Darshan's Diary

In this episode, I sit down with Alipta Ballav, Senior Design Manager at Microsoft, to explore what it takes to lead impactful design in complex, high-scale industries like retail, healthcare, and automotive.

Alipta shares his journey from building a 21-member healthcare design team at Cerner Corporation, to shaping system-level retail experiences at Microsoft’s Retail Industry Cloud. We also discuss his work at Harman International, where he blended automotive UX with research-driven innovation.

Beyond corporate leadership, Alipta co-founded Design Shots, a non-profit initiative aimed at democratizing UX education for aspiring designers.

Whether you're a growing designer, team lead, or product leader, this episode is packed with strategic thinking, real-world stories, and practical advice from a seasoned design leader.

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Growth opportunities don’t always come from obvious places. In this episode, Malthi SS, former Director of Product Management at PayPal and founder of SparkProd Consulting, shares how she identified and unlocked product growth across global fintech and SaaS giants.From driving innovation at PayPal, Intuit, and SAP to balancing legacy product trust with bold new strategies, Malthi offers deep insights into scaling, maintaining, and evolving products in dynamic markets.If you're a product leader, builder, or someone navigating the 0-to-1 journey, this episode is packed with valuable lessons. Tune in!#ProductManagement #GrowthStrategy #Innovation #Fintech #SaaS #ProductLeadership #UXStrategy #CustomerExperience #ScalingProducts #DigitalTransformation #ProductGrowth #AgileLeadership #LegacyProducts #0to1 #BusinessStrategy

Great content doesn’t just engage—it empowers. In this episode, Aman Raj, Head of Content, Communication, and Social Media at Groww, shares how he crafts narratives that educate, build trust, and drive growth. From shaping brand-led content in a market driven by personal brands to navigating the unique challenges of fintech content, Aman brings fresh insights from his experience at Groww, Inshorts, and NASSCOM.Whether you're scaling a startup or refining your marketing strategy, this conversation is packed with takeaways you won’t want to miss. Tune in!#ContentMarketing #BrandStrategy #Fintech #MarketingLeadership #ContentStrategy #GrowthMarketing #Storytelling #DigitalMarketing #MarketingInsights #StartupGrowth #SocialMediaMarketing #MarketingTrends #ContentCreation #BusinessGrowth #MarketingExecution

In this episode, we sit down with Arpith Scindia, Director of Design at Yubi, to explore what it truly takes to lead design at the intersection of finance, data, and enterprise-scale systems.

Arpith shares his journey of transitioning from B2C design leadership at Aspero to leading product design at one of India’s largest digital debt platforms. He talks about the mindset, systems, and frameworks needed to operate at scale — where the smallest design decision can influence multimillion-dollar outcomes.

Here’s a sneak peek of what we cover:

🔁 Leadership Transition

What changes when a design leader shifts from the fast, user-centric world of B2C to the complexity and nuance of B2B platforms? Arpith shares what challenged him the most — and what helped him thrive.

🌉 Navigating Ecosystem Design

How do you go from designing for a single financial product to an entire ecosystem of credit, risk, and lending workflows? Learn how Arpith approached this leap, and what structured processes made it possible.

💡 Empowering Through Design

In fintech, especially in debt finance, users don’t just need data — they need confidence. Discover how Yubi’s design team goes beyond the UI to empower decision-making through thoughtful discovery and clarity.

🧩 Design Systems at Scale

With dozens of products, layers of data visualizations, and complex interactions — how do you scale a design system without it collapsing under its own weight? Arpith shares how the team at Yubi keeps the system evolving, relevant, and user-first.

🤖 AI in Financial Product Design

Risk, research, and analytics are at the core of Yubi’s offerings. Learn how AI is being leveraged in real, practical ways to elevate the user experience and support smarter decisions across the product suite.

This episode is packed with insights for product designers, design leaders, and founders building in high-stakes industries — where clarity is non-negotiable, and complexity is the default.

If you’re someone who’s navigating leadership in fintech, building data-heavy products, or just loves to peek into the minds of thoughtful design leaders — this one’s for you.

In this episode, we sit down with Saurabh Soni, Head of Design at Razorpay, to unpack what it takes to scale design in a high-growth fintech environment. With experience spanning early-stage startups to large organizations, Saurup brings a rare perspective on how designers can grow both horizontally across skills and vertically into leadership.

We dive into the mindset and principles that shape product design at Razorpay—where domain complexity meets human-centered experiences. From rethinking how UX writing fits into a fast-moving team, to building design systems that work for multiple user personas, Saurup shares how his team balances speed with clarity and trust in their design work.

