Hi, I'm Vaishali, a product designer
based in Seattle, WA.
Vai-shaa-lee, if you're wondering. I started my career designing visual narratives for global travel guides at Penguin Random House. That editorial background, hierarchy, clarity, every detail purposeful, still shapes how I approach product design today.
Currently I'm the founding UX Designer at SafeInsights, Rice University, building the UX foundations and AI-powered tools for a complex research platform from the ground up. Before that, I've designed across the public sector, e-commerce, and enterprise products, always drawn to the problems where clarity is hardest to achieve and most needed.
What I care about: Designing clarity in complex systems, bringing structure to ambiguity through information architecture, usability, and scalable design systems. I'm especially interested in accessibility, inclusivity, and building products that make sense to people, not just systems.
Outside of work: I paint and practice photography, ways I stay connected to human stories, details, and cultural nuance. You'll also find me traveling, experimenting in the kitchen, or tending to my growing collection of plants.
Systems-first thinking
I design beyond screens, considering workflows, policies, services, and downstream impact to create cohesive, scalable solutions. Every component I design has a place in a larger system.
Comfort with ambiguity
I've led work in environments with unclear ownership, competing priorities, and regulatory constraints. I make informed tradeoffs, communicate them clearly, and move teams forward without waiting for perfect information.
Cross-functional partnership
I work closely with engineering, product, legal, and operations partners to align on goals, clarify constraints, and deliver solutions that hold up in real-world use — not just in Figma.
End-to-end ownership
From early problem framing through launch and iteration — I take responsibility for the full arc of a design decision, ensuring it doesn't just look right in review but works right in the world.
Founding UX Designer who built UX strategy, product foundations, and core workflows from the ground up, driving 0→1 MVP direction for a complex, multi-stakeholder research platform. Built a scalable design system improving handoff efficiency by 40%, and launched two AI-powered features including a Claude-integrated code assistant for researchers.
Redesigned information architecture and navigation across 400+ pages using card sorting, tree testing, and usability testing, improving task success by 32% and reducing backtracking by 40%. Embedded WCAG-compliant practices adopted by cross-functional teams.
Led end-to-end usability research for Galaxy Z Flip 4 across 8 in-person sessions, influencing hardware decisions that shipped with Z Flip 5. Reduced time-on-task by 50% and clicks by 70%.
Revamped Himalaya Wellness's global e-commerce experience across international markets through product storytelling and trust-building UX patterns, driving a 47% reduction in bounce rate.
Crafted visual narratives for 50+ published titles across global travel guide series, structuring dense information for diverse audiences. Contributed to a 30% sales increase, impacting millions of readers worldwide.
Outside of product design, you'll usually find me painting, photographing, traveling, or experimenting with something new. These creative pursuits keep me curious and continually shape how I observe people, details, and the stories behind good design.
Exploring light and movement through photography.
Experimenting with physical composition.
Reinterpreting classic portraits through my lens.
Painting murals.
Getting inspired by Escher’s tessellations.