“To be serious,
or not to be serious”
@Kronborg Castle in Copenhagen
(the inspiration for Hamlet)
Hi! My name is Atulya and...
I am an interdisciplinary product designer, systems thinker, and strategic futurist. I believe design is a form of communication that visualizes the underlying infrastructure of the way we move, connect, and function as a society, and how that defines our world.
I love to explore and anticipate where change is quietly bubbling by recognizing signals of friction, understanding the system as a whole, and translating what people are saying and feeling into sophisticated, joyful designs that fundamentally work, and work well for everyone without creating new problems. I draw inspiration from entirely unrelated fields and unexpected experiences to weave together unique, creative, and highly tuned solutions.
When I'm not being a hardcore designer mapping out complex systems, I'm actively participating in them as a soccer coach, big sister, fairy godmother, and fiercely loyal friend. I laugh loudly, craft enthusiastically, and can easily lose track of time exploring a library or settling into a great conversation. I care deeply and wholeheartedly about everyone I meet and everything I partake in, and bring that same energy to all my projects and work.
My Design Manifesto
- Solve the problem at the core, creatively; then expand
Design problems are spiderwebs; find the problem at the center and then understand how it is connected to everything else. Focus on the lynchpin and design the right, unique, and specific solution for it that enhances the rest of the web.
- Create great design that is alive and always changing.
Great design will only be “great” for a certain amount of time no matter how “scalable” it is because everything is always changing. Context, technology, people, problems...everything. That’s what makes it fun, so don’t be afraid to change everything.
- Demand design to thrive on friction.
Great design comes from the tension between the push and pull of navigating in, around, and through complexity. It is the combination of smarts and silliness, wits, guts, tenderness, and brute strength, and always the ebb and flow between them all.
- Do not create new problems by solving in or for a silo.
Everything is connected. Every action has at least one equal and opposite reaction. It can easily snowball into unexpected outcomes or create new pitfalls. It’s important to explore and be aware of what new problems may arise.
- Do work responsibly.
Ethics matter. Stand by them, stand for them. You always have more power than you know.
- Be a team player.
Design is a team sport. It doesn’t matter if AI is making it feel otherwise. Design requires a full team and a deep bench. Ask for feedback, be unrelenting about collaboration, make mistakes, try dumb ideas, and arrive at thoughtful, holistic, and team sourced wins.
- Stand for what is right, not just what is easy.
Being a designer is a responsibility. It is a point of privilege to be able to represent others through the work we do. It is inherently political and why we must be principled, kind, thoughtful, and...a little dramatic ;)
Some Recent Design Experiences
I have ten years of professional design experience in a variety of roles and industries. From physical product to digital design for everything from sneakers, civic and government design, healthcare, to finance and big teach, I have been very lucky to have had a taste of it all.
Senior Interaction Designer
Blink UX
June 2022 – Present
Design Lead
Anthro-Tech
Jan 2020 – June 2022
Senior Designer
Infosys & Wongdoody
Nov 2018 – Jan 2020
Multidisciplinary Designer
Social Impact Designs
Aug 2018 – Jan 2022
Education
Rhode Island School of Design
Master of Industrial Design 2017
Clark University
Bachelor of Arts 2011
