A design professional with over 18 years of cumulative experience in the fields of User Experience Design and Research, Ashwini Garde hold an M.Des. (Visual Communication) Masters degree from IDC, IIT Bombay, and a B.F.A. in Applied Arts from Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Arts. She is also a Certified Usability Analyst (CUA) from HFI and an IBM certified Design Thinking Practitioner.
Ashwini has led design teams to bring innovative, intuitive solutions to clients and businesses. She works in the area of Digital Transformation and re-invention across various domains like Digital Banking, Next Generation digital products, and services, Mobile technology providers, etc. She is a keen research-minded designer, working hands-on with User Research, to seek key insights into User Behaviour and turn these research insights into compelling and informed design solutions.
She is passionate about designing approaches for UX design that are empathetic about user needs and is strong at crafting experiences with a user-first approach. Her core interest lies in deriving insights from user research and applying them to craft creative, usable, and simple design solutions that evoke a delightful user/customer experience.
And oh, she’s also an aspiring writer!
How are you planning to celebrate Women’s Day this year?
Nothing really special, might catch up with some of my friends and celebrate in a low-key way.
Would you say there is an under-representation of women in UI/UX design?
No.
What are some personality traits of women that make them better (or worse) UX designers?
I think empathy comes naturally to women and women are more tuned into other people’s feelings, emotions and thoughts on a habitual level. This makes them empathetic, caring and intelligent designers and researchers.
Who are some design leaders (male or female) you look up to?
Nathan Shedroff, Jan Chipchase and Don Norman.
As a woman, what’s the greatest challenge you’ve had to face as a designer?
In my early career I was not taken seriously because I was young and female. However this attitude in the workplace has changed over time with grey hair. 🙂 I do feel that young women bring a lot to the design industry and we should be taken very very seriously even when we are young!
What, in your opinion, could we UI/UX designers do, as a relatively young and collaborative fraternity, to solve the problem of gender inequality?
Read a lot, be well informed, be analytical and depend on your intelligence and creativity, girls!!! There is no need to think that you are different, or that you should be treated differently because you are a woman, have fun with your work and make it a good life!
Women sometimes have unique skills, like, for example, an intuitive understanding of emotions, better soft skills and great communication! Build on your positives and rock the world!
Your message to young women looking to make their careers in UI/UX?
Be focussed, be passionate and be driven. Drive and enthusiasm will take you very far, much much more than credentials or education can!
