# Swatika Upendran > Product Designer | AI-Driven UX & Data Visualization | Transforming Complex Data into Actionable Insights Location: San Jose, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/swatika A multidisciplinary designer with 9+ years of experience across architecture, retail, and digital product design. I transform complex problems into seamless experiences by fusing critical design thinking, hands-on prototyping, and immersive storytelling. My mantra, “Functionality over Form,” reflects a commitment to purposeful design that resonates with users. Highlights: Built dashboards and workflows for Experian, TIAA, and other enterprise clients at HCL America, driving +20% in user satisfaction. Conducted UX research and redesigned digital platforms for PRIDEnet and The San Francisco School, boosting engagement up to +60%. Led retail design teams in India and Spain: designed interactive spaces, managed $4M+ projects, and delivered 95%+ client satisfaction . I thrive in cross-functional settings, leading systems from ideation through testing and launch, always guided by empathy and user insight. Passionate about mixed reality and emerging technologies, I continue to evolve as both a strategist and maker. Let’s connect if you’re exploring innovative product design or immersing into experiential spaces. ## Work Experience ### Product Designer @ Unknown Jan 2024 – Present Designing and delivering three early-stage products across nonprofit, tech, and educational gaming sectors, blending user research, interaction design, and rapid prototyping to validate product-market fit. Actively exploring and experimenting with emerging AI tools to enhance innovation and speed to market. • Spare Change - Mobile app for a pre-seed nonprofit enabling digital donations to homeless individuals for food and essentials; designed an intuitive, high-conversion donation flow. • Influenscore - AI-powered platform connecting small businesses with micro-influencers; optimized onboarding and matching workflows to boost engagement. • The American Dream - Immigration-themed educational game guiding students toward U.S. residency using Ai tools for feature development, narrative design, and immersive gameplay. ### Volunteer @ Maitri Bay Area Jan 2024 – Present ### Technical Lead - Senior Product Designer @ HCL Technologies Jan 2021 – Jan 2024 | United States • Experian PLC - Designed and shipped the Global Operations Dashboard, unifying performance data across 10 workstreams with a clear metric-to-KPI taxonomy; introduced a Top 5 leaderboard and compare mode to benchmark regions, cutting C-suite decision latency by 25% by turning noisy telemetry into trustworthy insights. • Implemented profile- and region-based access with multi-level KPI drill downs, saved views, and exportable executive summaries, boosting leadership analytics engagement by 40% and improving cross-regional performance transparency. • Otsuka Precision Healthcare - Designed and delivered patient-facing and provider-facing tools, including a cross-platform patient profile chart, to streamline clinical trial workflows; improved data clarity, reduced task time for healthcare providers, and enhanced patient engagement. • Led the strategic design of portfolio dashboards and created a developer-focused design system in Tableau to standardize components, improve interface consistency, and accelerate development timelines by 30%; partnered with cross-functional teams to align data visualization and functionality with business objectives, improving stakeholder decision-making speed and clarity. ### Product Design Consultant @ The PRIDE Study Jan 2022 – Jan 2022 | San Francisco Bay Area ### Product Designer @ The PRIDE Study Jan 2021 – Jan 2021 | San Francisco Bay Area I steered the redesign of PRIDEnet's digital presence, focusing on enhancing user experience and brand visibility. In this capacity, I conducted qualitative research to inform design decisions and improve volunteer engagement. • Developed strategic content aligned with organizational goals and research findings. • Amplified volunteer engagement by 120+ within two months through targeted UX improvements. • Streamlined onboarding process, resulting in 50% time savings for staff. • Increased brand visibility and community partner engagement by 75% through refined identity design. ### Product Designer @ The San Francisco School Jan 2021 – Jan 2021 | San Francisco Bay Area I directed high-impact user-centric design initiatives to optimize the summer camp registration process, conducting in-depth qualitative research to understand local community needs and challenges. • Implemented enhanced communication channels and user-friendly design principles. • Boosted summer camp registrations by 23% through optimized onboarding process and improved user experience. • Developed strategic branding plan based on comprehensive user research findings. ### Lead Experience Designer / Project manager @ Interspace Inc. Jan 2013 – Jan 2018 | Chennai Area, India As Lead Designer and Project Manager with Interspace, I led an eight-member design team in conceptualizing and implementing innovative retail design solutions. • Applied user-centric methodologies to enhance customer engagement and drive business growth. • Managed multiple high-value projects simultaneously, ensuring client satisfaction and timely delivery. • Increased consumer engagement by over 20% across various retail projects through user-focused design strategies. • Achieved 96% on-time delivery success rate while managing 20+ projects valued at $4M each. • Cultivated 100% customer satisfaction, resulting in consistent repeat business opportunities. ### Experience Designer @ RSP Architects Jan 2011 – Jan 2012 In this early role, I designed interactive workspace solutions for major corporate clients, focusing on enhancing employee productivity and collaboration. • Collaborated with cross-functional teams to develop innovative meeting spaces and recreational areas. • Enhanced teamwork and communication by 33% at Cisco Systems through strategic design of interactive spaces. • Conceptualized and implemented engaging breakout areas for Intuit, Infosys, and Target corporate offices. ### Design Intern @ Rk Swamy Bbdo Advertising PrivateLimited.Mumbai Jan 2009 – Jan 2009 | India Conducted market research for brands- surveys, focus groups, interviews and competition researchfor brand positioning. Designed and developed advertising layouts for print and digital board advertisements. ## Education ### Master of Design in Human Computer Interaction California College of the Arts ### Master's degree in Design in Retail Design Elisava School of Design and Engineering ### Bachelor of Science - BS in Visual Communication M.O.P. Vaishnav College for Women (Autonomous) ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/swatika-upendaran - Website: https://www.swatikaupendran.com/ --- Source: https://flows.cv/swatika JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/swatika/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-05