Nishant Kaku
Nishant Kaku
Nishant Kaku
Product Design Leadership
Product Design Leadership
Product Design Leadership
About Me
About Me
About Me
I am an experienced Design Leader with 18 years and holding MBA and MFA degree, skilled in aligning user needs with business goals. Dedicated to elevating business outcomes and enriching customer experiences through strategic thought leadership, I have successfully led cross-functional teams in UX Design and Research, covering product design, user research, interaction design, and visual design. With a blend of classical training and hands-on experience in user experience across diverse industries, I am a proven innovator with a track record of launching pioneering products and fostering sustainable company-wide innovation initiatives.
UX Strategy
Stakeholder Management
Wireframing
Visual Design
Rapid Prototyping
UX Design
UX Design
Design Leadership
Story Telling
Leadership
Philosophy
Leadership
Philosophy
Leadership
Philosophy
Business-user synergy
Business-user synergy
I strive to create a harmonious connection between business and user experiences. Recognising that business and users are interdependent, I focus on fostering a seamless synergy between these two worlds.
I strive to create a harmonious connection between business and user experiences. Recognising that business and users are interdependent, I focus on fostering a seamless synergy between these two worlds.
Diversity & inclusion
Diversity & inclusion
Innovation thrives on diverse perspectives. Each person's unique background enriches experiences, driving creative solutions. Inclusivity is not just a value but a necessity for design ideas that resonate with a diverse user base.
Innovation thrives on diverse perspectives. Each person's unique background enriches experiences, driving creative solutions. Inclusivity is not just a value but a necessity for design ideas that resonate with a diverse user base.
Decentralisation
Decentralisation
I am a proponent of decentralisation, empowering every team member with accountability and decision-making authority. This approach not only encourages a culture of empowerment but also eliminates bottlenecks, paving the way for increased innovation and overall success.
I am a proponent of decentralisation, empowering every team member with accountability and decision-making authority. This approach not only encourages a culture of empowerment but also eliminates bottlenecks, paving the way for increased innovation and overall success.
Mentorship & sponsorship
Mentorship & sponsorship
I advocate for consistent guidance for junior team members, recognising the importance of nurturing their growth. Simultaneously, I believe in acknowledging
and sponsoring individuals who exhibit exceptional performance, creating a culture that values and
rewards excellence.
I advocate for consistent guidance for junior team members, recognising the importance of nurturing their growth. Simultaneously, I believe in acknowledging
and sponsoring individuals who exhibit exceptional performance, creating a culture that values and
rewards excellence.
Empathy & team building
Empathy & team building
Building and retaining a successful team is a gradual process that requires empathy and effort. I subscribe to the notion that, just like Rome, great teams are not built in a day. By fostering a culture of empathy and collaboration, I aim to cultivate strong, cohesive teams that stand the test of time.
Building and retaining a successful team is a gradual process that requires empathy and effort. I subscribe to the notion that, just like Rome, great teams are not built in a day. By fostering a culture of empathy and collaboration, I aim to cultivate strong, cohesive teams that stand the test of time.
Design for delight
Design for delight
I prioritise creating delightful experiences through emotional design, micro copy, and interactions. Consistency is crucial, ensuring a seamless user journey. Proactive design recommendations anticipate user needs, reducing cognitive load for a smoother experience.
I prioritise creating delightful experiences through emotional design, micro copy, and interactions. Consistency is crucial, ensuring a seamless user journey. Proactive design recommendations anticipate user needs, reducing cognitive load for a smoother experience.
Professional Experience
Professional Experience
Professional
Experience
Cashfree Payments Pvt. Ltd.
Cashfree Payments Pvt. Ltd.
Associate Director-UX
Associate Director-UX
(Aug 2022 – Present)
(Aug 2022 – Present)
Heading Payment Gateway, Subscriptions, Auto Collect & Global Collection Experiences Evangelise UX practice across the organization Define and implement UX strategy Advocate for Research and Data-driven design decisions Lead a team of 8 excellent product & lead designers.
Key Initiatives: Defining design principles frequent merchant connects | Care ticket analysis.
