ABOUT ME | Shuchi UX Portfolio

About

Hi! Thanks for taking the time to be here.

Status Quo Challenger

I'm a problem solver fueled by curiosity and a deep passion for human behaviour.

My mission: crafting products that seamlessly blend delight and purpose, form and function.

Core Beliefs

Experiences are transformative. Our identities emerge from the intricate dance of nature and nurture, and every interaction—digital or physical—reshapes our understanding of the world. UX design is my medium for reimagining human experiences, working with existing mental models while gently expanding their boundaries.

Professional Evolution

Foundation Building: Cultivated expertise in interaction design, information architecture, UI, and comprehensive design systems
Strategic Refinement: Mastered the art of influence and negotiation, harmonizing user needs with strategic business objectives

Design Systems: My Specialized Craft

More than mere guidelines, design systems are living ecosystems of creativity, collaboration, and scalability. My architectural background equips me to navigate complexity, transforming intricate challenges into elegant, adaptable solutions that transcend products and platforms.

Beyond the Professional Realm

An insatiable learner who finds inspiration everywhere—whether connecting intellectual dots through thought-provoking podcasts, adventuring in nature, or cherishing moments with my canine companion. Always exploring, always growing.

"Stay hungry, stay foolish"

~Whole Earth Catalogue, 1974

Education

Let me tell you what each of these taught me and how this has direct application to my work as a UX designer today.

Degrees

2009 - 2011

Master of Architectuire

State University of New York, Buffalo NY

A master's program to study Architecture.

This was a 2-year degree program.

This taught me:

It advanced my critical thinking by making us spend a lot of time on the problem space rather than jumping to solutions right away. Challenging our assumptions of the world.
It boosted my design thinking by challenging us at every stage of the project.
It taught me the power of collaboration and working together on projects that lasted an entire semester.

2004 - 2009

Bachelors of Architecture

Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, India

A bachelor's program to study Architecture.

This was a 5-year degree program. The last semester was my thesis semester.

This program taught me:

It gave me a solid foundation of design thinking approach and how iterative design is. The power of the first principle's thinking.
It helped me detach myself and my ego from the design as we presented our designs to architects only to have it criticized quite severely.
It taught me how to handle complexity and learn to sit with ambiguity. Learn to simplify design. And that it's OK to not know where you're headed at first but knowing just the first step.

Certificates

2017 - 2018

Interaction Design

University of California | Online

This helped me understand the basics of digital design.

This certification course was about a 9-month program including a capstone project in the end.

It taught me:

The basics of the digital world.
How to design in pixels.
Fail fast to succeed sooner design philosophy.

March 2022

Introduction to the Philosophy of Cognitive Sciences

The University of Edinburgh | Online

This helped me understand how evolution plays a role in decision-making.

It's been some time since I have been fascinated with cognitive science: understanding how we think, what aids our decision-making while interacting with our environment and the biases involved.

This course gave me a glimpse into these topics but also helped me understand how evolution plays a role in decision-making, language formation, and the science of consciousness & awareness to which psychologists, neuroscientists and philosophers contribute. And how can all of this be applied to the field of robotics and AI.

April 2023

Digital Behaviour Change

Behaviour Design Academy | Online

This helped me understand how to apply principles of psychology, sociology and neurology to digital screens for behaviour change.

It taught me:

What are some of the principles from the fields of psychology, sociology and neurology that can have direct application to creating behaviour change.
What are the stages of behaviour change.
Understand how decisions are made and how our minds perceive the different catalysts around us.