Devyani Dhruva

San Francisco, CA | Linkedin

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PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Design researcher with a background in design, possessing over 9 years of experience in design research, research strategy, field research management, execution, and experience in service design, user research, and the healthcare space. I have demonstrated the ability to work efficiently with designers, engineers, and program managers in industry settings, engaging with customers and turning their needs and frustrations into valuable insights and actionable recommendations. I combine the iterative process of design thinking with deep ethnographic understanding to approach complex problems. Co-design and participatory methods keep me excited to explore new possibilities for contributing to and improving the end-user's experience.

EXPERIENCE

LEAD USER EXPERIENCE RESEARCHER - Freelance | Digital Jalebi,                              San Francisco | OCT 2021 - Present

  • Led strategic healthcare research for augmented reality CPR and labor management apps, benefiting frontline health workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. Achieved 18% increase in adoption rates through actionable insights

  • Implemented usability and pilot testing of training apps for 41 Community Health Officers (CHO) in Lucknow and 27 CHOs at VAB Hospital in Varanasi, India, for Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 

  • Performed in-depth qualitative research, analyzing data from over 68 participants, to uncover crucial themes and barriers related to accessing Tuberculosis (TB) drugs and diagnosis

PUBLISHED AUTHOR - Contract | Sage Publications,                             San Francisco  | JULY 2019 - OCT 2021 

  • Authored Design Thinking Beyond the Sticky Notes, which was published by Sage Publications in October 2021, a book featuring 30 meticulously designed and conducted semi-structured personal interviews. Engaging with design practitioners, thinkers, academicians, and professionals in design, technology, and management ensured a well-rounded perspective on Design Thinking methodology in real-world contexts. The book was successfully circulated in India, the US and the UK.

LEAD DESIGNER - Full Time | Tata Elxsi,                                                          Bangalore | MAY 2017 - APRIL 2019

  • Successfully led and managed a team of eight Design Researchers in designing and implementing qualitative research strategies for global and pan-India user and consumer research studies 

  • Transformed stakeholder needs into actionable research strategies by converting design inquiries into focused strategic and tactical research questions. Developed study plans, conducted lab usability testing, administered surveys, authored precise interview guides, and created effective test scripts for both live customer interactions and unmoderated concept/usability testing. Proficiently set-up, troubleshooted, and tested device prototypes for various studies, ensuring seamless functionality and reliability throughout the research process

  • Led monthly usability studies to guide product team iterations, prioritizing key research questions in collaboration with product, design, and engineering stakeholders. As a research lead, developed strategic UX research plans, influencing product roadmap decisions for clients like GE Healthcare, Panasonic, Samsung, and Arcelik Beko

  • Led a global healthcare research study on Nuclear Medicine Imaging for GE Healthcare, resulting in a comprehensive product UX overhaul and the identification of innovation opportunities that positioned the client as a market leader in Cancer diagnostic devices. Managed project proposal, participant recruitment, designed research artifacts including questionnaires and interview guides. Conducted 45 user interviews and led pilot and field studies in India, China, Egypt, and Turkey. Delivered actionable insights, resulting in a critical reduction of 3-4 minutes in additional scan time per patient, thereby enhancing diagnostic efficiency. Further translated research findings into over 40 design research insights and actionable recommendations enhancing user experience

DESIGN RESEARCHER- Full Time | Think HR India                                            New Delhi | SEP 2013 - DEC 2016

  • Redesigned and audited the HR training strategy to develop strategic toolkits for HR training and workshops focused on the Design Thinking methodology. This initiative aimed to introduce creative problem-solving to top management and leadership of multiple corporate clients, including those in the domains of FMCG, consumer automobiles, and electronics

DESIGN RESEARCHER - Freelance | Klein Design Research                      New Delhi | APRIL 2014 - JUNE 2014

  • Designed and executed formative research for digital games, assessing appeal, recall, and comprehension levels among 48 children aged 4-5 and 6-8 years. Analyzed data and achieved significant improvements in game appeal and comprehension. Collaborated with educators and game developers, implementing enhancements to optimize the educational experience for the target audience

DESIGN INTERN at Upasana Design Studio in Auroville | FEBRUARY 2013 - SEPTEMBER 2013

DESIGN RESEARCH INTERN at National Crafts Museum in New Delhi | MAY 2012 - JUNE 2012

DESIGN INTERN at Tahiliani Designs PVT. LTD in Gurgaon | NOVEMBER 2011 - JANUARY 2012

EDUCATION

National Institute of Design | Post Graduate (Master’s), Apparel Design | DECEMBER 2013

NIFT, Gandhinagar | Bachelor of Design, Textile Design,| JULY  2008

TECHNICAL SKILLS

RESEARCH : User research with co- design research methods, core qualitative research methods, contextual inquiry, field studies, participant observation, personal interview, ethnography, observation study- cognitive walkthroughs, competitive analysis and rapid problem space summarization. Usability testing with design prototypes, A/B testing, heuristic evaluation, top task survey for feature prioritization, task analysis, qualitative user feedback surveys, gap analysis, data visualization, participant recruitment management process

Qualitative Data Analysis : Pattern recognition, key insights, Usertesting.com

Workshop Facilitation : Personas, process journey mapping, affinity mapping, card sorting, Design Thinking 

Survey Tools : Google surveys, SurveyMonkey                                                                                                 

Large Language Models (LLMS) : Prompt engineering                                                                                                  

Speech-to-Text Tools: Dragon Dictate   

DESIGN : Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Indesign, Figma, Miro, Pen and Paper  

TALKS AND WORKSHOPS

  • Designed and facilitated a comprehensive design research workshop on Mindful Design Practice using the Design Thinking methodology for the Master’s in Design program for the batch of 2022 at the National Institute of Fashion Technology across multiple campuses in Mumbai, Gandhinagar, Bangalore, and Kolkata, resulting in increased awareness of the importance of empathy-driven design practices

  • Designed and delivered a creative problem solving on Design Thinking for the batch of 2022, MBA program at New Delhi Institute of Management conducted in New Delhi 

  • Designed and led Design Thinking workshop for New Delhi Institute of Management in 2019

  • Designed and led Design Thinking workshop for Mercedes Benz in 2018

  • Mindful Design Practices, Speaker at UX India Festival in 2018

HONORS & AWARDS

  • TATA Elxsi Bravo Award 2019 for impactful market entry research and outstanding contribution for Arcelik Beko, a consumer electronics client based in Turkey

  • TATA Elxsi Bravo Award for outstanding contribution for workshop design and facilitation on Design Thinking 2018 for Mercedes Benz

  • Recipient of partial Bonita Trust Scholarship at the Royal College of Arts, London in 2012