AKSHAY
San Francisco-BASED DESIGNER with a camera, a passport, and too many hobbies.
Hey hey! I’m Akshay (duck-sh-hey | 🐥-🤫-👋 without the D), a T-shaped designer with roots in consulting and a focus on building thoughtful, scalable systems.
By day, I work at Smartsheet designing tools that help teams plan and manage their people more intuitively. By night (and most weekends), I’m chasing light with a camera, geeking out on vintage Porsches, or learning something new.
I'm driven by curiosity, craft, and the joy of making complex things feel simple.
SMARTSHEET
San Francisco, CA
Redesigning Smartsheet’s people management tool to allow customers to easily plan projects and efficiently manage people. Collaborating with Product Management, Engineering, and User Research to realize Smartsheet’s one-platform vision.
Increased product discoverability from <1k views/month to +150k views/month and generated +2M in sales pipeline by designing an integrated product experience for Resource Management (fka 10,000 Ft; acquired by Smartsheet in 2019).
BOOSTING DISCOVERABILITY
IN THE WORKS
AI ASSISTANT
Addressing new-user onboarding friction and value realization by designing AI features that breakdown complex tasks into simple action items.
IN THE WORKS
PRODUCT-LED GROWTH
Developing a new pricing model by implementing product-led growth strategies, leveraging thoughtfully designed ingress points to drive user acquisition and engagement.
Cedar
New York, NY
Investigated motivations fueling patients’ pre-medical visit payment behaviors by driving a 6-week qualitative study at a healthcare fintech platform that reduces administrative friction for providers, payers, and patients. Findings defined user mind- sets and design principles and influenced product roadmap.
FOUNDATION STUDIO
San Francisco, CA
University of washington
Seattle, WA
Designed a service at the intersection of food wastage, climate- smart agriculture, and environmental stewardship for small- and mid-sized growers, and everyday consumers. Study involved (1) explorations through literature reviews, field research, user interviews and surveys;
(2) ideation through interdisciplinary
co-design sessions; and (3) validation through narrative prototyping and concept testing.
GENEMOD
Seattle, WA
Enabled Genemod to close its highest-to-date fundraising round of $4.5M by re-designing electronic lab notebooks and lab inventory systems that scientists at biotech and pharma companies use to plan, conduct, and manage preclinical research.