I genuinely get excited about figuring out why people do what they do, and I approach every challenge by asking:
Why, Why not, and How?
This systematic, yet exploratory, framework is rooted in a personal journey that started with an engineering degree and evolved into holistic product design strategy and research
Education
I am a millennial from India who did the most Indian thing: Fulfilled my parents’ wish to do Engineering (B.Tech in Civil Engg) and THEN followed my passion to a world of curiosity, creativity and innovation choosing to do a 2.5 year long post graduation in Integrated lifestyle and product design :)
The blend truly worked out for me , teaching me to see the world in a structural yet deeply creative way.
I opened my eyes to a world where every product is someone’s design. During my post graduate program, I explored design principles and diverse range of topics, from Ergonomics to Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).
My post graduate studies were the foundation for my design and research background. My projects centered around researching and brainstorming solutions for real-life problems, including waste disposal in urban setups and on trains, sanitary issues faced by women while traveling, travel apps, and designing solutions for special needs all while applying design thinking, prototyping techniques.
I also actively explored India’s diverse communities and rich craft heritage, conducting ethnographic and contextual research in Kerala and Kanyakumari, alongside craft exploration studies in Jaipur.
Career
Modus Capital (2022 - present) | Senior UX Researcher and Service Designer
Currently, i am a Senior UX Researcher and Service Designer at the Abu Dhabi-based venture builder, Modus Capital, where my focus is on strategic leadership and building scalable systems.
My key achievement here has been transforming the function of UX Research: moving it from a "nice-to-have" to an essential strategic business partner by establishing a structured, workable system aligned with organizational SOPs.
Highlights
Successfully led 40+ mixed method research activities, including discovery studies, user interviews, surveys, contextual inquiry, usability testing, service mapping, and stakeholder workshops, collaborating with founding teams of 15+ innovative early-stage tech startups from diverse industries such as Health tech, Edtech, Fintech, Fitness, and Beauty tech.
Delivered discovery research insights that drove innovation, feature prioritization, and customer journey mapping that led to successful MVP launches, including a critical insight that prompted a transformative pivot in a health tech startup's business strategy.
Proven track record of 95% on-time delivery rate, organized and collaborative workflow, and a record of operating cost-effectively while maximizing resource efficiency through innovative recruitment methods.
Led successful usability studies that resolved critical UX flow issues and directly contributed to increased conversion rates and enhanced user retention.
Delivered actionable research insights to Product Design, Marketing, and Strategy teams, improving UX roadmaps across projects, including enhancing a service blueprint for a subscription box service, driving a 7% increase in customer retention, and boosting conversions by 5%.
Developed a research operations playbook aligned with the venture builder SOPs and enhanced the overall operational efficiency of the research activities with cross-functional collaborations and deliverables.
Asette, Upiopi (2020 - 2022) | Product research and design
My strategic thinking truly began after college when my curiosity led me into the world of innovation and startup hustle, starting with connections to innovative founders from the Kerala Startup Mission, which smoothly transitioned into my immediate immersion in the UAE's vibrant startup community upon moving here in 2019.
I quickly immersed myself in this ecosystem, working with early-stage tech companies like Asette and Upiopi. Serving as both a Product Designer and Researcher, I gained essential end-to-end expertise. My dual role spanned full-spectrum research (executing both quantitative and qualitative studies), strategic analysis (user journey and service mapping), and hands-on support, including prototyping and design execution.
Highlights
As a co-founding team member at Asette, I have been involved in a variety of activities in product research and design.
Conducted 10+ research studies, including user testing and contextual enquiry, surveys, and competitor research on the UAE real estate market, analyzing buyers, renters, developers, and agents, to define user pain points and opportunities for Asette, resulting in detailed customer journey maps.
The insights led to a significant pivotal decision, helped prioritize a viable product direction and business strategy, and further refined the service design framework.
By leveraging my product design skills and incorporating user insights gathered during research, I collaborated with the lead designer and facilitated rapid iterations and changes to design directions.
As a Researcher and designer for Upiopi,
I executed exploratory research in the UAE to define adopter segments, pricing, and customer acquisition strategy based on parent needs and price perception.
Conducted regional validation (trials and interviews) in Malaysia, leading to strategic UX and product revisions tailored for the local customer base.
Collaborated on rapid prototyping and iterative testing (wireframing/prototypes) to validate and refine design solutions with target user segments.
Early foundation (2018 - 2020)
Before specializing, I actively explored my foundational design skills, gaining hands-on experience in specialized roles like packaging design and creative design. This exploratory work was crucial for gaining real-world context and adaptability.
It included project-based consulting and full-time roles with diverse early-stage businesses, encompassingF&B/retail and consulting firms across different regions. This exposure solidified my foundational design practice, confirming my hands-on ability to apply design across various real-world industries before moving into strategic research.
Outside of work
I’m easily excited by simple things. I enjoy a good morning drive out to Khorfakkan or Ras Al Khaimah during weekend, or tackling a good 3D puzzle. I also enjoy getting some artistic time in whenever I can with some product sketching.
Sometimes my quirky side takes over, and you might find me tracking a random flight on Flight Radar (if someone I know is traveling, I'm definitely tracking their journey!)
The best part of my downtime, though, is spending time with my cat, Momo, playing a little hide-and-seek, or trying out my culinary skills :)