About
Web and App designer (now known as Product Designer) for 20+ years. I spend most of my time designing, managing design, coding up my design, reading about design. When not working, I play guitar, videogames, and spend time with my two kids - one of them is a human and the other is a parrot.
Work Experience
Currently leading Product Design to transform the existing Pictory video creation platform used by millions of users to the next steps, through various aspects, including:
• Hands on UI and UX design, leading from front
• Managing the product design team of 3, including staffing, direction
• Supporting product management with strategy and roadmaps
• Analysing user behavior, user insights and industry trends to create informed design solutions
• Supporting development, including UI development
• Supporting marketing design and growth experiments
• Setting up design systems
As a founding designer with an IC/Leadership hybrid role, I was able to design the first digital products at Neem with a foundational design language and system.
This included creating modular workflows to help internal and external stakeholders to understand and build additional products/services using Neem's Embedded Finance Platform.
• Contributed to Product Strategy, Vision, and Experience
• UX research and usability testing, including deep dive interviews with design leaders in Fintech in the emerging market space
• Advocacy and improvement of UX Maturity across the organization, including onboarding the non-design product teams to user-centric design workflows
• Helped craft Neem tone of voice, and usability guidelines, and helped standardise UX writing processes
Designing an end-to-end social NFT marketplace.
Designing a mobile app from product ideation with the founders, to design, and supporting front-end development.
Delivered my first paid freelance project as a Flash designer at the age of 15, now with 20 years of experience, I design websites and web/mobile applications, while doing front-end development for selected projects and working closely with developers to provide end-to-end services as an agency.
Leadership and IC hybrid role.
Led iOS app projects and designed e-commerce websites for the services business at Zeurix. Played a pivotal role in the production of GuideBuddy application by:
• Contributing to product's strategy, vision and experience
• UX research and user testing
• Presentations to customers and investors
Impact:
The entire application was completed in record time, while effectively staying
within the budgets. Early customers are already using it.
Leadership & IC hybrid role.
Prior to entering the North American market, SoloInsight needed to establish an effective design team to redesign their existing applications and establish a culture of design.
• Laid foundation to product design that puts experience as a priority in complicated enterprise apps.
• Hands-on design for the company website, mobile app, software UI and IOT displays.
• Increased investor confidence by sharing design vision and strategy.
Impact:
SoloInsight is now amongst the top 3 PIAM (Physical Identity and Access Management) firms in United States. Customers include Coca Cola, Home Depot and McDonalds with an estimated 1 million+ user base across multiple locations. Design foundations that I laid are is still applicable, and being effectively utilized.
Established a game development studio as a design partner. Designed a 2D mobile game that was featured at the top in iOS App Store, under the action and arcade categories.
• Created and led a team of character designers, illustrators & UI artists.
• Developed animation prototypes and implementation strategy for developers.
Formal design education – BFA Fine Arts for Visual Communication Design.
Key areas/subjects:
• Layouts, typography, spacing, hierarchy
• Photography and illustration
• Ideation processes and workshops
• Storytelling and marketing
• Critique and feedbacks
During this period I did a few freelance projects as well, including:
• Award winning Flash website for one of Pakistan's biggest advertising companies
• The website of the design university itself as a student first, and then a redesign that remained live until June 2024 (more than a decade)
Designed employee recognition websites for fortune 100-500 companies.
• Translated client scope of work to actionable items
• Executed UI development with active team collaboration
• Worked closely with sales team for winning projects, by designing presentations and demos for potential client.
Clients:
ADP, Qualcomm, Volvo, Dunlop Tyres, Goodyear Tyres, DynCorp & Citibank.
Impact:
• $50 Million+ in revenue from orders, using the reward program designed during my job.
• 100,000+ Employees of Fortune 100-500 companies used the reward program regularly.