Doing Work That Matters

We’re excited to welcome Barb Spanton to this month’s UX NS meetup!

There’s a quiet shift happening in our industry. UX professionals are drawn to work that genuinely helps people - work that aims to make a difference and solve real problems. For many, that path leads to healthcare products and services. Then reality hits.

Doing meaningful work in healthcare is hard. Progress is slow. Regulation is heavy. Legacy systems, complex integrations, and high stakes are the norm. Meanwhile, fast-moving startups promise higher pay, shinier titles, and the thrill of “moving fast and breaking things.”

This talk looks beyond the idealized idea of “meaningful work” and into the lived reality of creating impact in complex, highly regulated domains.

With Barb Spanton, we’ll explore what impact really means in healthcare, why it’s often underestimated, and how professionals can find purpose, progress, and influence—even when the work is anything but glamorous.

Join us for an engaging and thought-provoking evening. Snacks and drinks will be served.

> Agenda
7:00 PM Doors open, networking time, snacks and drinks
7:15 PM Introductions from the event hosts, Nata and Ruby
7:20 PM Doing Work That Matters with Barb Spanton
7:50 PM Q&A
8:15 PM Networking and wrap-up
8:45 PM Doors close

> Speaker Bio
Barb is a UX leader with over 25 years of experience designing and delivering products in complex, highly regulated domains, primarily healthcare. Her work has been shaped by a belief that doing meaningful work—especially work that impacts patients and clinicians—is both deeply challenging and deeply rewarding.

She currently leads UX for Siemens Healthineers, where she supports a global team building the next generation of oncology care solutions while advancing UX maturity across the organization. Barb has been an active voice in the UX community, speaking and organizing events at the intersection of design and healthcare, and is passionate about mentoring designers to thrive and have an impact in complex, real-world environments.

> How to find us at Siemens Healthineers (1675 Grafton St. Suite 400, Halifax, Nova Scotia)
Enter through the doors at the North Tower of the Nova Centre (Beside BMO) and head to the fourth floor via the elevators.

> Acknowledgements
Thank you enormously to Siemens Healthineers for sharing their space with us. Thank you to Digital Nova Scotia for their sponsorship of UX NS.

> Support us
We are solely volunteer-run and always looking for sponsors. Besides, if you liked the event, please spread the word on social media and bring a friend next time!