Lizette Spangenberg is passionate about human-centered design, research, and solving problems. She's a Head Of Design at DVT and currently busy with a Ph.D. thesis in health humanities and is the co-founder of DxZA.
Lizette strives to create beautiful and intuitive experiences on any platform and to help others learn and grow in the field of design. Especially for the WomenTech Network, Lizette agreed to give an interview and share her story.
Are you excited to be among the speakers at the WomenTech Global Conference 2021 and what motivated you to join our community of 100 000 women in tech, minorities, and allies?
I'm very excited indeed! I think it's very important for young women to see what you can achieve, and just how many women there actually are in this space. As a young designer I never had any mentors that were women, or see any women in positions of power. Representation matters, and I'm very proud to now be a head of design and be that person for others. I've found that it's not just sexism that holds people back, but also ageism. Just because you're younger or new in an industry does not mean you and your ideas are not valuable and worthy. Don't let anyone ever make you feel less than because of your age.
Share with us about your background, your journey in tech, and what inspired you to develop your career in this direction?
I've been working in design industries for 11 years now, and I've learnt different things from each experience I had. I studied Information Design at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, and after graduating I decided to start my career in advertising. I really loved the conceptual, wildly creative side of it, but eventually because disillusioned with talking at people and selling things they don't necessarily want or need. I've always had a bit of a love-affair with digital and the interactivity of it, and eventually made the move to web and UX/UI design.
I really like the idea of my design helping people in some way: through good UX and UI design, you're empowering people to perform their actions more easily and effortlessly, which I find valuable. I'm currently busy with a PhD thesis on how human-centered design can improve radiology workspaces in public hospitals in South Africa, which takes my passion for helping people through design in a bit of a different direction.
Over the last few years I've been moving more into a role of looking after desginers and guiding where the design practise should be headed. I love helping people grow and learn in their careers, which is also why I enjoy presenting talks and workshops so much: it gives me the opportunity to do research on topics and share it with others.
Who would you advise to attend the Global Conference and why?
I think this conference is a great opportunity to be inspired by amazing women, to hear their stories, and to also learn more technical skills as well. Whether you're junior or senior, a student or a CEO, in tech yourself or just interested in the field, there's something for everyone.
Reserve your spot at WomenTech Global Conference in June 2021 to enjoy Lizette's talk "Designing UX for future products ", and learn from other inspiring speakers.
