Creative Director · UX Strategist · 20+ Years

Where visual craft meets strategic UX thinking.

Research to creative direction — end to end, across BFSI, Pharma, Fintech, and Retail.

Creative Direction
Visual · Brand · Systems
UX Strategy
Research · IA · Decisions
Industries
BFSI · Pharma · Retail
Base
Mumbai
20+
Years across strategy & creative direction
End-to-End
Research → Strategy → Visual Execution
6+
Industries — BFSI, Pharma, Retail & more

Strategy first. Craft always.

I work at both ends of the design process — and I don't hand off between them.

I start every project by understanding the decisions people need to make — not just the screens they'll use. Interviews, contextual enquiry, and decision mapping before a single wireframe.
Information architecture, user flows, and decision frameworks — built to align stakeholders and give developers something they can actually build from. No vague wireframes.
Visual design rooted in brand truth — not decoration. I own the aesthetic standard of the product, from the type scale to the micro-interaction, ensuring every pixel is intentional.
I bring the voice of the user into every stakeholder conversation. Design decisions get defended with evidence — not just aesthetics — so quality survives the pressure of delivery.
Research with intent
Understanding decisions
before designing screens
Interviews, contextual enquiry, and decision mapping — the foundation that makes every downstream design choice defensible.
User Interviews Contextual Enquiry Decision Mapping Mental Models

Case Studies

Each project shows both sides of the work — the UX strategy that shaped decisions, and the visual craft that brought them to life.

From projects to platform opportunities

Beyond delivery, I led a portfolio intelligence exercise across the life sciences landscape — identifying recurring patterns and uncovering where reusable accelerators could create stronger business leverage.

Industry Dimensions
Operations & Efficiency Risk & Governance Experience & Engagement Data & Intelligence Revenue & Market Expansion
Ecosystems
R&D / Clinical Manufacturing & CMC Supply Chain & Distribution Regulatory & Compliance Commercial & Patient Experience
Portfolio Clarity

Created a leadership-level view of where effort was concentrated and where strategic whitespace existed across an entire programme portfolio.

Accelerator Thinking

Shifted conversations from isolated delivery to scalable solution patterns — identifying which UX frameworks could become reusable platforms.

Stronger Storytelling

Made it easier to position work in client conversations, leadership reviews, and future investment decisions — design as a business asset, not just output.

Business Leverage

Connected UX work to broader ecosystem coverage, capability maturity, and opportunity identification — making design's contribution visible at the portfolio level.

Everything in one practice

From the first research session to the final design review — I lead across the complete span of design without handoffs between strategy and craft.

Work with me →
🔍
Discover
User Research
Interviews, observation, and synthesis that reveal the real decisions people need to make.
🗺️
Structure
Information Architecture
Frameworks and flows that give complex systems a logic users can navigate without thinking.
🎯
Define
UX Strategy
Decision architecture and experience principles that align stakeholders before design begins.
🎨
Create
Creative Direction
Visual language, design systems, and aesthetic standards that make products feel inevitable.
📐
Build
Visual Design
Pixel-level craft — typography, colour, motion — every detail deliberate and on-brand.
🔗
Lead
Stakeholder Alignment
Translating design decisions into business language — so quality survives the pressure of delivery.

Industries & domains

20+ years across sectors — each with its own constraints, user needs, and visual vocabulary.

Enterprise & B2B
Life Sciences & Manufacturing

Complex operational platforms where decision quality is the product.

  • Thermo Fisher — drug development platform
  • Pfizer — innovation portal
  • Mondi — order-to-delivery suite
Consumer & Analytics
FMCG & Retail

High-scale platforms where data clarity drives commercial decisions.

  • Diageo Heartbeat — 180+ markets
  • Shoppers Stop — retail & ecommerce

Frequently asked questions

UX strategy is about understanding decisions — who makes them, what they need to know, and how to structure that information. Creative direction is about how the product feels — its visual personality, tone, and aesthetic standard. I do both, and crucially, I don't hand off between them. The strategy informs the visual choices and the visual craft reinforces the strategic intent.
Both. I'm comfortable leading a team of designers and setting the creative standard across a programme, and equally comfortable doing the work myself end-to-end. Many of the case studies here — including Diageo Heartbeat and the Thermo Fisher platform — involved a mix of both: leading the strategy and owning the visual direction personally.
BFSI is my deepest domain — consumer banking, mutual funds, and insurance — where I've designed for both the emotional weight of financial decisions and the trust requirements of regulated products. Beyond that: Life Sciences, FMCG, Retail, and Manufacturing enterprise platforms. Each brings different constraints, and that breadth is genuinely useful when designing systems that borrow from multiple domains.
I translate design decisions into business and engineering language — not as a service to other teams, but because good design lives at that intersection. I'm used to defending design choices with evidence, aligning on constraints early, and knowing when to push back and when to adapt. The goal is always quality that survives delivery.
I'm open to both. What matters more than the arrangement is the quality of the work — senior roles where design has genuine influence, products that will be used by real people at scale, and teams that take craft seriously. If that describes your organisation, I'd love to talk.

Let's build something exceptional

Open to creative leadership and UX strategy roles — product design, brand experience, and design transformation.

poojapooj@gmail.com