hi, it means a lot
that you're here ✦
I'm Sanjana. ~7 years in design, ~3 in product, studying it, working in it, thinking about it. I started in interior spaces and moved into product design. That background shapes how I work now. It just means I learned early how to figure out what something needs to feel like before anyone has words for it.
These days I design digital products. AI workflows, interactive exhibits, things people actually want to use. What I care about most is the gap between technically works and actually good.
Sanjana
Product Designer
The journey
Interior design to product. Five years, two countries.
Interior design.
Woxsen School of Arts and Design. Four years.
I started in interior design, working out what a room should feel like before anyone had the words for it. Turns out that is most of what design is, in any medium.
The first screen.
Three months. One UX project. Pretty obvious from there.
My first UX project, and it just clicked. I had been looking for a creative community, curious what being part of tech would actually feel like. This was it. Same instinct, new medium.
Still in the cycle.
Five years. Two countries. One direction.
A master's, then a run of real work across AI, fintech, exhibits, e-commerce. What I keep chasing is the thing that pulled me in: staying in the learning cycle, close to people who make things.
Along the wayGoogle UX cert · moved to Boulder · shipped Aura · six interiors, mostly solo
NowStill curious, still building, looking for the team that cares about the difference between technically works and actually good.
I talked through all of this on a podcast, with the professor who started it.
How I work
Six things that don't change.
Research first
I don't start in Figma. I start with the people who'll use the thing. User interviews, journey maps, screener surveys. The answers usually tell you what to build.
AI-augmented workflows
I use Claude, Lovable, Replit, v0, and Bolt as real parts of my process. To prototype faster, synthesize research, and pressure-test copy before a line of UI gets drawn. A tool is a tool.
Systems thinking
I design components, not screens. If something works once and breaks in another context, it wasn't designed. It was decorated.
Honest feedback loops
Usability testing with real people, iterated until the confusion goes away. I'm not precious about my first ideas. The third version is usually the right one.
Cross-functional comfort
I've worked with developers, educators, subject matter experts, and PMs. I'm comfortable in the middle, between what users need, what engineers can build, and what the business wants.
Clarity over cleverness
A good interface shouldn't need a walkthrough. If I'm explaining how something works, it's a sign the design needs another pass.
Outside of design
I exist outside of Figma, I promise.
Outside of work I am usually in the kitchen. Baking something I found at 11pm, or cooking for people I love. I travel whenever I get the chance. I watch shows with a level of commitment that is honestly a little embarrassing. Some of my best ideas show up on long flights or over a really good meal.
Baking ✦ Travelling ✦ Cooking ✦ Hanging with friends ✦ Binge-watching shows
Right now
Clock In by Emily the Recruiter. Genuinely a little funny that I'm reading a career book mid-job-search, but here we are. It's making me think harder about what I actually want, not just what I think I'm supposed to want.
Learning to build real things with Claude Code. I'm a designer who can now ship her own ideas without waiting on anyone. Still wrapping my head around that one.
Why seamlessness is so rare. Most products get close and then sort of... stop. I think about this more than is probably healthy.
What I'm looking for
I want to work somewhere that starts with the person, not the feature list.
The kind of place where someone can say “this works but it doesn't feel right” and the room takes it seriously. I've been in rooms like that. I want back in.
gangishettysanjana084@gmail.com