# Richa Krishna

> Designing Experiences for Self-Inquiry

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

Design Portfolio: richakrishna.com

I am obsessed with the power of emotion, clarity, and beauty to make an experience of technology novel.

I trained on the professional track for ballet—movement, quality, and story are core to who I am. My ballet career was promising. But it was cut short when the intensity of my training became a risk to my health. I turned to wearable technologies—initially as a user seeking information about my body, then as the researcher, designer, and founder of Pulse, an award-winning R&D startup developing a wearable to help optimize exercise within cardiac restrictions. Pulse led me to the USC Iovine & Young Academy where I studied Product & Experience Design alongside the fundamentals of Software/Hardware Development, Venture Strategy, and Philosophy.

I have contributed Product Design, Strategy, and Research to teams including Apple, Adidas, Samsung, Mattel, Harvard Business Publishing, and USC Convergent Science Institute in Cancer.

I play in a world of technology and I question our world beyond technology.

Currently exploring: body-computing technology, health & human performance, AI & consciousness, meditation & contemplative practices.

My best work hasn’t been done yet.

## Work Experience
### Founder / Designer @ SAKEM
Jan 2024 – Present
Research & Design for Self-Inquiry
Please reach out if interested!

### Project Lead / Designer @ Pulse
Jan 2017 – Jan 2023
Led interdisciplinary team through R&D of wearable focused on physical movement & cardiac activity.
Led user research of 200+ athletes & health-conscious individuals via interviews, surveys, field studies.
Conducted scientific, technical, design research via literature reviews, product testing, expert advisement.
Designed wearable patch form-factor & UX. Built & tested 3D-printed prototypes with live users.
Collaborated with developers to build functional hardware prototypes & AI heart rate prediction algorithm.
Communicated opportunity, strategy, story via pitches in venture competitions & VIP presentations.
Fundraised via grants & pitch competitions.

### Interactive Designer @ Apple
Jan 2022 – Jan 2022
Developed final-stage designs of in-store app experiences for Apple Watch Fall 2022 Launch.
Analyzed consumer behavior data to inform design of in-store app showcasing product features.

### Product Designer / Strategist @ Mattel, Inc.
Jan 2022 – Jan 2022
Researched sustainability, generational, & technological trends in diverse industries.
Designed sustainable Web3 experiences for play.
(Industry Lab)

### Product Designer / Strategist @ Samsung Electronics
Jan 2021 – Jan 2021
Interviewed fitness enthusiasts & researched opportunity in wearables industry.
Designed solution for Samsung to tap into a new market.
(Industry Lab)

### Product Designer / Strategist @ adidas
Jan 2021 – Jan 2021
Interviewed diverse Adidas stakeholders & studied metrics of sustainable clothing manufacturing.
Designed data- & story-driven experience for sustainable athletic wear.
(Industry Lab)

### Product Designer / Strategist @ Harvard Business Publishing
Jan 2020 – Jan 2020
Researched 250+ students & faculty via interviews & surveys.
Designed digital experiences for business ethics education in extended reality.
(Industry Lab)

### Product Designer @ DCL Health
Jan 2020 – Jan 2020
Designed app UX that integrates with wearables for heart failure patients.
Collaborated with developer to test in clinical trials.

### Product Designer / Strategist @ CSI-Cancer: USC Michelson Center Convergent Science Institute in Cancer
Jan 2020 – Jan 2020
Led user research of brain cancer patients & physicians.
Designed integrated patient-physician UX for holistic cancer treatment. Tested prototypes w/ patients.
(Industry Lab)

### Design Educator @ DC Design LTD
Jan 2018 – Jan 2018 | Stanford d.school
Developed techniques to teach design thinking to blind and differently-abled students.
Assisted students in market research, design, and prototyping of products for disabled clients.

### Product Designer @ Kenzen
Jan 2017 – Jan 2017 | San Francisco
Conducted material testing for fitness wearable patch.
Designed UI components for app paired with wearable. Developed scalable design system.

### Alumni @ LaunchX Entrepreneurship Program
Jan 2017 – Jan 2017 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Founded Pulse Wearables.

### Alumni @ Quarter Zero
Jan 2016 – Jan 2016 | Chicago | San Francisco | New York
Founding team of EmojiHealth – winner of "Most Innovative Venture" award.


## Education
### B.S. in Design, Technology, and the Business of Innovation
USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy

### Pre-College Program in Industrial Design
California College of the Arts


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/richakrishna
- Website: https://richakrishna.com

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Source: https://flows.cv/richakrishna
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/richakrishna/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-04-08