Impact: Steady reduction (~40%) in care tickets post-settlement and dispute improvements.
Heading Payment Gateway, Subscriptions, Auto Collect & Global Collection Experiences Evangelise UX practice across the organization Define and implement UX strategy Advocate for Research and Data-driven design decisions Lead a team of 8 excellent product & lead designers.
Key Initiatives: Defining design principles frequent merchant connects | Care ticket analysis.
Impact: Steady reduction (~40%) in care tickets post-settlement and dispute improvements.
Jubilant Foodworks Ltd.
Jubilant Foodworks Ltd.
Lead Manager-UX
Lead Manager-UX
(Oct 2020 – Jul 2022)
(Oct 2020 – Jul 2022)
Headed design & research for Domino’s, Popeyes, Dunkin’, Ek Dum, Hong’s Kitchen Hiring and Mentoring Design Team Stakeholder Management Roadmap creation and Resource Management.
Key Initiatives: Conceptualisation & Foundation of Next-Gen Domino’s Revamp Live | Domino’s Design System – Byte | Product Innovations – Magic Cart & Zero Click.
Impact: Setup the design team from scratch 0 → 10 people | Introduced channel innovation - Curb-side delivery (additional 2000+ Orders/Day) | Navigational improvement – brought additional INR 7.19 Cr revenue opportunity | Achieved Domino’s App Lifetime high ratings on Playstore & Appstore | Launched channel-wide Popeyes India’s online ordering experience with significant downloads and daily active users.
Headed design & research for Domino’s, Popeyes, Dunkin’, Ek Dum, Hong’s Kitchen Hiring and Mentoring Design Team Stakeholder Management Roadmap creation and Resource Management.
Key Initiatives: Conceptualisation & Foundation of Next-Gen Domino’s Revamp Live | Domino’s Design System – Byte | Product Innovations – Magic Cart & Zero Click.
Impact: Setup the design team from scratch 0 → 10 people | Introduced channel innovation - Curb-side delivery (additional 2000+ Orders/Day) | Navigational improvement – brought additional INR 7.19 Cr revenue opportunity | Achieved Domino’s App Lifetime high ratings on Playstore & Appstore | Launched channel-wide Popeyes India’s online ordering experience with significant downloads and daily active users.
InfoEdge India Ltd.
InfoEdge India Ltd.
Principal Designer - UX
Principal Designer - UX
(Apr 2014 – Sep 2020)
(Apr 2014 – Sep 2020)
Headed UX at shiksha.com, listings platforms for Universities and Colleges. Also, worked for real estate portal – 99acres.com, to improve the desktop & mobile experience.
Projects: Led personalisation project, resulting in a ~150% YoY increase in registrations and responses | Revamped CRM and CMS, leading to a 47% uplift in engagement
Headed UX at shiksha.com, listings platforms for Universities and Colleges. Also, worked for real estate portal – 99acres.com, to improve the desktop & mobile experience.
Projects: Led personalisation project, resulting in a ~150% YoY increase in registrations and responses | Revamped CRM and CMS, leading to a 47% uplift in engagement
I have also worked at Brentwoods, Paytm, India Today Group and Horizon Print Services between 2005 and 2014
Academic
Qualifications
Academic
Qualifications
Academic
Qualifications
Executie MBA
Executie MBA
Indian School of Business
Indian School of Business
(2021 – 2022)
(2021 – 2022)
Master of Fine Arts
Master of Fine Arts
Arunachal University of Studies
Arunachal University of Studies
(2011 – 2013)
(2011 – 2013)
Bachelors of Commerce
Bachelors of Commerce
University of Delhi
University of Delhi
(2002 – 2005)
(2002 – 2005)
HFI CUA
HFI CUA
Human Factors International
Human Factors International
(2015)
(2015)
Certified Usability Analyst Lic. 2015-5831
Certified Usability Analyst Lic. 2015-5831
HFI CXA
Human Factors International
Human Factors International
(2018)
(2018)
Certified User Experience Analyst Lic. 2018-520
Certified User Experience Analyst Lic. 2018-520
Testimonials
Testimonials
testimonials
Nishant and I were part of team responsible for online experience for Domino's, Popeye's, Hongs and Dunkin. He was heading the user experience for the above mentioned brands, while I was his product counterpart. Nishant has a great sense of design and he was the goto guy for any discussion on user experience. He contributed a lot towards revamping the Domino's user experience end to end. He is a team player and a delight to work with. I would recommend Nishant if you want someone to build a customer centric design team.
