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.

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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