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Emma van Niekerk

Design Leader, Augmenting the real world

Emma van Niekerk is an experienced design leader currently serving as a Senior UX Lead at Google Labs, a position she has held since April 2024.1 With over 16 years of experience in the field, Emma specializes in understanding people's needs and designing products to serve them.3

Emma's educational background includes a BA in Information Design from the University of Pretoria and an MDes in Interaction Design from Carnegie Mellon University.2 Her career began in South Africa, where she won the SABS Design Achiever's Award for designing ATMs accessible to illiterate banking customers.2

Throughout her career, Emma has worked for several notable companies:

  • Microsoft: Office Design Group
  • Cooper: Designer and consultant for 5 years
  • Urbantag: Co-founder (acquired by Tagged in 2013)
  • Intercom: Product Design Director
  • Google: Current position as Senior UX Lead at Google Labs135

Emma's expertise encompasses design management, interaction design, service design, user interface design, design process, and exploratory research.5 She has also taught design, returning to teaching in fall 2019 after a long hiatus.4

An interesting fact about Emma is that she took a two-year break to ride a motorcycle from San Francisco to Ushuaia before returning to work in Silicon Valley.23

Related Questions

What are some of the projects Emma van Niekerk has led at Google Labs?
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What inspired Emma van Niekerk to co-found Urbantag?
How did Emma van Niekerk's motorcycle trip across the Americas impact her design approach?
What are some key design principles Emma van Niekerk emphasizes in her work?
Emma van Niekerk
Emma van Niekerk, photo 1
Emma van Niekerk, photo 2
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Location

Palo Alto, California, United States