Elmien Waring is a Senior Learning Experience Designer at Nelson Mandela University, where she leads the Innovation and Learning Experience Design (LXD) Studio. With over 14 years of experience in higher education, she specialises in integrating visual communication, instructional design, and user experience design to transform digital learning. Elmien has played a key role in developing and implementing engaging online and blended learning experiences across all faculties, mentoring a team of designers to create innovative educational solutions. She also serves as the lead designer for the DAAD-funded DIGI-FACE (Digital Initiative for African Centres of Excellence) project, where she designs and develops online training interventions that support capacity building in higher education across the African continent. She holds a Master of Arts and a Bachelor of Technology in Graphic Design from Nelson Mandela University, and additional qualifications in Instructional Design from the University of the Witwatersrand and Higher Education Teaching from Harvard University. In 2025, her studio received the Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Team Award for their pioneering work in transforming learning experience design.