks, hands-on workshops, and engaging discussions led by thought leaders in UX, product, and design. The UXSA agenda is carefully curated to balance big-picture insights with practical tools you can apply immediately. From trend-shaping keynotes to skill-focused sessions and in-depth workshops, each day offers opportunities to learn, connect, and grow. Whether you’re just starting out or a seasoned professional, the program is designed to spark fresh ideas, sharpen your skills, and fuel meaningful conversations with peers and industry experts.
Welcome - Opening Remarks
Helga Stegmann
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more integrated into daily life, African youth increasingly leverage AI tools to enhance their education, work, and personal development. This presentation explores how AI is shaping the lives of African youth, analysing both the benefits and risks associated with AI tools.
Carien Moolman
We designed 4 surveys typically sent to pregnant moms in MomConnect via WhatsApp and enhanced these with an LLM. In July of this year we did one-on-one in-person qualitative usability testing of these surveys as well as their statically designed counterparts with 17 pregnant moms in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. Each mom sat with a single facilitator and was asked to complete a survey twice: first the static version, and then the LLM-enhanced version, while facilitators observed and made notes. Right after completion, the moms were asked which one they preferred and why they preferred that one. We accounted for ordering effects by asking half of our moms to begin with the static version, and the other half to begin with the LLM-enhanced version. The surveys we tested were: - a demographic information survey - a 5-question decision-making ability assessment - a knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour assessment regarding pregnancy - a short survey typically sent after an antenatal clinic appointment We also tested a feature where moms could ask any pregnancy health-related questions, as freeform text, and get an answer from the LLM, where the LLM was limited to approved healthcare information provided by our content team. Our findings were fascinating and point to: (1) the risks of using LLM-enhancement and how this might affect the credibility of data gathered (2) the need to keep humans in the loop on both the design side and the data moderation side of these kinds of studies (3) the immense potential of LLM-enhancement in the provision of digital healthcare information and services
Theresa Rose
In an AI-driven world, how do you future-proof a complex product? Join us as we explore the full-scale redesign of our e-commerce experiences, a journey that required replacing legacy systems with a flexible, composable architecture. We will show how success was driven not just by technology, but by human creativity and cross-functional relationship building. Learn our strategies for navigating difficult stakeholders, applying large-scale usability research, and establishing a design system to ensure quality. Ultimately, this is a case study on Doing What AI Can't: leveraging unique human perspectives, creative disruption, and connection to solve wicked problems. Proving that human ingenuity is the key to achieving quality at scale in a constantly shifting business and tech landscape.
Leigh-Ann Clarke
“Designing Trust in Fintech: How UX Can Empower Financial Freedom,” challenges the way we think about money and design. In a world where financial products often confuse or even exploit users, South Africa presents a unique opportunity: to design for clarity, dignity and trust. Drawing on our client PayJustNow as a case study, we’ll share how UX decisions, down to a single word, button or flow can mean the difference between anxiety and empowerment. This talk will leave audiences with a new perspective: that designing for trust isn’t just good UX, it’s a social responsibility. As designers, we are not just shaping interfaces, we’re shaping people’s financial futures. Our topic positions UX designers as change-makers, framing them not just as “pixel pushers” but as professionals with an ethical responsibility to advocate for our users.
Speaker Loading
Break
Name: Theo Sauls
Email: info@uxsouthafrica.com
Name: Ighsaan Robinson
Email: igy@uxsouthafrica.com
Doors open at 07:00 AM for Registration
Workshops starts at 09:00 AM until 17:00 PM
Doors open at 07:30 AM for Registration
Conference starts at 09:00 AM until 16:00 PM
Doors open at 07:30 AM for Registration
Conference starts at 09:00 AM until 16:00 PM
