Thato Ndaba

Digital Product Designer (Research & UX/UI)

Johannesburg, ZA.

About

Highly skilled UX/UI Designer with over a year of agency experience, specializing in crafting user-centered digital products through data-driven research and intuitive solutions. Currently pursuing an Honours in Information Systems, I also lecture part-time in UX Design, mentoring students in design thinking. Eager to leverage a unique blend of practical design, academic rigor, and educational leadership to drive high-impact web and product initiatives.

Work

Inscape

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User Experience Design Lecturer

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

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Summary

Currently shaping the next generation of UX/UI professionals by delivering foundational principles and advanced design thinking methodologies to Advanced Diploma students.

Highlights

Mentored and guided Advanced Diploma students, imparting foundational principles and processes of UX Design, fostering practical application of design thinking.

Developed and delivered curriculum content focused on the strategic role of a UX designer and the tangible impact of user-centered design practices.

MakeReign | An Interface Company

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UX/UI Designer

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

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Summary

Drives end-to-end UX/UI design for major client projects within a fast-paced agency environment, delivering user-centered digital products and enhancing brand experiences.

Highlights

Spearheaded UX/UI design for Woolworths' MyDifference app post-launch features, including new Round-Up and Lum-Sum donation functionalities, enhancing user engagement and charitable giving.

Served as the sole UX/UI designer for Santam's Specialist Solutions integration, centralizing the digital experience across multiple underwriting brands and improving consistency.

Led the development of comprehensive digital personas and user flows for the V&A Waterfront website refresh, leveraging user research and business requirements to inform strategic design.

Executed 5+ critical updates to the V&A Waterfront live website and launched 3 external microsites, optimizing for responsiveness, accessibility, and iterative client feedback.

Conducted rigorous post-development QA reviews, ensuring design fidelity and strict adherence to established design systems across multiple digital properties.

Developed and maintained a master style guide and component library for the V&A Waterfront website, significantly enhancing design consistency and reducing QA time.

MakeReign | An Interface Company

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Product Design (UX/UI) Intern

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

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Summary

Gained hands-on experience in end-to-end UX/UI design processes, contributing to major client projects and enhancing design system components.

Highlights

Completed intensive training in the end-to-end UX/UI design process, applying learned methodologies to a company-provided brief.

Developed and presented design solutions and concepts to internal stakeholders, refining presentation and communication skills.

Contributed custom illustrations and ensured visual and brand consistency for the Woolworths App Design System, supporting broader design initiatives.

University of Cape Town | School of IT

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IT Project Management Tutor

Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

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Summary

Guided university students in agile project delivery and Design Thinking, fostering practical problem-solving skills for real-world client challenges.

Highlights

Mentored 4 student teams across two cohorts in agile project delivery, emphasizing Design Thinking principles and problem-solving for real-world client projects.

Facilitated critical stakeholder meetings and guided students in developing project roadmaps, ensuring alignment with client requirements and successful deliverable completion.

University of Cape Town | School of IT

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BPM and Enterprise Systems Tutor

Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

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Summary

Provided expert guidance to student teams on process mapping, system analysis, and business workflow optimization, culminating in an award-winning project.

Highlights

Guided 6 student teams in process mapping, system analysis, and business workflow optimization, instilling principles of system thinking and technical precision.

Mentored an award-winning team whose project received recognition from EY, demonstrating exceptional project outcomes and strategic impact.

Education

University of Cape Town

Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
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BCom(Hons) Information Systems – Industry Stream Grade: 74% Cumulative Grade

Courses

Information Systems Research Project: Investigated challenges in teaching Human-Centred Design in Information Systems in Higher Education.

Application and Technical Development: Explored emerging technologies and their applications for enhanced business processes.

Information Systems Project (Year 2, in progress): Work-integrated project applying coursework knowledge to real-world business settings.

University of Cape Town

Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
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Bachelor of Commerce Information Systems and Finance Grade: Information Systems Major: 71% | Overall Cumulative Grade: 66%

Awards

Golden Key Honour Society

University of Cape Town

Recognized for academic excellence, placing in the Top 15% of the class.

StartupGrind Pitch Slam Winner

StartupGrind

Awarded for leading product design for VarsityBlock, a varsity-exclusive social application, demonstrating entrepreneurial and design leadership.

Certificates

Google UX Design Professional Certificate

Coursera

Foundations of User Experience (UX) Design

Coursera

Start the UX Design Process: Empathise, Define, and Ideate

Coursera

Build Wireframes and Low-Fidelity Prototypes

Coursera

Conduct UX Research and Test Early Concepts

Coursera

Skills

Research & Analysis

Stakeholder Interviews & Workshops, User Testing, User Journeys, Heuristic Evaluations, Benchmarking, Competitive Analysis, Affinity Mapping, User Stories.

Product Design

User Research, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Testing, Journey Mapping, Content Strategy, Interaction Design (Navigation Structures, Micro-interactions), Accessibility (WCAG Compliance, Inclusive Design), Design Systems (Component Creation, System Governance), Design QA and Validation.

Tools & Languages

Figma (Design & Dev Mode), Adobe XD, HTML/CSS, Tableau, Excel.

Collaboration

Agile Environments, Cross-functional Teams, Software Developer Handoff, Stakeholder Communication, Leadership & Mentorship.

Other Expertise

System Mapping, Design Thinking, Presentation, Facilitation.