Minds Behind Maps

Ep 15 - April Speight - Spatial Computing at Microsoft, Augmented & Virtual Reality, Fashion & Branding

Feb 15, 2022

01:24:03

April Speight leads the Spatial Computing Cloud Advocacy team at Microsoft. This team focuses on helping developers understand technology & raise awareness, mostly with the Mixed Reality team, most famous for the HoloLens.

We talk about April's work at Microsoft, but also about her journey from the the fashion industry, to entering the field of Tech in general. We touch on fashion and branding, and what the Tech world can take away from them. Finally, this is also a conversation about Augmented & Virtual Reality, on the privacy aspects of these technology and how they go hand in hand with technical literacy & education.

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About April:

Time stamps:

02:37 - Conversation begins, April presents herself
6:25 - Aprils’ journey from Fashion to Tech
18:22 - Entering the Tech industry with no Tech experience
27:25 - Dealing with impostor syndrome
30:48 - April’s current role: Spatial Computing Cloud Advocacy Lead at Microsoft
33:27 - Defining Mixed Reality
35:02 - The impact of covid on the public’s perception of Augmented & Virtual Reality
39:02 - Building virtual worlds
44:53 - Should we implement limitations on virtual environments?
47:02 - Privacy implications in virtual spaces
54:47 - How should users & developers think about privacy?
1:01:23 - Digital Literacy
1:04:52 - What Tech can learn from the fashion industry
1:10:12 - The Importance of Branding
1:13:35 - Creating content for developers
1:18:04 - Media & Book recommendation

Shownotes: