# Akshaya Madhavan

> Product Design & Research | ex-Google, NASA | CMU MHCI

Location: San Francisco Bay Area, United States
Profile: https://flows.cv/akshayamadhavan

Product designer with a background in UX research and recent experience shipping a social wellbeing app. Insightful communicator with experience in startups, big tech, and government agencies.

• Shipped a social wellbeing app by designing, documenting, and handing off 14 high-fidelity mobile app flows and 3 major new features in Figma
• Assessed launch readiness of 12+ hardware and software products by tracking KPIs through qualitative and quantitative surveys reaching 100,000+ users
• Conducted end-to-end research and design for an astronaut–Mission Control communication tool supporting future Mars missions
• Designed the MVP of a nonprofit's educational app, leading to more donors and partners 


I enjoy using qualitative research to explore complex user problems and design intuitive interfaces. I’m highly collaborative and known for leading teams through ambiguous situations with clarity. My training in visual arts and computer science helps me communicate with both creative and technical people.

Areas I'm passionate about include mental health, education, the arts, and LGBTQ+ issues.

## Work Experience
### Product Designer & Researcher @ Kinnect | Save memories, improve relationships
Jan 2025 – Present

### Product Designer @ Motcha
Jan 2025 – Jan 2025
Shipped a social wellbeing app by designing, documenting, and handing off 14 high-fidelity mobile app flows and 3 major new features in Figma
• Collaborated with the founder and engineers in a fast-paced startup environment, participating in async reviews
• Improved color, spacing, readability, and overall UX by redesigning all existing screens
• Supported investor outreach by creating pitch decks and launching a marketing website using WordPress
• Accelerated development and ensured visual consistency by creating a design system

### UX Research Lead @ Tech Fleet
Jan 2024 – Jan 2025
Led a team of 4 researchers to conduct foundational qualitative research for a community-building platform
• Collaborated with product strategy and UX design teams to align on research plan 
• Coordinated meetings and updating UXRs on cross-functional team activities, resulting in group cohesion

### UX Researcher @ Tech Fleet
Jan 2024 – Jan 2024
Conducted research to redesign a website to increase donors for a humanitarian aid nonprofit 
• Ran a workshop to teach UX researchers about affinity diagramming to analyze interviews, resulting in four key takeaways that provided direction for design and product strategy
• Created and presented presentations to convey interview takeaways and sprint updates to the wider team
• Created a usability testing guide based on the research questions, navigating a prototype of changing fidelity
• Created a screener survey based on recruitment criteria and followed survey design best practices

### UX Researcher @ Google
Jan 2021 – Jan 2023 | Mountain View, California, United States
Created and analyzed qualitative and quantitative surveys across 12+ hardware and software products at Google Nest, reaching 100,000+ users
• Delivered 50+ research presentations to cross functional project managers that communicated product KPI changes, ensuring launch-readiness in a fast-paced environment
• Revised 100+ survey drafts to uphold survey design principles, enhancing data quality 
• Optimized workflow by automating the conversion of survey data into presentation-ready figures through formulas in Google Sheets, resulting in time saved
• Designed semantic code taxonomy, coded 500+ qualitative responses to determine smart home data usage preferences, corroborating existing research about privacy
• (Contractor via Artech Information Systems)

### UX Researcher @ NASA Ames Research Center
Jan 2021 – Jan 2021
Conducted end-to-end research and design for an astronaut-Mission Control communication tool supporting future Mars missions
• Synthesized NASA subject matter expert interviews and literature reviews data into actionable insights that conveyed astronauts’ needs for communication tools, guiding concept designs
• Designed, documented, and led 14 experiments with 45+ total participants to evaluate concepts in-context, resulting in defining design patterns for messages 
• Conducted usability tests and synthesized findings into actionable improvements guided by user-centered design principles for prototype iterations
• Designed and shared a presentation to communicate project outcomes to technical and non-technical audience, resulting in increased audience engagement

### Product Designer @ WonderSeed Foundation
Jan 2019 – Jan 2020 | Los Angeles, California, United States
Created prototypes for an educational technology mobile app with 40 screens, successfully attracting new donors and partners for fundraising initiatives
• Designed mascot aligning with client needs, effectively enhancing brand identity
• Collaborated with another designer to produce prototypes for a website redesign


## Education
### Master's degree in Human Computer Interaction
Carnegie Mellon University

### Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
The University of Texas at Dallas


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/akshaya-madhavan

---
Source: https://flows.cv/akshayamadhavan
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/akshayamadhavan/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-04-13