David du Plessis

Human-Centered Product Leadership

I turn complex business challenges into validated product strategies, standout experiences, and measurable growth — blending human insight, business strategy, and AI across global consulting and enterprise environments.

David du Plessis on site at a mine, standing beside a giant mining-truck tire
On site at a mine — one of the many industries where I've helped leaders turn strategy into things that actually get built.

I'm David du Plessis, a product and experience design leader with 15+ years spanning design, product management, and business strategy. I turn ambiguous, high-stakes challenges into validated product strategies and experiences that deliver measurable business impact — and I build the teams and operating models that keep delivering long after.

Product strategy, design, and transformation that move the business

Product Strategy & Validation

Turn ambiguity into direction — defining product vision, investment-ready business cases, and validated roadmaps grounded in discovery and real customer evidence.

Shaped the growth strategy for a digital health platform, identifying 58% topline growth and $10–20M in incremental revenue.

Product Design & Management

Lead products end-to-end, from 0-to-1 concepts to enterprise platforms — blending design thinking, product management, and AI-enabled delivery to ship solutions that perform in complex, regulated environments.

Led 0-to-1 design of a direct-to-consumer investment platform that beat its annual sales target within three months of launch.

Go-to-Market Strategy

Bring products to market with precision — positioning, launch, and commercialization strategies that accelerate adoption and turn launches into revenue.

Identified opportunities to lift registration and ticket revenue by 40% each for a private-equity-backed sports league.

CX Transformation

Reimagine customer and employee experiences end-to-end — aligning journeys, service design, systems, and teams to deliver measurable impact and loyalty at scale.

Modernized a financial-services payout experience, lifting web adoption from 54% to 75% and cutting 4,500 processing hours a year.

Writing

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Talks & Workshops

I partner with teams as a facilitator and speaker on product discovery, design, and AI-enabled ways of working — building the capability to ship better products, faster. Available for workshops, talks, and hands-on engagements — let's talk.

Featured talks

The Lost Art of the Critique

An exploration of the different modes of thinking and how to apply them to get more out of our everyday conversations at work.

A New Vision for UX Design in South Africa: Becoming Design Activists

An industry with empathy at its core can't ignore the big problems facing South Africa and the continent. A look at the mindsets, skills, and attitudes designers need to shift from merely doing design to becoming design activists.

The UX of Agriculture

Drawn from research into agritech and urban farming — how digital technology could disrupt aspects of mass food production and reshape the future of food.

Featured workshops

Design Thinking & Improv

A hands-on session, co-facilitated with actor/director Sjaka Septembir, using user-centred design and improv to spark innovation and build strong, collaborative teams.

Make Design Critique Part of Your Process

How to identify different types of feedback, give and respond to it well, and plan, run, and act on effective design critique sessions.

Design Websites and Apps like a User-Centered Designer

A practical walk-through of applying user-centred design and design thinking to real web and app projects.

Selected appearances