In a nutshell
More About Me
I’m a Senior Product Designer, Certified Usability Analyst and Full Stack Designer with years of experience in Aviation, Health Care, CRM and IT Services. I'm based in Boston, MA and currently designing mobile applications for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). I did masters in UX from Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA).
I love to bring simplicity to complexity through design. Currently solving exciting and meaningful problems and growing everyday at KBR as a Senior Product Designer. I am passionate about delivering innovative designs that improve user experiences, utilizing my skills in Product Design, Human Centered Design, User Research, Usability testing, Accessibility and HTML/SCSS.
I am eager to explore the next adventure in my design career and am now open to new opportunities. In my next job, I'm looking for an opportunity to learn and grow. I'm sure that together we can bring a smile to our customers.
Fun Fact: I hold a black belt in karate with extensive experience in state, national, and international tournaments. Representing my home country in the SAF Games, I proudly secured a silver medal. Following this, I earned a spot in the AUKO international competition. In my free time, you’ll find me running or training at the gym.
Get in touch!
Have a peek at my learning journal, where I jot down what I've learned from projects, books and anything else!
UX Process
My Learnings
- The strength of a mindset that is both open and adaptable
- The significance of fostering meaningful relationships
- Strategic Design: Navigating Beyond MVP to a North Star Vision
- Cultivating Curiosity: A Catalyst for Innovation in Product Design
- Embracing Continuous Learning and Adaptation
Maintain humility, yet stand firm in championing user needs. Flexibility is crucial when collaborating with stakeholders to craft optimal user experiences.
Proactively engaging with engineers deepened my grasp of technical constraints shaping design decisions. Building relationships with stakeholders is crucial; it fosters trust and offers valuable insights. Connect with seasoned professionals for guidance in navigating corporate intricacies and combating imposter syndrome.
In product design, resisting MVP focus, I value a north star vision. Prioritizing scalable design ensures a strong user experience, enabling agile scaling. Balancing rapid iteration with a long-term view is crucial, anticipating future needs and preventing scope creep.
Emphasizing the significance of curiosity in your career, it's the spark for innovation and key to growth in the dynamic realm of product design. Through diverse experiences and complex challenges, curiosity has consistently shaped my perspective, driving continuous improvement as a staple in my process.
As a designer, like a product is never truly done, your adaptability to technologies and processes should also be ongoing. In a rapidly evolving landscape, my decade-long journey has involved constant learning and adaptation to new technologies, processes, and ways of working. The learning journey continues.
Education and Present work experience
UX Work
Experience
I have worked for leading fortune 500 companies to drive major initiatives and see many projects through to launch. My previous opportunities have required me to demonstrate both my leadership and teamwork capacities. I thrive in collaborative environments that champion innovation, diversity and creative empowerment, but I am also successful as an independent self-starter.
EDUCATION
Master of Professional Studies (UX)
Maryland Institute College of Art
2020 – 2021 | GPA: 3.979/4.0
Certified Usability Analyst
Human Factors International, 2010
Download Resume to check out entire work experience.
Testimonials
Via LinkedIn
Avinash
I had the pleasure of working closely with Sampada on multiple projects.She has great ability to bring out ideas that have become a key aspect for the project. Sampada’s expertise in product design is phenomenal.Working for multiple projects with different teams is something that she handled with ease. Sampada consistently demonstrated exceptional communication skills, her ability to convey UI designs in a clear and concise manner was impressive. Sampada is a innovative thinker who consistently pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in UI/UX design. I worked with her on a complex project where user experience was critical to success and Sampada rose to the challenge.Her designs are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional and user-friendly. Sampada is a true professional and a joy to work with.
Bala K Thillainathan
I had the opportunity to work with Sampada while leading the IT/Operations & Maintenance Support related initiatives of a project for one of the respected US Federal agencies. The initiative that I collaborated with Sampada was about ensuring our Enterprise Application is fully compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which requires federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology (EIT) accessible to people with disabilities.
Sampada led this initiative by engaging with the Federal Agency's technical team in identifying and defining the requirements, ensuring those requirements are documented well to be disseminated to the development team, testing the work done by the developers and keeping internal and external stakeholders up to date.
