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On this page

  • Whakapapa

  • About me

  • Selected awards

  • Work history

  • Education

  • Recommendations

 

Whakapapa

Ko Maungatautari tōku maunga
Ko Rangitikei tōku awa
Ko Tainui tōku waka
Ko Raukawa tōku iwi 
Ko Parewahawaha tōku marae me te hapu 
Nō Aotearoa me te Netherlands ahau 
Ko Wereta te whanau o tōku pāpā
Ko Nes to te whanau o tōku māmā 
Ko Lauren Skogstad ahau. 

About me

Kia ora, I’m a strategic thinker with a hint of artistic flair who loves to build meaningful and culturally authentic experiences that enrich people’s everyday lives. I believe in the power of strong partnerships, collaborative design and people based problem solving.

In my 16+ years of design and creative experience, I’ve had the pleasure of working with many organisations such as Te Papa Tongarewa, NZ Customs Service, Ministry for Social Development, Tertiary Education Commission, ANZ, Adairs, Jetstar, RMIT, Holden and Wesley College.

As the Experience Design Director at DNA Design I provide senior consulting capability. I work closely with our clients to research, prototype, design and deliver intuitive and memorable digital experiences.

I’m passionate about digital creativity, te ao Māori, artificial intelligence, strategy and experience design. I love maintaining practice integrity including advocating for diversity & inclusion and people-centered design, fostering collaboration and monitoring research and trends. I’m keen on solid documentation across all aspects including ethics, best practice techniques, templates, UX standards and design libraries. Recently I have been exploring how we can fold a kaupapa Māori approach to how we work along with conceptual thinking woven throughout the entire experience.

On projects, I thrive in the initial discovery phase. During this phase we conduct activities to set the direction of the product including; research across multiple methodologies, workshop facilitation with clients, customer journey mapping, sketch prototyping, setting product vision & design principles, concept design development, system design and pattern library foundations.  

I love working alongside our clients, taking them on the journey, while ensuring the team feel at ease with a strong sense of direction.

Personally I love seeing others grow and thrive. When I find the perfect project for someone, or a company initiative they are really passionate about — it is wonderful to see them joyfully and successfully create the mahi. I also enjoy supporting great people to become amazing people leaders. I’m passionate about fosting an environment where people feel welcome, at ease and completely themselves.

In my spare time, I’m a mum, learning te reo Māori, a pianist, performance artist, runner and maker of many creative things. 

 
 

Work Experience

May 2024 - Present

Dec 2023 - Present

Jun 2021 - May 2024

Apr 2018 - Jun 2021

Jun 2016 - Apr 2018

Oct 2013 - Jun 2016

Mar 2015 - Jun 2015

Aug 2013 - Oct 2013

Feb 2013 - Aug 2013

Oct 2011 - Dec 2012

Jun 2010 - Oct 2011

Jun 2007 - Feb 2009

Experience Design Director at DNA Design

Engineering New Zealand AI Advisory Group

Head of Strategy & Experience at Springload

Experience Director at Springload

Associate Design Director at Isobar

Senior Designer at Isobar

Interior Design Tutor at Monash

Designer at Black Magic 

Freelance Digital Designer at IE Agency

Designer at School for Startups 

Designer at University of the Arts London

Designer at 3months.com

Education

Te Wānanga o Raukawa
Poupou huia te reo 1: Certificate in Māori protocol and language for use in the home and community (Level 4), (2023 - 2024)

Massey University
Masters in Spatial Design with Distinction (2009 - 2010)

Massey University
Bachelor of Design with First Class Honours (2004 - 2008)

What people say about me

Having worked under Lauren’s leadership for 5 years at Springload, I can confidently say she is truly in a class of her own. Few people have the leadership skills, compassion for their team, or design and research expertise that Lauren possesses.

Lauren has led extremely complex projects across a huge range of sectors, delivering incredible value for organisations big and small. A few highlights include delivering the new careers website, Tahatū, for the Tertiary Education Commission and running an incubator for the Digital Employment Services Platform for the Ministry of Social Development. Both of these projects exemplify Lauren’s ability to steer her team through incredibly challenging design spaces, such as ensuring culturally affirming digital products and supporting Aotearoa’s most vulnerable communities.

Beyond her strategic abilities, Lauren is a holistic thinker and caring manager. I have seen firsthand how she nurtures and grows her team and consistently puts them first above all. It’s been an absolute privilege to have worked and learned from her, and I envy anyone who has the opportunity to do so. Lauren, you rock!

Lachie Philipson,
Worked with Lachie when he was the Experience Design Lead at Springload

Lauren is a highly talented CX leader and UX / UI Designer who spearheaded the largest and most complex projects during my time at Springload. She is amazing with clients, building trust quickly through storytelling, collaborative problem-solving and strong execution. She is razor-sharp, highly creative and gets to the heart of any problem quickly. She’s a strong people leader, with high EQ  and is comfortable presenting strategy at an executive level. Lauren is warm and compassionate, with a sharp wit and was a lot of fun to work with. Lauren's involvement in any project virtually guaranteed its success, and, in my experience, she remains the most outstanding UX designer I've ever worked with I would highly recommend her for your team.

Logan Hodgson,
Worked with Logan when he was the Head of Client Services at Springload

Lauren is an astonishingly good manager and a beautiful people person. She knows how to get right to the heart of complex business and customer challenges, and come up with a plan to make things better. She's great at guiding stakeholders, leading teams, and using her incisive intelligence and people skills to get things done. 

Ruth Hendry,
Worked with Ruth when she was the Head of Strategic Growth and the Content Director at Springload

Wesley was in a state and needed pulling together into something awesome. She has just OWNED IT. Brought everyone together, knows exactly what to do, totally leading the project, and has made everyone feel excited and positive again. Her enthusiasm is infectious. She is an absolute legend and such an asset to Isobar!! I love working with Lauren! 

Davina Gifford, Experience Designer, Isobar


Lauren has been amazing on Foxtel. I've never seen a designer own a meeting room, develop business and dazzle a client like Lauren does. Please can we keep her in Sydney?!

Eliane Loke, Account Manager, Isobar


Lauren is one of the best creative leads I ever worked with! She is very professional and never compromises on quality. Lauren has amazing ability to understand and design complex large systems while still taking care of the smallest detail. She always strives to build meaningful relationships with the team as well as the client. Lauren is a natural born leader and I am very glad I had an opportunity to work with her!

Olga Sa, Senior Project Manager, Isobar
 

Get in touch!

Connect with me on LinkedIn

lauren.skogstad@gmail.com