Naveed Ahmed photograph.

Me

I am a User Experience (UX) Designer with over 13 years of experience in designing and crafting digital products.

During my career, I have worked both as an individual designer and as a design manager. I've contributed to products used by hundreds of millions of people, designing core experiences for Microsoft OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft SharePoint, Adobe Learning Manager, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

My current role involves crafting experiences aimed at improving critical business and UX metrics such as NPS, growth, adoption, and user delight. To achieve these goals, I actively collaborate with cross-functional teams including Product Management, Engineering, User Research, Content Design, Art Directors, and Marketing, and work closely with Senior Leadership to develop and execute product visions and strategies.

Personal Stuff

Besides design, I dabble in photography, watch reruns of Seinfeld, and binge on sci-fi. 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.

I recently authored a book on Microsoft Lists (Apress Publishers) and have published Medium articles on enterprise UX. 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 as well.

Design origins

My journey in design is something that I stumbled upon and one that I have never looked back from. It started with designing a humble poster in the first semester of my undergrad in Computer Science. What began as a way to solve visual problems and express myself through tangible media (especially compared to the CLI output of C, C++, and Java) soon led to freelancing in print and web design, eventually evolving 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.

Curriculum Vitæ

A brief overview of my professional experience, education, and key positions of responsibility throughout my career:

Various Positions, Microsoft

May 2018 - until now

Senior Experience Designer, Adobe Systems

Oct 2014 - May 2018

Research Intern, Johnson & Johnson

Jul-Sep 2013

Teaching Assistant, IIT Bombay

Jul 2012 - Jun 2014

User Interface Designer, Red Hat

Oct 2011 - Jun 2012

User Interface Designer, Infosys Ltd.

Mar 2009 - Oct 2011

Freelance Graphic Designer

Aug 2006 - Feb 2009

Master of Design, Interaction Design

IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay

Exchange Student & Design Intern

IAD, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany

Post-graduate Diploma in International Business

Symbiosis Center for Distance Learning, Pune

B.E., Computer Science & Engineering

Anna University, Chennai

*POR = (Key) Positions of Responsibility

Chair - Web & Social Media, INTERACT 2017

2015-19 · International HCI Conference by UNESCO IFIP

Core Team Member and Finance & Sponsorship Lead

2014 · Design & Degree Show 2014, IIT Bombay

Placement Coordinator

2013-14 · IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay

Internship Coordinator

2013 · IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay

Student Representative

2012-14 · IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay

Core Member, Internal Branding Team

2010-11 · Infosys Pune, India

Team Lead and Editor (Jun-Oct)

2009 · Gurukul Magazine, Infosys Mysore, India

Member, Self-Governance Team

2009 · Infosys Mysore, India

President, Students’ Club and Indian Society for Training & Development Chapter

2007-08 · Crescent Engineering College, Chennai, India

Student Head, Crescience - National Symposium

2005 · Crescent Engineering College, Chennai, India

Member of Students' Club and Editorial Team

2004-08 · Crescent Engineering College, Chennai, India

School Captain

2001-02 · Vignan Vidyalayam, Visakhapatnam, India

Represented School as part of Quiz Team

2000-02 · Vignan Vidyalayam, Visakhapatnam, India