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Akshaya Rao

With 2+ years of experience of leading cross-functional projects, from initial concept to final implementation. Adept at balancing creative problem-solving with strategic thinking, that align business goals with customer needs.
  • Role

    Product Designer

  • Years of Experience

    11.5 years

Skillsets

  • UX Research
  • wire-framing
  • Behavioural design
  • Brand & identity
  • Google Suite
  • Business Strategy
  • Adobe Creative Suite
  • Figma - 3 Years
  • Visual Design
  • Accessibility
  • User Testing
  • User Flows
  • Prototyping
  • Interaction Design
  • Illustration
  • ethnography
  • Data Visualization

Professional Summary

11.5Years
  • Oct, 2025 - Present 6 months

    Product Designer

    Capillary Technologies
  • Jun, 2025 - Feb, 2026 8 months

    Fellow

    Sitara Akka
  • Oct, 2024 - Apr, 2025 6 months

    Product Designer

    GyanGrove
  • Jul, 2023 - Sep, 2023 2 months

    User Experience Designer

    Descrypt
  • Sep, 2023 - Apr, 2024 7 months

    Product Designer

    Descrypt
  • Apr, 2024 - Sep, 2024 5 months

    Product Designer

    Stealth Startup
  • Jun, 2023 - Apr, 2024 10 months

    Product Designer

    Descrypt
  • Feb, 2023 - Jun, 2023 4 months

    Volunteer

    Sitara Akka
  • Jan, 2023 - Jun, 2023 5 months

    Digital Designer

    Skyculture
  • Volunteer

    Blue Cross UK
  • Jun, 2022 - Jan, 2023 7 months

    Digital Designer

    Go Native

Work History

11.5Years

Product Designer

Capillary Technologies
Oct, 2025 - Present 6 months

Fellow

Sitara Akka
Jun, 2025 - Feb, 2026 8 months

Product Designer

GyanGrove
Oct, 2024 - Apr, 2025 6 months
    Designed and optimized end-to-end product flows for web and mobile platforms, improving task completion rates by 30% in usability tests and contributing to a 20% reduction in support tickets. Collaborated with product managers, engineers, and marketing teams, reducing design-to-development turnaround time by 25% and ensuring on-time delivery. Built wireframes, mockups, and interactive prototypes, validated with 30+ users in usability studies, uncovering key usability issues that improved overall product adoption.

Product Designer

Stealth Startup
Apr, 2024 - Sep, 2024 5 months

Product Designer

Descrypt
Sep, 2023 - Apr, 2024 7 months

User Experience Designer

Descrypt
Jul, 2023 - Sep, 2023 2 months

Product Designer

Descrypt
Jun, 2023 - Apr, 2024 10 months
    Led the redesign of key fintech modules, increasing monthly active users by 18% and reducing churn by 12% over 6 months, while aligning product, engineering, and compliance teams. Collaborated closely with product and marketing teams to refine features and prioritize customer needs, influencing the product roadmap for initiatives like crypto taxation and loans against diverse investments (Mutual Funds, bonds, intangible assets). Streamlined user flows that increased user retention by 15% for high-value financial tools, improving user experience and reducing churn.

Volunteer

Sitara Akka
Feb, 2023 - Jun, 2023 4 months
    Formulating science Teachers Instruction Kits and making education accessible, inclusive using local languages for visually impaired children from underserved communities.

Digital Designer

Skyculture
Jan, 2023 - Jun, 2023 5 months
    Conceptualized & illustrated children's storybooks, integrated textile-based designs increasing product engagement by 25%. Developed a culturally rich series featuring Indian folk stories, showcasing traditional art forms like Madhubani, Gond, & Warli, increasing product sales by 20%.

Digital Designer

Go Native
Jun, 2022 - Jan, 2023 7 months
    Collaborated with a multilingual team to create inclusive educational content for visually impaired students. Designed user interfaces for E-commerce platforms & print materials, enhancing brand visibility & driving a 25% growth in online engagement. Led product photoshoots & curated design catalogs, improving product presentation & sales for multiple client accounts.

Volunteer

Blue Cross UK
    Organized an activity as Secretary of ESSE club with fellow club members for painting and revamping the OT for animals at Blue Cross Madras.

Major Projects

1Projects

Inclusive Educational Content

Feb, 2023 - Jul, 2023 5 months
    Collaborated with a multilingual team to create inclusive educational content for visually impaired students. Gained deeper understanding of accessibility by engaging directly with stakeholders and applied accessible design principles to real-world challenges.

Education

  • B.Des Communication Design

    National Institute of Fashion Technology, Chennai (2022)