# Aparna R. > Product Design, Design Strategy, Creative Tech | M.S. in Design and Media at NYU Location: New York City Metropolitan Area, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/aparna https://www.aparna-ar.com/ Engineer-turned-Product Designer and Creative Technologist with 9+ years of experience driving user growth and product engagement. Skilled in UX research, design, and strategy, using emerging technologies like GenAI and XR to create impactful, user-centric solutions. Skilled at leading design initiatives that spark innovation and transform product experiences. Outside of work, you'll often find me exploring the outdoors- either cruising on motorcycle rides with friends, sketching, or diving into adventure activities. ## Work Experience ### Senior Product Designer @ Cognizant Jan 2024 – Present | New York, New York, United States Moment Design and Strategy Team - Winner of the GenAI Design Hackathon as part of a 3-member team. - Designed responsive websites and mobile apps for Comms, Media and Tech industry clients - Developed request for proposals (RFPs) for client projects to identify resource allocation and clarify scope. ### Design Strategist @ Cognizant Jan 2023 – Jan 2024 | New York, New York, United States ISG Consulting Team for Comms, Media, and Tech - Collaborated with the consulting team to conduct Design Thinking workshops for clients. - Ideated with stakeholders to develop solutions for GTM Strategy projects. - Led a team of business analysts in creating strategic initiatives and decks. ### UX Researcher @ Google Jan 2024 – Jan 2025 | New York, New York, United States YouTube BizTech Team - Conducted UX Research for YouTube's internal tools to enhance marketing strategies. - Proactively designed mock-ups alongside actionable insights to help the product team, lacking a dedicated design team, better understand findings and implement design improvements effectively. - Prioritized features on the product roadmap, leading to XX% reduction in effort and increased efficiency. ### Sr. UX/XR Designer @ AVATOUR Jan 2021 – Jan 2023 | Brooklyn, NY Avatour is a 30+ member startup revolutionizing B2B meetings with 360° live collaboration across mobile, desktop, tablet, and VR. Its technology powers virtual tourism, remote inspections, audits, and construction management, redefining real-time team collaboration. - Led end-to-end design for 10+ features across mobile, desktop, VR, and camera interfaces, ensuring a seamless and consistent user experience. - Partnered with the startup team to refine market positioning from a user perspective, elevating an underutilized yet highly valued feature to the forefront—boosting customer retention by X%. - Worked closely with development and sales teams to map prioritization and effort analysis for feature implementation. - Designed a product-led onboarding experience for the website and mobile app, removing the need for sales and support teams to assist users with hardware setup and software navigation. - Managed and mentored a team of interns to conduct usability testing and gather key user insights. Designed "Spotlight," a patent-pending feature for its innovative approach to highlighting specific spaces within a 360° environment. ### AR/VR Product Designer/UX Researcher (RA) @ NYU Future Reality Lab Jan 2019 – Jan 2021 | New York, United States - Recipient of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Stipend for the NYU Holodeck Project. - Collaborated with the highly innovative team at NYU Future Reality Lab to experiment with VR hand-tracking models for creative expression. - Designed and developed immersive storytelling-based VR experiences for the NSF-funded NYU Holodeck Project. - Showcased Social VR research at SIGGRAPH 2020, highlighting innovations in virtual collaboration and interaction. The highlight was the opportunity to work alongside Dr. Ken Perlin (Father of Perlin noise in Computer Graphics)! ### Design Researcher, Centre for Product Design and Manufacturing (CPDM) @ Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Jan 2018 – Jan 2019 | Bangalore Project patented (Indian Patent law, International patent law) Publications: Journal on multi-modal interactions, Conference paper on HUD Design -Designed and engineered the UI for the AR Car Dashboard that uses eye gaze tracking for icon selection. - Conducted usability testing to identify the pain points of the drivers while using the prototype on road. - Introduced a dynamic contrast icon model to enhance icon visibility for varying lighting conditions on the road. ### User Interface Designer @ Accenture Jan 2018 – Jan 2018 | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India Innovation Hub - Transitioned from Software Engineer to Designer at Accenture's Innovation Hub, mastering the design process and successfully implementing it with clients. - Designed high-fidelity prototypes for Fortune 500 clients at Avanade Studio, an Accenture Innovation Studio in partnership with Microsoft. - Developed storyboards and use cases for Microsoft Teams' GTM strategies, contributing to the successful launch of MS Teams. - Collaborated with stakeholders to identify design requirements, ensuring seamless alignment between business goals and user needs. ### Associate Software Engineer @ Accenture Jan 2016 – Jan 2018 | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India Developed modules using Asp.net for the Health Analytics Payer Operations (HAPO) tool which allows health payers to use Advanced Analytics and Business Intelligence to forecast future Business growth and to modify the business strategies. ### Data Analyst @ EY (Ernst and Young) Jan 2016 – Jan 2016 | Cochin Area, India Developed SQL scripts to transform raw financial data into a Tableau-compatible format for effective data visualization. ### Research Intern, Alternative Energy and Nano Technology @ Indian Institute of Technology, Madras Jan 2013 – Jan 2013 | Chennai Area, India - Worked with the team at the Nanotechnology lab to identify nanoparticles for energy consumption ## Education ### Master of Science - MS in Integrated Design and Media New York University ### Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.) in Electrical and Electronics Engineering TKM College of Engineering ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/aparna-r-315985a6 --- Source: https://flows.cv/aparna JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/aparna/resume.json Last updated: 2026-02-23