Mrinal Kanti Rai
Manager-UX at SapientNitro, Bangalore
Mrinal has 1o years of experience being a UX’er with an ability to connect Digital Strategy to a Radio Button. As a researcher, strategist and a guide Mrinal enjoys resolving conflicts of disciplines.
“ Your design is as good as your ability to articulate your thinking process to create it. ”
What do you do?
I create UX strategy and Design solutions that enable engaging digital experience for brands. I converge my interest in Design, Psychology, Technology, Business, and Sociology to my advantage. One should have a strong foundation in Research, Design and the ability to connect the dots between Business and UX to become a UX Strategist.
Can you tell us about the path you took to get where you are now?
I am an engineering graduate. People and their problems were my areas of interest. My unquenchable thirst for doing something meaningful and original to make an impact fueled by some of the best minds in Design, Research and Sociology during my engineering helped me to become where I am. I worked very closely with Dr. Eric Schaffer for more than five years which further helped me to understand the breadth and the depth of Design field.
If you are passionate to learn, hungry to assimilate and proactive to apply, you will reach where you want to.
How do you stay up to date with trends in the field of UX and in the industry you are in?
I follow blogs (UX movement, UX booth, etc.), sites (NNgroup, IxdA, etc.) and connect with people in my workplace to cover the breadth of new trends. I read books to cover the depth of new trends.
Top 5 applications or tools that you use as part of work.
InDesign, Workflowy, Balsamiq, Photoshop, Sketch, Invision, Evernote to name a few.
What does your workspace look like?
What does your typical day look like? How do you structure it?
First 15 min I spend on sites e.g. wired, scientific America, etc. only then I move to checking emails and put the list of task for the day in workflowy. The majority of the days involves client meeting to understand the requirement, Design review and presentation. A typical set of activities are creating UX strategy (at the beginning of an engagement); design review, sketching, etc. Estimate and create a sales pitch deck for a potential engagement.
On a not so usual day, conduct sessions on persuasion design, design thinking, UX strategy, etc. for the team.
Why do you do what you do? What makes everything worth it?
I love solving problems. The journey itself is worth everything. The result is about efficacy. It’s about the sense of achievement when novice person can achieve a task using technology. It’s about connecting the customer with the brand that meets the objective. It’s about making an impact.
What is the greatest piece of advice /wisdom you ever received?
A few I picked up from my conversation with my mentor and seniors:
Every advice is worth listening.
Learn to produce questions and not discover.
Your design is as good as your ability to articulate your thinking process to create it.
Be a scholar, Be humble. Be hungry.
What advice would you give to a junior designer or someone aspiring to become a UX Designer?
The story behind the design and its articulation is as important as the design. Art is important to make design beautiful, but Science is important to make design useful. People will like your ideas if you know the art of design, but people will buy your ideas if you know the science behind the Art.
For aspiring UX Designers: Find ‘your reasons’ to become a UX Designer.
Which phone do you use and what are your favorite mobile apps?
iPhone 6 : Flipboard, Tumblr, Zomato, to name a few.
What Indian website/app or service do you think is well designed and why?
Housing.com, Cleartrip, Zomato to name a few for simplicity, contextual cues and visceral appeal.
Who would you like to see featured on IndianUX’er?
Long Form: https://medium.com/@mrinalkrai
Twitter: @MrinalKRai
Linkedin: https://in.linkedin.com/in/mkrux
