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It's nice to meet you! :)

I'm a Product Designer with over 3 years of creating enterprise experiences and integrating user experiences into compelling narratives in fast-paced environments.

Currently, I am a Master of Design (MDes) graduate student at UC Berkeley where I'm focused on designing emerging technologies that incorporate critical design and social practice to address new realities.

 

I aim at using design as a medium to create an inclusive society that recognizes creative talent around the world. 

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How did I get here?

With my mother being the Chief Designer at a Handicrafts museum in Kashmir, I grew up in a house where design was the norm. I was mesmerized by her thought process and techniques which constantly invented fascinating designs. After years of curious experimentations and eye-opening explorations, I landed in the very same circle as a UX Designer at Amadeus. The diverse culture and professional mentoring at Amadeus connected me to my dream profession - UX Design. Like a perfect soup bowl, I found the right ingredients of creativity and technology in design.  

Volunteering

I volunteered at an internationally recognized NGO called Make a Difference (MAD) for 3 years. I designed the curriculum, activities, and learning resources for a batch of 80 high school students and lead career counseling sessions. One of my major contributions involved strategizing and designing a channel for students to realize their dreams and providing them with a holistic development experience through inbound and outbound training sessions.

MIT Media Labs Hackathon 2023

My team and I developed "Failtopia," a virtual world that won the Grand Prize. Failtopia is an immersive multiplayer experience for university students transitioning into college life. It encourages students to share their failures, learn from each other, and grow.

In Failtopia, users can explore various types of life failures, listen to each other's stories, and document their own, which transform into beautiful mushrooms. As they venture deeper into the world, we aim to help them realize that everyone fails, and we can learn not only from our own mistakes but also from each other's. Additionally, Failtopia encourages users to question and explore the systems that sometimes let us down, including family dynamics, privilege, and socio-economic structures.

Engineering Journey

My Electronics and Communication Engineering program from the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) was a perfect start to foresee the tectonic shift in the technological landscape around me. In the process of designing automated control systems and building different algorithms, I realized the immense impact technology has in bridging the gap and moving towards an equitable world. I've worked on multiple projects including Autonomous Robots, Wireless Encryption And Decryption and Speech Recognition.

Life Outside Work

Growing up in the scenic valley of Kashmir exposed me to a wide range of outdoor activities. In my 2nd standard, I started Skiing and soon became a professional instructor for beginners. During summers, you'll find me trekking, horse riding, or kayaking across the Dal Lake of Kashmir.

CONTACT
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