Meet Designer: Prashant Singh rao

Prashant Singh rao

I work in the early stages of the design process, marrying user needs with business outcomes.

My job title?

Business Designer / Experience Strategist

What is your typical "day in the life of a designer"?

I work on launching new business verticals so lots of research - on different mediums, channels and audiences. I spend part of my day thinking about the right questions to ask, and the rest making sense of the answers. At a more mature stage, I spend my time as a UX Designer - wire-framing, prototyping and testing, and guiding design teams to ensure viable business outcomes.

Design principles you live by?

I live by three:

1. Capture and execute with intent.

2. Collaboration.

3. Empathy for your users, and stakeholders.

What problem can't you stop thinking about?

Our environment - particularly food.

The disparity in access to food, consumption levels and waste across the world is alarming, this is exaggerated by the intense conflict in so many parts of the world. There are some great initiatives like Olio, and Karma doing things to reduce waste in an urban context, but the key question for me remains - HMW re-direct the surplus to a deficit?

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

An old manager once said, "Design is the art of objectively justifying subjective choices."

I also heard Oji Udezue (Head of Product at Twitter) on a podcast and he said - "Appeal to people's hearts, not heads. I don't want people to think I'm smart, I want them to care about what I'm saying."

When is "Design done wrong"?

Design done for the sake of doing, or doing too much too soon.

Design tools you can’t live without? (Physical and/or digital)

1. Whiteboard and Markers (at least 3 colours)

2. B5 Notebook (Plain pages, no lines/grids)

3. 0.1 & 0.2 Fineliners

4. Miro

What’s in your bag?

1. My laptop

2. Delft Design Guide

3. B5 Notebook (with a cork backing)

4. More MUJI Pens and Fineliners than I can count.

5. 'NAH' sloth pin from Yonil

Books you highly recommend for anyone pursuing a career in design?

Delft Design Guide (Great tool-kit for processes)

Raster Systeme (Great book for the analytical minded trying to navigate a creative field)

Designer friends you admire and we should talk to!

Raj Mohanlal, Lives and breathes design.

Marion Duncan, An incredible design leader.

Lauren Pak, Is infectiously positive and has a great passion for design and community!

Where and What did you study?

BSc. Product Design Engineering (First Class Honors)

Brunel University London