About me
I am a hands-on design leader, mentor, and inventor who has been living and working in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2014. I grew up around design, shadowing my father at his furniture factory and architecture projects. Then moved to South Korea Samsung earning more than 60 patents in the field of user experience. Fast forward present day I have designed everything from a wooden stool to a product strategy for a hi-tech Fortune 10 company. With an emphasis on innovation, I believe in the power of inclusive, diverse, x-functional, and specialized design skills to deliver future experiences. Having completed several projects using Lean Startup and Lean UX principles I strongly believe in getting designs out in the hands of the customers early to achieve product perfection using data and feedback.
I take ownership of people development, design outcomes, design ops, growing teams, and business. I am keen to build bridges and partnerships across the organization to achieve the company’s vision. I continue to participate at all levels of the product development lifecycle with product managers, developers, marketers, researchers, and other stakeholders shaping strategy shipping valuable products.
I manage design managers, principal designers, leads, and associate designers calibrating my coaching skills to help them achieve their goals regardless of their experience and proficiency. Being people-centric, detail-oriented, and process-driven, I effortlessly jump between strategic systems thinking and minor design details to push designs to the highest levels.
Testimonials
“We were very happy with how Digital Studio collaborated with our teams to create designs achieving our complex requirements. With our apps released on the App Store and Google Play, our clients are sending us very positive feedback that is helping our business grow. ”
“He is skilled in leading clients and project teams through ambiguity, generating fresh ideas, and building innovative design solutions. ”
“Nipun is a very talented and well-rounded designer. He was able to quickly grasp the space, personas, product, to the point where 2-4 weeks in he became an extension of our team. His knowledge-set grew at par with those who had been doing this work for months in a short time. He organized himself well. Asked the right questions. Great culture add.”
“Nipun, every time I come to you with the concerns and challenges I face in and outside of the work environment, you have always been 100% present and have consistently provided the coaching and the validation I need to tackle the problems at hand and charge ahead. Your mentorship has given me the courage to step outside of my comfort zone and continue to grow. Thank you!”
“Nipun, thank you for running our Design Thinking community and group. Your passion really comes through and it is not only helping our organization grow but helping clients and others succeed at what they do.”
Highlights
2019 to 2022
Director, Digital Studio, Trianz Inc. CA, USA
Grew the design team to a team of 10 researchers, strategists, visual designers, and interaction designers by matrixing Digital Studio across all technology verticals. Instituted hiring process, service offerings, go-to-market strategy, and business development plan and training to help increase Trianz’s capabilities. Managing project deliveries, providing design direction from strategy and end-end product lifecycle. Pivoted and restructured operations due to the impact of COVID-19 and successfully moved a 100% remote consulting model.
2014 to 2019
Slalom, UX manager/principal, San Francisco CA, USA
Helping Fortune 500 Bay Area companies on a wide range of problems from business intelligence tools, e-commerce sites, enterprise portals to facilitating workshops. Helped Slalom evolve the design practice, mentor direct reports and evangelize design thinking across the organization.
2010 to 2014
Samsung Electronics, Innovation Lab R&D, Seoul, South Korea
Authored more than 60 patents amassing an expertise in IP process and creation. Worked on transparent technology, flexible technology, multi-modal interfaces, 3d-technology, facial recognition and depth sensing.
2008 to 2010
(RISD) Rhode Island School of Design, MFA Digital+Media, Providence RI, USA
Presented a paper at a conference, won a graduate fellowship award and was an honor student. Taught a graduate class and was a TA for photography courses and wood workshop.
2007 to 2010
Architecture and Interior Design, New Delhi, India
A mix of free-lance and full-time work designing offices and residences.
2005
6 month internship, Idiom Designs and Consulting, Bangalore, India
Worked on office furniture design, space planning, retail design and hospitality spaces.
2001 to 2007
Interior Architecture degree, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Designed sets for music concerts, designed tensile structures, his thesis work corrected some facts on history of architecture in New Delhi.
Before 2001 - Early days
Wanted to design flying cars as a boy growing up in that era
You could find sketches behind all my notebooks, my pottery got sold out at school fairs. Visited my fathers construction sites and furniture factory on weekends and during summer. Carpenters at the factory spoiled me with unlimited supply of hand made wooden toys. Eventually, I designed my bedroom for our new house in 8th grade with elevations, plans, and specifications that I gave to my father which he got built.
Trainings
Dale Carnegie leadership training for managers, 2019
NN/g UX Leadership certification, 2018
Certified Scrum Master, 2017
MBA for Designers (2 day course)
NEXT Leadership trainings - Organizational effectiveness, Management and Operations, 2017
Providing and Receiving Feedback - Direct Feedback Framework, 2017
How to Coach - Coaching vs. Mentoring, 2017
Widening the Circle - Inclusion and Diversity classes, 2017
Franklin Covey Sales Training: Qualifying opportunities and the sales funnel, 2016
Competency Based Interviewing training and framework - How to hire, 2016
Managing Direct Reports, 2016
Design Leadership, Cooper U, 2015
Writing and research
Medium Article on uxdesign.cc - The ultimate guide to the American healthcare industry for Product Designers (UX)
Medium Article on uxdesign.cc - Thinking of applying Lean Startup at your enterprise? 10 design lessons.
Trianz Blog - Mobile Applications Ecosystem: Underutilized Portal to the Future
Medium Article - Atmospheric UX: Design Inspiration to Theory to Practice
Human Interface Guidelines for Flexible Display Technology - Samsung Electronics (for internal use only)
Human Interface Guidelines for Transparent Display Technology - Samsung Electronics (for internal use only)
Design Principles for design 3D user interfaces: Virtual & Stereoscopic experiences- Samsung Best Paper entry (for internal use only)
Paper -Intervention or Interference of Digital Technologies in Interior Design: Developing Spatial Digital Experience, 15th Nov 2009, Presenter at MediaModes graduate conference at SVA, New York.
MFA Thesis - The Emergence of “Digital Places”
B.design Research Thesis - Colonial Residences: Delhi - A study of influences during the British Raj (1803-1947)
Etc..
Invision: Design Disruptors - Movie Screening for SF design community - host and organizer, 2017
Monthly Design Talks - Slalom lunch and learn 2016 series organizer and giving talks
AIGA SF Design week Panel- Design doesn't matter - Host, organizer and moderator
Red Dot Design competition participation and entry, 2015