Sonia Neelangatil

Sonia Neelangatil

Product Design in USA, She/Her

About

Currently studying Industrial Design at UIUC and also interning as a User Experience Designer at Graybar Electric.

Work Experience

2022 — Now
Project Specialist: UX Design at Graybar Electric Co
Champaign, IL, USA

Developed a design system using Figma to standardise the prototyping process of digital products across the company.

Spearheaded the design and launch of a Proposal Builder System, optimizing proposal creation processes company-wide. Initiated regular user testing, focus groups for feedback and promoted a collaborative design approach.

Designed and shipped an intrapreneurship training program to foster innovation among Graybar employees.

Prototyped user experiences for MVPs of 2 major digital platforms.

Worked closely with engineers, data analysts and sales teams to research supply chain industry trends and pitched new business opportunities for Graybar.

Nominated for Best Intern Award in 2022.

2021 — 2023
Primary Lab Assistant at 3D Fabrication Lab at UIUC
Champaign, IL

Trained and assisted art and design students with rapid and high fidelity prototyping processes. These included woodworking, laser cutting, vaccum forming, CNC machining, 3D printing and foam prototyping.

Volunteering

2021 — 2023
President at Founders Illinois Entrepreneurs
Champaign, IL, USA

Founders is student run non-profit organization for entrepreneurship.

I led a cross-disciplinary team of students working on projects ranging from the largest startup events and competitions in the midwest to R&D teams that work towards accelerating student startups.

In my first year at Founders, I led the launch for the Illinois Entrepreneur Hub—a co-working space with the goal of inspiring cross-organizational collaboration as we were recovering from the remote working culture that had developed over the COVID-19 pandemic.

2022 — 2022
Design Consultant at Illinois Design Consulting
Champaign, IL, USA

I worked with a team of design consultants and business students to help our client transform his idea of a crypto wallet into a viable product concept.

We understood our client’s vision and strengths to strategize a design opportunity for his potential business. We leveraged our network to interview experts and potential users to strengthen our understanding of the industry and scope for innovation.

We built prototypes supported by product storyboards and user journeys to help our client with the project takeoff.

2021 — 2022
Director of Professional Outreach at Design for America, UIUC
Champaign, IL, USA

I planned and executed outreach events involving design and entrepreneurship. In addition to this, I also held weekly developmental workshops for our members to expand their knowledge of design and develop skills to grow in the creative field.

In my first semester at DFA, my team collaborated with the Comprehensive Planning Committee of the city of Urbana to optimize and simplify community engagement in the city planning process. We conducted stakeholder research to identify design opportunities within the comprehensive planning process and designed a service to tackle the major challenges.

Education

2020 — Now
BFA in Human-Centered Technology Design at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL, USA
2018 — 2020
Deens Academy
Bangalore, India
2005 — 2018
Prakriya Green Wisdom School
Bangalore, India

Awards

2023
Fiddler Innovation Undergraduate Student Fellowship Award from NCSA