I have always admired and respected what Sampada brought to the team as a UX Solution Architect, here are few I like to highlight:
- Calm demeanor regardless of the situation, therefore putting herself in a great position to get the consensus of the team
- Knowhow of discussing technical issues with technical and non-technical team members, thus making her a great communicator
- Leadership skills in taking over important initiatives from start to finish and keeping everyone updated.
Sampada had been a pleasure to work with and if given an opportunity, I would not hesitate to have her on my team.
Juanita White
Sam is a professional volunteer with a not for profit volunteer organization that matches professionals with other organizations that need capacity building in various areas. I posted a project for someone to do an audit analysis on my organization;s website. I selected her for the project and it was the best decision I have made concerning our website in several months. Sam knows what she is doing and offered to help me beyond the scope of the project. If you need a professional consultation on branding aesthetics, digital storytelling, She is your person! I will work with her again and she is worth every penny of what it would have cost to hire her!
Sara Levy
I’ve worked with Sampada for over 5 years now and I am still amazed by her combination of technical, design and leadership skills. She is consistently able to find the best solution to conflicting issues and present them in a neutral way that all sides end up preferring.
Both her design and technical skills are superb, and she is constantly on top of new trends and technology. Her contributions have played a critical role in the success of the projects she is on.
Moreover, Sampada is an excellent communicator who can discuss complex technical issues with both developers and end users.
She is a joy to work with and a huge asset to the team.
Jenni Nunes
Sampada is a very talented UI developer. She has worked on multiple projects for some of Kforce's top clients, and the managers inevitably ask for her back for next projects that come through, because of her quality of work. She has a great attitude, and even better personality, not to mention very professional and reliable. I will continue to place Sampada on as many projects as possible!
Eli Wylen
Sampada took our visual design and captured it as a Dojo Dijit Theme. We had never done this. She had never done this. But she learned the technology, applied her expert CSS and HTML skills, worked well with our CTO, and delivered the results on time and well tested. She is a professional and I would not hesitate to hire her again.
Sagnik Dey
Hardworking, diligent & knowledgeable colleague I've ever had. She knows what she does & very good at it. She has solved some of the most complex CSS issues that even her peers weren't able to. Her HTML & CSS skills are impeccable. Would love to work with her again.
Aman Sheriff
Sampada has designed quite a few quality websites for my clients. Having worked with Sampada for more than 4 years now, I would surely vouch for her sincerity and dedicated support. She has a good understanding of the web designing skills required for a world class website.
Achievements & Courses
Awards & Recognitions
OneKBR Award
For the most distinguished technical leader 2023
ADPList
Ranked among the Top 1% of ADPList Design Mentors in September, October, and November 2023, as well as March and October 2024.
Adobe Creative Jam challenge 2021
Finalist of Adobe Creative Jam challenge for professionals for mobile app design out of 155 competitors
COMMUNITY IMPACT
Catchafire Volunteer
Catchafire volunteer since 9/23, with total impact of over $36,000 to date.
My Profile >ADPList Mentor
Sharing my experiences with other designers to help them achieve their goals
Over 5000 minutes of mentorship on ADPList.
Top 100 mentors in Branding and Identity Design on ADPList
My Profile >Brandeis University - UX Industry Mentor
Sharing my experiences with other designers to help them achieve their goals
RECENT COURSES
Scaling Design Systems
Dan Mall's course packed with in-depth knowledge of design systems
Course Details >Fun Facts
What you may not be able to find on LinkedIn, I also love…
Nature
Whether I’m strolling through a park, hiking, I embrace outdoor activity any chance that I get. Some of my favorite experiences include zip lining through the jungles, walking along Waikiki's iconic beach, and hiking in Oahu.
Gardening
Whether I'm planting new blooms, tending to my vegetable garden, or simply enjoying the tranquility of my backyard, I find immense joy in gardening. Some of my favorite moments include nurturing my rose bushes, cultivating herbs for fresh cooking, and watching butterflies visit my flower beds. Having grown up in a farmer's family, I've always had a green thumb and a passion for creating beautiful outdoor spaces.