About - Naveed Ahmed

Naveed Ahmed photograph. Photo by Bhaumik Kaji.

Me

I am a User Experience (UX) Design Manager and have spent about 16 years (~12 years in corporates) designing and crafting experiences, interactions, and interfaces for digital products.

My work involves working with cross-functional teams and Senior Leadership to develop the product vision and strategy. I work alongside Research, Product Management, Engineering, Marketing, Art Directors, and Content Design teams to execute various aspects of the product experience.

Professional Journey

During my career, I have had the privilege of not only working on the drawing board but also leading and managing teams comprising of designers, design researchers, and content writers over the past few years. I've led teams responsible for designing products that are integral to the digital experiences of hundreds of millions of users.

In the last decade, my journey took me through the doors of tech giants such as Microsoft, Adobe, Red Hat, and Infosys. Here, I've had the privilege of building many products from the ground up. I've designed for a vast spectrum of applications: productivity tools, information management systems, low-code & no-code apps, enterprise software, learning management platforms, insurance & healthcare products, social media interfaces, and open source software.

Personal Stuff

Besides design, I dabble into photography, watch reruns of Seinfeld, binge on sci-fi, and often wonder if the Jedi (of Star Wars) were actually evil; were they? I was once a hardcore Matrix fan and went too deep down the rabbit hole, that I now prefer spending time in libraries and museums.

With varying speaking and written skills in eight languages, I dream of becoming a polyglot one day; before which I want to learn the Sign Language.

Design origins

My journey in design is something that I accidentally embarked upon and one that I have never looked back since. It started with a humble poster in 2005, and before I knew it I found myself doing freelance design for print and web, which later turned into a career in user experience design.

In 2012, I took a break from career to pursue a full-time Masters in Interaction Design from IDC School of Design (erstwhile Industrial Design Centre) at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) in Mumbai. The intense learning and the amazing people ❤️ I met during the program completely transformed me and helped me become what I am today—a better designer.