Whether you're a designer navigating scale, a founder building product teams, or someone curious about how AI and design converge in the real world, this episode offers grounded insights, sharp perspectives, and a few surprising approaches that challenge the usual playbook.

#ProductDesign #DesignLeadership #UXDesign #FintechDesign #DesignSystems #UXWriting #StartupDesign #ScalableDesign #Razorpay #DesignMindset

In this episode, I sit down with Agni, former Head of Design at Ola, to explore the world of mobility, fintech, and design innovation. With a career spanning leadership roles at Ola and FamPay, Agni has played a pivotal role in shaping vehicle experiences, financial products, and large-scale consumer tech solutions.We kick off by discussing his experience designing a Head-Up Display and vehicle interface for Ola scooters, diving into the unique challenges of two-wheeler EV design and the features that emerged from those constraints. Agni also shares his perspective on what truly defines design innovation and how much of it is needed in today’s rapidly evolving landscape.Beyond mobility, we touch on his journey scaling FamPay to 1 million MTUs, introducing financial tools for young users, and navigating the nuances of subscription-based fintech products. As we look ahead, Agni offers his take on where the product design function is headed in the next five years and leaves designers with invaluable advice for continuous career growth.If you’re curious about scaling design teams, pushing the boundaries of innovation, and crafting impactful user experiences, this episode is packed with insights you won’t want to miss.#ProductDesign #UXDesign #DesignInnovation #UserExperience #DesignThinking #EVDesign #MobilityTech #FintechDesign #AutomotiveUX #ElectricVehicles #DesignLeadership #ScalingDesignTeams #CareerGrowth #TechLeadership #FutureOfDesign

In this episode, we sit down with Ayush Baheti, a seasoned product leader who played a pivotal role in Meesho's hyper-growth journey, transforming it from a reseller-first platform to a B2C powerhouse competing with giants like Amazon and Flipkart. Now steering product at ShopDeck, Ayush brings invaluable insights on scaling products for Bharat’s diverse market.

Join us as Ayush shares untold stories of navigating high-stakes pivots, identifying feature-market fit in evolving environments, and the essential skills for thriving in growth-stage startups. Packed with practical takeaways, this conversation is a must-listen for anyone passionate about building for scale and impact.

#ProductLeadership #GrowthStrategy #StartupInsights #Ecommerce #ProductManagement #HyperGrowth #BharatMarket #Innovation #TechTalks #ScaleUp

Designing for Gen Z isn’t just about trends—it’s about understanding a new way of thinking. In this episode, Alok Kumar, Director of UX at Myntra, shares how designing for the next generation has reshaped perspectives on user experience, innovation, and AI-driven personalization.From crafting AI-powered features like Fashion GPT and MyStylist to balancing first-principles thinking with process-driven design, Alok brings deep insights from his experience at Myntra, Walmart, Microsoft, and more.Whether you're a designer, product builder, or just curious about the future of UX, this conversation is packed with takeaways you won’t want to miss. Tune in!#UXDesign #GenZ #ProductDesign #DesignLeadership #UserExperience #FashionTech #AIinDesign #DigitalExperience #DesignThinking #Innovation #UXStrategy #CustomerExperience #DesignTrends #EcommerceUX #HumanCenteredDesign

In this episode, we sit down with Vineet Kumar, Director of UX at Postman, a globally beloved developer tool with over 30 million users. With nearly a decade at Postman, Vineet has been a driving force in shaping its design practices, fostering collaboration, and building an API collaboration platform of the future.

From bridging user empathy with data-driven insights to scaling a 24-member design team, Vineet shares invaluable lessons on designing for technical products, setting up successful onboarding processes, and the rewards of long-term tenure in a single role. This conversation is packed with practical strategies and inspiration for designers and leaders alike.

#UXDesign #ProductInnovation #APIPlatform #DesignLeadership #UserEmpathy #CollaborationTools #TechDesign #Postman #DesignStrategy #GrowthJourney

In this episode, we speak with Arvind Chandrashekar, Director of UX Research at Glance and former Head of UX Research at InMobi. With over 15 years of experience, Arvind is a distinguished researcher and published author who has transformed Glance's research practice from a solo endeavor to a thriving team spanning six major geographies.Blending behavioral economics with neuroscience, Arvind shares fascinating insights into user behavior, decision-making, and how research shapes product strategies. From simple research techniques for startups to AI-driven research automation, this episode is a treasure trove of actionable insights for building impactful digital products.#UXResearch #UserInsights #ProductStrategy #BehavioralEconomics #NeuroscienceInDesign #DigitalInnovation #AIInResearch #StartupGrowth #DesignThinking #Glance