
rama deshpande
Creative technologist, play and experience designer
I design engaging and interactive experiences that include tangibility by combining the physical and digital worlds to create a meaningful impact through innovation. I have experience in designing for FinTech, EduTech, Data Management and Technology domains
using iterative and agile methods.
work experience
Graduate Assistant, The New School
(Jul, 2022-Present)
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Support the Executive Education department by creating infographics, pitch decks, design templates and other digital content
Graduate Assistant, The New School
(Apr, 2022-Aug, 2022)
- Assisted the admissions team to answer queries over phone calls
Lead, Experience Design - Infosys + Wongdoody
(Aug, 2019-June, 2021)
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Conducted interviews, surveys and analysis for 20k+ employees to design the platform for employee health and wellness using AdobeXD that was released in phases on internal web and mobile platforms
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Designed web UX/UI for FinTech and banking, EduTech and data management systems on client facing projects in India and Germany using AdobeXD
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Led client meetings, conducted client workshops with the design team to understand requirements
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Co-authored a white paper on the impacts of COVID-19 on retail
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Pitched pre-sales and proof of concepts to potential clients on their projects
Intern, HumanX
(Dec, 2018 - April, 2019)
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Redesigned UX of an English learning PC platform for a client based on primary and secondary research
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Conducted remote usability testing on the performance of a publication services website
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Designed mobile and web UI and UX for short-term client projects in the FinTech and Healthcare
domains using brand guidelines using Sketch, Invision, AdobeXD
Intern, FlytBase
(May, 2018 - Jul, 2018)
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Designed and created a detailed clickthrough prototype using AdobeXD for a web-based platform for security and surveillance using drone automation to reach users worldwide and primarily in the USA
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Studied the technical terminologies, researched on competitor platforms, created task flows and information architecture and user demos
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Created pitch decks and static prototypes for other drone automation projects
Intern, SmartCloud Infoservices
(May, 2017 - Jun, 2017)
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Developed a high-fidelity prototypes with unique experiences for beginners, learners and experts for a mobile application for meditation based on competitive research
other experience/ achievements
MIT Reality Hack - Participation, Boston, USA, 2023
Participated in the MIT Reality Hack to create XR interfaces in 3 days using Oculus Quest and Unity
Super Magfest - Indie Arcade Showcase, Maryland, USA - Alternative Controller Showcase, 2023
Developed and presented a game using alternate controls with a team
Honorary Mention - IBM Quantum Jam, 2021
Our team received an honorary mention for our project “Quantum Uniform”which was created using Quantum Computing.
Participant - India Film Project, 2020
I participated in the mobile category of the 50 Hour film challenge by India Film Project where my prime role in my team was as the actor.
Coursera Certificate - Moscow Institute of Technology, 2020
I completed a six week course on Building Arduino Robots and Devices on Coursera. As a part of learning, I tested out the programs on a simulator.
Volunteer - ResQ, 2019
As a volunteer at ResQ, an animal rescue and rehabilitation centre, I spent a month where I fed, cleaned, brushed and walked different rescue animals like dogs, cats, pigs, donkeys.
Backstage Head - Persona Fest, 2017
As the backstage head during a university fest, I was responsible for managing backstage operations, which involved coordination, time keeping, lineups and so on.
Backstage crew - Firodiya, 2016
As a part of the backstage team for a theatre competition conducted all over the city, I worked on props, installations, sets and more.
skills
These are the skills I have developed through my undergraduate and graduate degree as well as work experience. I am still building on them and always learning.
Prototyping
Low-code(Adobe XD, Sketch, Invision, Figma)
Unity 2D & 3D
Arduino
p5.js
AR/VR/XR
Design
Game Design
Narrative Design
Design Research
Usability Testing
Visual Design
Rapid Prototyping
Design Tools
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe InDesign
Figma
Procreate
Basic Level
Video Editing
HTML/CSS
Python
Raspberry Pi
Unreal Engine
Twine
education
2021-2023
MFA in Design and Technology
Parsons School of Design - The New School
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Accessibility, UX design, gamification, play design, rapid interactive prototyping, physical computing, ML, AI, soft circuits, XR
2015-2019
B.Des in User Experience Design
MIT Institute of Design
3rd Rank Holder
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Primary and secondary user research methods, cognitive psychology, sociology, usability testing, wireframing, prototyping