Akankshya PradhanPortfolio overview

Open to UX and product design roles, and curious about trying my hands at product management as well

I design products people actually use.

I'm a product designer who works end to end: research, strategy, interaction design, systems and prototypes in real code. I've shaped factory platforms, a control panel design system, a travel brand and an open-source archive, and I'm drawn to any product where people meet complexity.

Currently

UX Designer at ATI Robotics

Previously

HP Inc, Swish Club, Welspun, freelance since 2020

Focus

End-to-end product experience, from discovery to shipped product

Background

B.Tech in Computer Science, M.Des in UX from NIFT Mumbai

How I work

End to end
  1. 00Understand

    Audit what exists, talk to the people who use it, and map who needs what.

  2. 01Define

    Turn the mess into a model: states, flows, open questions and principles.

  3. 02Design

    Flows, wireframes and UI, tested against real constraints and real roles.

  4. 03Prototype

    Build it for real, often in code with AI, so ideas survive the handoff.

  5. 04Ship & scale

    Systems, docs and training so the work keeps paying off after launch.

A noteThis is the process that has worked best for me so far, not a fixed recipe. Every project bends it a little, so I adapt the steps to suit the problem, the team and the timeline.

Selected work

Four products in very different worlds: an operations platform, a hardware interface, a design system and a consumer brand. Each one shows a different part of the process.

4 projects
  1. 00AtiFLOWMaterial-flow platform for robot-run factoriesATI Robotics
  2. 01Sherpa HMITouch panel for self-driving factory robotsATI Robotics
  3. 02EchoControl panel design system at HPHP Inc
  4. 03Travel QuestBrand identity and an internal dashboardSelf-initiated

00 · ATI Robotics

AtiFLOW

Turning a product rebuilt for every customer into one that any factory can configure.

Role
Product designer, leading product and UX
Platforms
Android tablet, web admin
Scope
V1 audit, V2 and V3 shipped, V4 concept
Read the full case study

Problem

AtiFLOW sits between the people who need material on a factory floor and the robots that deliver it. Every plant sent its data in a different shape, so each new customer meant custom engineering.

Approach

I audited V1 and mapped every flow in the PRD, which surfaced five open questions. A four-level parent and child material model replaced one flat list. Requesters, approvers and admins now share one layout, so a single training session covers every role.

Beyond the handoff

I built the V3 admin as a working React, TypeScript and MUI app in the engineering team's own stack, using Figma MCP and AI to cover edge cases. atiflowadmin.netlify.app PA01 / 1234

4 plantsLive at Yokohama, rolling out to Amazon, Bekaert and Inoxpa
0 custom buildsA new site is configured, not engineered
4 stepsTo request material, with no typing on the floor
AtiFLOW tablet request screen: a tyre tread is selected and its side-wall parts are listed with stock and quantity
Request flow. Pick the parent material and its parts follow, with stock already shown.
AtiFLOW web admin material configuration table
V3 admin, built and deployed as working code.

Video

The working AtiFLOW app

A walkthrough of the app running end to end, from a material request to the robot trip.

Watch on YouTube

01 · ATI Robotics

Sherpa HMI

A robot panel that a worker, a supervisor and an engineer can each read from where they stand.

Role
UX designer: flows, UI, handoff
Hardware
Kinco panel, 1024 × 600
Tools
FigJam, Figma, Kinco DTools
Read the full case study

Problem

The touch panel on ATI's self-driving robots had grown one screen at a time. Flows took too many steps, and red meant everything from a station name to an emergency stop.

Approach

I mapped every robot state before drawing a screen, then reduced each screen to a status bar, one illustration, one line of text and one action. Colour was given strict meanings: red for danger, green for done, yellow for the robot itself. The design was rebuilt inside DTools, an industrial tool with very little room for design.

12 statesMapped up front: 8 trip steps and 4 interrupts
5 → 2Sub-states an operator has to keep track of
4 robotsShare one framework; only the illustration and a few words change
Sherpa HMI screen: a yellow robot on a dotted path from A to B, the line Sherpa is on the move, and a Pause button
"Sherpa is on the move." Navigation moved behind a single Menu button so the state reads at a distance.
Emergency stop before, a full red alarm screen, and after, a calm screen showing the physical button that was pressed
Emergency stop, before and after. The new screen shows which physical button to release.

Video

Live on the robot's HMI

The working prototype running on the actual Sherpa touch panel.

Watch on YouTube

02 · HP Inc

Echo

A control panel design system for screens from 2.2 to 24 inches.