RITESH PRAKASH
Director of Product, Jubilant Foodworks Ltd.
Nishant and I worked together in Domino's India with the aim to make it a food-tech powerhouse. He was heading a strong team of UX Design for the whole of Jubilant Foodwork comprising of the brands like Domino’s, Popeyes, Ekdum and Hong’s Kitchen.He is of the best product/experience design persons I have ever worked with. His knack for understanding user personas and their pain points, coupled with strong knowledge of best practices in user experience designing makes him a great asset to any organization looking to build a solid product design team.Another big trait of Nishant is his ability to deliver things under pressure without compromising on quality.
RAHUL GUPTA
Director of Product,
Jubilant Foodworks Ltd.I have worked with Nishant during my stint at naukri.com. He is a very hardworking guy and has a commendable eye for details when it comes to User interface design across different lines of business in the organisation. He witty sense of coming to a solution of design related calls which always comes in handy. I wish him success for his future.
NITISH MAURYA
Senior UX Designer, Adobe
Nishant is an exceptionally fast learner. Ridiculously efficient when it comes to individual contributions. I have had the privilege to work with him as a team member and as a lead Ux designer for over 3 years across two organizations. His calm and pleasant demeanor allows him to work with various people across teams efficiently. I have watched him grow as a Ux designer and have seen multiple promotions for him at the workplace. He would bring remarkable value to any team.
AJAY KUMAR
UX Manager, Cvent
Nishant is a designer, visualizer and creative powerhouse with a good head for strategy & development.
PRAGYA SHARMA
Senior Partner Manager,
Deutsche Telekom
Nishant and I were part of team responsible for online experience for Domino's, Popeye's, Hongs and Dunkin. He was heading the user experience for the above mentioned brands, while I was his product counterpart. Nishant has a great sense of design and he was the goto guy for any discussion on user experience. He contributed a lot towards revamping the Domino's user experience end to end. He is a team player and a delight to work with. I would recommend Nishant if you want someone to build a customer centric design team.
RITESH PRAKASH
Director of Product, Jubilant Foodworks Ltd.
Nishant and I worked together in Domino's India with the aim to make it a food-tech powerhouse. He was heading a strong team of UX Design for the whole of Jubilant Foodwork comprising of the brands like Domino’s, Popeyes, Ekdum and Hong’s Kitchen.He is of the best product/experience design persons I have ever worked with. His knack for understanding user personas and their pain points, coupled with strong knowledge of best practices in user experience designing makes him a great asset to any organization looking to build a solid product design team.Another big trait of Nishant is his ability to deliver things under pressure without compromising on quality.
RAHUL GUPTA
Director of Product, Jubilant Foodworks Ltd.
I have worked with Nishant during my stint at naukri.com. He is a very hardworking guy and has a commendable eye for details when it comes to User interface design across different lines of business in the organisation. He witty sense of coming to a solution of design related calls which always comes in handy. I wish him success for his future.
NITISH MAURYA
Senior UX Designer, Adobe
Nishant is an exceptionally fast learner. Ridiculously efficient when it comes to individual contributions. I have had the privilege to work with him as a team member and as a lead Ux designer for over 3 years across two organizations. His calm and pleasant demeanor allows him to work with various people across teams efficiently. I have watched him grow as a Ux designer and have seen multiple promotions for him at the workplace. He would bring remarkable value to any team.
AJAY KUMAR
UX Manager, Cvent
Nishant is a designer, visualizer and creative powerhouse with a good head for strategy & development.
PRAGYA SHARMA
Senior Partner Manager, Deutsche Telekom