Hi, I’m Nish,
I’m a designer, researcher and educator, and I help design meaningful experiences.
My work spans a range of disciplines, covering research, strategy, and the design of brand identities, objects and environments.
Advance Care Planning at UChicago Medicine
Using a human centered design approach to redesign UChicago Medicine’s Advance Care Planning process
2024 Service Design
This project was a collaboration between the Institute of Design’s Equitable Healthcare Action Lab, and UChicago Medicine (UCM), to try and improve the rate of completion of Healthcare Power of Attorneys (HPOAs). While UCM has made efforts in the past to improve the rate of completion of HPOA, most of these have been disparate, with the current rate of HPOA completion far below the national average. By taking a human centered design approach, we aimed to integrate these interventions into the patients’ journey, and be designed around what patients need at any point in time.
Community Engagement as a Method to Improve Education around food
2022 Behavioral Design
1 in 4 American faces food insecurity. While there are multiple efforts to reduce food insecurity, they are often conducted by different stakeholders, and focus on only one part of a complex system.
This project combines systems mapping with behavioral design to try and use community engagement as a way to improve education around food an nutrition, while balancing the needs of various stakeholders within the system
Crafting a dine-in experience for the pizza delivery experts
2018 Experience Design
Domino’s Pizza is one of the largest fast food chains in India with over 1200 outlets. But they’re known more for their “30 minutes or free” delivery than their dine-in experience. As part of a team at FITCH, we re-designed the space, optimized the kitchen layout and set the template for a full revamp of all 1200 of their restaurants.
The “No-Wait” Banking Experience
2020 Experience Design
What role should a physical space play in the bank of the 21st century? That’s what Hatton National Bank, a 140 Year old bank in Sri Lanka wanted to answer. Through a combination of user research, secondary research and retail experience design, I revamped their current branches to ensure relevance and improve the customer experience.
I combine an ethnographic approach to research and strategy with a technical foundation in design, production and implementation. Over the past decade, I’ve worked with clients in six countries, ranging from startups to global corporations.
This experience, coupled with my knowledge of both design and business, means I can both craft engaging experiences, and bring them to life - effectively, efficiently, and at scale.
Experience
Herron School of Art and Design
Associate Faculty | Remote | August 2024 - Present
I currently work at Indiana University’s Herron School of Art and Design, where I teach graduate-level courses in design thinking, prototyping, leadership, and design management.
Aspect
Design Director | Remote | April 2020 - December 2022
As Design Director at Aspect, I led the end-to-end experience design process; from research and strategy to concept development and technical drawings. I collaborated with the leadership team to shape the company’s design approach, business development strategy, branding, and marketing. Beyond design, my role extended into client engagement, budgeting, scheduling, and helping manage the day-to-day operations essential to running a successful studio.
Interbrand
Experience Designer | Mumbai, India | November 2018 - April 2020
At Interbrand’s Mumbai office, I managed the experience design process from strategy and concept development to 3D modeling, renderings, presentations, and technical drawings for clients across India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. While most of my work focused on retail and commercial environments, I also supported the team with research, brand strategy, valuation, and visual identity design. This role deepened my understanding of branding and taught me how to adapt my design process to reflect the cultural nuances and sensitivities of diverse markets.
Fitch (now Landor)
Designer | Mumbai, India | June 2016 - October 2018
Following a successful summer internship at Fitch’s Mumbai studio, I rejoined the team in 2016 as part of the 3D design group. My primary focus was on designing packaging, point-of-sale displays, and retail environments, while also supporting the branding and strategy teams with research, copywriting, photography, and visualization. Working with large clients at an international design firm taught me how to create compelling experiences and implement them efficiently, consistently, and at scale.
Education
Master of Design (M.Des) in Human Computer Interaction
Institute of Design - Illinois Institute of Technology | Chicago | August 2021 - May 2023
Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)
Stuart School of Business - Illinois Institute of Technology | Chicago | August 2021 - May 2023
Bachelor of Design (B.Des) in Industrial Design
Symbiosis Institute of Design | Pune, India | August 2011 - May 2015
Conferences & Publications
As a researcher, I focus on experiential and experimental design methods, with an emphasis on developing more equitable design processes.
Design Anthropology and the next evolution of the design process.
In: Daniel Raposo, Nuno Martins, Daniel Br and ão (eds)
Human Dynamics and Design for the Development of Contemporary Societies.
AHFE (2023) International Conference.AHFE Open Access, vol 81. AHFE International, USA.
Artifacts as a means to investigate alternate and future realities.
In: Tareq Ahram and Waldemar Karwowski (eds) Human Factors in Design, Engineering, and Computing.
AHFE (2024) International Conference. AHFE Open Access, vol 159. AHFE International, USA.
Textile ways of thinking as a trauma-informed design tool to research and understand communities
Textile Society of America 2024 Symposium
Shifts & Strands: Rethinking the Possibilities and Potentials of Textiles, November 12-17, 2024, a virtual event
Outside of the studio, I enjoy street photography, composing music and writing both fiction and non-fiction.