Role
Interaction designer, design systems team
Users
Product designers and firmware developers
Scope
Library, templates, documentation, training
Read the full case study

Problem

HP designed its control panels in Axure, with visual specs kept in separate documents that sometimes contradicted each other. Firmware developers read tables to work out which components a screen used, and every new screen size meant designing again.

Approach

We moved the team from Axure to Figma and built Echo as a workflow UI library with templates that resize across panel sizes. Each component links to its "how to use" notes, and recorded training sessions helped designers and firmware teams switch tools without a drop in output.

3 librariesGlobal elements, assets and the design system itself
1 switchBetween light and dark themes
Rem-basedSizing with no dependency on Token Studio
Echo Design System overview: three library files (Global Elements, Assets, Design System) with every atom, component and template listed, plus features such as light and dark themes, responsive resizing, rem values and Axure to Figma migration
The Echo library at a glance: three files, every component and template, and how to add them.
Firmware developer persona with pain points and goals for moving from Axure to Figma
Research: the firmware developer persona, one of the system's two main users.
Working with Templates guide: dealing with screen sizes, customising templates and creating components
Adoption: guides and training so teams could use the templates on their own.

03 · Self-initiated · 2024

Travel Quest

Building the brand first, so the product had something to belong to.

Role
Solo: brand, research, dashboard
Tools
Illustrator, Photoshop, Figma
Read the full case study

Brief

A travel platform is launching Experiences, where travellers discover and list activities in the places they visit. Its teams need an internal tool to manage, review and improve those listings.

Approach

I started with the company. From the brand values of authenticity, adventure, connection and community, I sketched a mark that joins a map pin with the letter Q, then set the palette and tested the identity on signage and merchandise. The dashboard design grew from that identity.

Palette

092952
0074BD
FFF1CE
F2FCFF
Travel Quest identity: the pin-shaped Q mark over an aerial photo of a coastline
Pencil sketches exploring a pin, a plane and the letters T and Q
Exploration sketches
Final mark in blue on white and in cream on navy
The final mark
Travel Quest billboard with a hiker by a waterfall
Out-of-home
Travel Quest Experiences dashboard on a tablet
The Experiences dashboard

Side project

Through Your Letters. An open archive of street lettering from Indian cities. I'd photographed hand-painted signs for years, so I designed and built a place where anyone can contribute their own, using AI-assisted workflows. Visit the archive   Read the case study

Design + code
Painted shop signs: V. Naidu and Sons, Srinivasa Traders Signs for Rex Scooter Garage, K.V. Canteen and Bombay Cut-Piece Corner House names and plaques: Dilkhush, Claridges, Canara Mansion Shop signs in English and Kannada

Photographs by Akankshya Pradhan and Debabrata.

Commit history

My journey so far, one square per month. The darker a square, the more I had going on at once.

2018 to now
0years designing
0companies
0degrees, one in each world
0months on the grid

Hover or tap a square to see what was happening.

See it as a list

    About

    Since 2020

    Hi, I'm Akankshya

    Hover over my name, or . I could never pick just one.

    I'm curious about everything, from complex systems and behavioural patterns to visual storytelling and everyday experiences.

    Problem-solving gives me a thrill. I love talking about how systems shape human behaviour, and I keep exploring design, culture and civic tech.

    When I'm not designing, you'll find me reading books, watching films, taking photographs or obsessing over typography.

    Currently readingEducated by Tara Westover

    Let's talk

    Experience

    1. ATI RoboticsUX Designer · Nov 2025 – Now
    2. HP IncInteraction Designer, design systems · Mar 2024 – Oct 2025
    3. Swish ClubProduct Designer · Feb – Mar 2024
    4. WelspunProduct Designer · Jun – Aug 2023
    5. FreelanceUI and Visual Designer · Since Aug 2020

    Education

    1. NIFT MumbaiMaster of Design, User Experience · 2022 – 2024
    2. VSSUT, OdishaB.Tech, Computer Science · 2018 – 2022

    Core

    End-to-end product and UX design, user research, product strategy, design systems, service design, systems thinking

    Craft

    Interaction design, prototyping in code, AI-assisted workflows, responsive design, micro-interactions

    Tools

    Figma, FigJam, React, TypeScript, MUI, Figma MCP, Kinco DTools, Illustrator, Photoshop
    I often wonder where design is heading. We're expected to know a little of everything, and everyone sees the work differently. It's challenging, and I love it: learning, adapting and finding clarity in the chaos. I'd love to hear how you see it.

    Contact

    Thank you for getting to know me. Let's talk about what you're building.

    That's the end of my portfolio overview.

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