Designing products and systems that align with how humans actually think, choose, and behave.
Designing products and systems that align with how humans actually think, choose, and behave.
Hello, I'm Shailaja.
Hello, I'm Shailaja.
A product designer with nine years of experience across diverse industries. I'm passionate about exploring various topics, particularly at the intersection of behavioural design, decision science, and AI. My work is focused on shaping product strategy and enhancing human-AI interactions.
Most recently, I served as the Founding Designer at Superfone, a communication platform for Indian small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). In this role, I contributed to product strategy and guided the design process from problem definition to launch. My approach emphasizes user behavior and decision-making, grounded in first principles and real user feedback.
I believe that design should enhance how people learn, create, and interact. To this end, I draw on insights from sociology, cognitive psychology, and neuromarketing.
Currently, I am based in Bangalore, where I work with AI-native companies on product strategy and human-AI interaction design.
A product designer with nine years of experience across diverse industries. I'm passionate about exploring various topics, particularly at the intersection of behavioural design, decision science, and AI. My work is focused on shaping product strategy and enhancing human-AI interactions.
Most recently, I served as the Founding Designer at Superfone, a communication platform for Indian small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). In this role, I contributed to product strategy and guided the design process from problem definition to launch. My approach emphasizes user behavior and decision-making, grounded in first principles and real user feedback.
I believe that design should enhance how people learn, create, and interact. To this end, I draw on insights from sociology, cognitive psychology, and neuromarketing.
Currently, I am based in Bangalore, where I work with AI-native companies on product strategy and human-AI interaction design.
Experience
Experience
01
01
Founding Designer
Superfone | 2020 - 2025 (5yrs)
Owned end-to-end product design and strategy throughout the entire product lifecycle.
Led the conceptualization, design, and launch of over 5+ product segments, including CRM, Calling, Web Dashboard, WhatsApp Business API, AI Agents, and more, all tailored for Indian SMBs without an existing playbook to guide us.
Laid the groundwork for the concept of a shared virtual number that teams can use collaboratively. Additionally, I developed an information architecture that spans the entire product, creating a new method for storing and sharing lead information for businesses. This shared experience enhanced team collaboration across the product landscape.
Furthermore, I built and scaled the product's design system from the ground up and drove user acquisition and conversion through multiple app campaigns.
Owned end-to-end product design and strategy throughout the entire product lifecycle.
Led the conceptualization, design, and launch of over 5+ product segments, including CRM, Calling, Web Dashboard, WhatsApp Business API, AI Agents, and more, all tailored for Indian SMBs without an existing playbook to guide us.
Laid the groundwork for the concept of a shared virtual number that teams can use collaboratively. Additionally, I developed an information architecture that spans the entire product, creating a new method for storing and sharing lead information for businesses. This shared experience enhanced team collaboration across the product landscape.
Furthermore, I built and scaled the product's design system from the ground up and drove user acquisition and conversion through multiple app campaigns.
02
02
Freelance Product Designer
Independent | 2017-2020 (3 yrs)
Designed 0-to-1 mobile and web products across highly technical domains translating deep domain complexity into usable interfaces for end users.
Designed 0-to-1 mobile and web products across highly technical domains translating deep domain complexity into usable interfaces for end users.
Home IoT,
Industrial control interface for defence manufacturing,
Maritime fuel trading platform,
Fintech, and
Document workflow platform
Speech translation
Home IoT,
Industrial control interface for defence manufacturing,
Maritime fuel trading platform,
Fintech, and
Document workflow platform
Speech translation
Worked directly with clients across Singapore, Qatar, Germany, USA, Canada, and India, adapting design approach across markets, regulatory contexts, and user expectations.
Owned the full design process independently per engagement: discovery, information architecture, UX flows, UI design, and handoff, with minimal existing structure to build on.
Worked directly with clients across Singapore, Qatar, Germany, USA, Canada, and India, adapting design approach across markets, regulatory contexts, and user expectations.
Owned the full design process independently per engagement: discovery, information architecture, UX flows, UI design, and handoff, with minimal existing structure to build on.
I've got "taste"
Currently reading
Blink by Malcom Gladwell
Book I recommend to everyone
Stolen Focus by Johann Hari
What I value the most
Agency
Currently obsessed with
What conscious living looks like in a world engineered to hijack attention
A skill I'm currently learning
Cloud-spotting
A dead person I’d like to meet
Leonardo Da Vinci
Habit in progress
Hitting 10k steps everyday
A small daily ritual
Take a break at 4:30pm
Unusual pursuits
Tasted 32 varieties of mangoes
Shailaja Riva is a professional name. I go by Shailaja Ravindranath legally.
Miscellaneous
Currently reading
Blink by Malcom Gladwell
Book I recommend to everyone
Stolen Focus by Johann Hari
What I value the most
Agency
Currently obsessed with
What conscious living looks like in a world engineered to hijack attention.
A skill I'm currently learning
Cloud-spotting
A dead person I’d like to meet
Leonardo Da Vinci
Habit in progress
Hitting 10k steps everyday
A small daily ritual
Take a break at 4:30pm
Unusual pursuits
Tasted 32 varieties of mangoes
Shailaja Riva is a professional name.
I go by Shailaja Ravindranath legally.
Contact
Contact
shailaja.riva@gmail.com
shailaja.riva@gmail.com