Hi! I am Richa.
I'm a Product Designer who came to UX through an unconventional route. I spent the first part of my career designing buildings.
Growing up, I learned to notice design everywhere. Whether it was fashion or interiors, my parents always kept things current at home. My formal design journey began with a degree in architecture after I found a book about skyscrapers and became obsessed. I now live in New York, the city I dreamed about in that book.
I spent nearly a decade working on projects of every scale from a multi-building campus in India to modular floating homes in the Netherlands. What I loved most was synthesizing multiple perspectives into solutions that balanced vision with real-world constraints.
After years of working on projects with multi-year timelines, I was ready for faster iteration cycles and more direct user impact. That's when I discovered UX. The transition was natural and the work was familiar: understanding people, and designing solutions that actually get used.
Two years in, it's been a deeply satisfying journey. I've worked on a care-tech platform, AI-powered tools, and design systems that help teams move faster while making products more accessible.
I've lived in seven cities across three continents and speak five languages. I ask questions that bring clarity, learn fast, genuinely love designing solutions that make life easier for both users and the teams I work with.
29
7
professional projects
cities lived in
5
10
languages known
years of expertise in design
How I approach Design
I research deeply.
Whether I’m planning a trip or buying ice-skates for the first time I consider all moving parts. That mindset flows into my UX work. I explore edge cases and connect user needs with business goals while making design decisions.
Design should first serve the human it’s made for.
Design is about solving problems. I value aesthetics and I find purpose in making things intuitive, clear and useful- striking a balance between function and form, knowing that usability should guide creativity.
Good design takes patience and iteration.
Architecture taught me to value long timelines and continuous refinement. In UX, I apply the same mindset; testing and learning until they truly work for the people using them.
When I am not designing you can find me traveling, hiking, playing board games, solving big puzzles and of course sleeping-in. I am a travel buff, always on the lookout for new adventures and enjoy sharing travel stories on my blog. I also contribute to my child’s school community by being an active member, keeping everyone connected and organizing various events throughout the year.
Zurich, Summer 2020
Model prep for a residential project
Folgefonna Glacier, Norway
Let’s Connect
Feel free to reach out for collaborations or just a friendly hello! shahricha86@gmail.com