Nikhil Shivpuja Emblem
Nikhil Shivpuja
HELLO THERE, MY NAME IS NIKHIL SHIVPUJA

Curious thinker by nature,
creative designer by nurture.

Twelve years bridging deep cognitive human-computer interaction, high-scale engineering realities, and disciplined craft.

Bangalore, India•Staff / Lead UX Designer•12+ Years Enterprise Systems
Core Philosophy

Design is not decoration; it is how complex systems make sense to human minds.

In high-stakes environments, whether orchestrating 100M+ events on a dynamic canvas or stripping away milliseconds from a checkout engine, design cannot live in abstract presentation slides. It proves its worth by

Over twelve years across Cashfree, MoEngage, and Fintellix, I have built products from zero to one, untangling cognitive friction to turn enterprise complexity into second nature.

Approach & Methodology

How I approach design

I bring product thinking, design, and a practical understanding of technology to the work. I like to understand the context, question the problem, and work closely with the people building and using the product. The goal is always to turn that understanding into something useful and real.

01

Understand the context

Good design starts with understanding what you're designing for. The product, the people using it, the business behind it, and the constraints around it all shape the problem. I like to understand the bigger picture before deciding what the design should be.

02

Work with people

The best work rarely happens in isolation. I like working closely with product, engineering, and the people using the product - bringing different perspectives into the same conversation and making decisions together.

03

Challenge the problem

The problem we're given isn't always the problem we need to solve. I like questioning assumptions, understanding what's happening underneath the request, and exploring different ways to get to the outcome we actually want.

04

Make it real

A good idea has to work beyond the design file. I like taking things from an early thought or rough prototype through the constraints of technology, business, and users - and into something people can actually use.

Disciplines & Capabilities

The work I do

From double diamond to underlying code. Effective designs, working products.

I design and build products that help people solve real problems and get things done more effectively.

Over the years, I’ve worked across banking, fintech, data management, customer engagement, and SaaS - designing everything from complex enterprise products to focused digital experiences. I’m comfortable moving between understanding the problem, shaping the product, designing the experience, and getting into the details of how it gets built.

I’ve also worked beyond traditional product design: building browser extensions, experimenting with AI-powered tools, developing text summarizers, designing physical products, and working on patented product concepts.

01

Digital Products

Products people can actually use.

I design digital products that make complex things simpler, help people work more effectively, and fit the way they already work. From early product definition and interaction design to design systems and the details of the final experience.

02

Product Strategy & UX

Finding the right thing to build.

Good design starts before the interface. I work with product and engineering teams to understand the problem, explore different directions, and turn ambiguous ideas into products that are useful, understandable, and technically feasible.

03

AI & Emerging Interfaces

Exploring what new technology makes possible.

I’ve designed and built AI-powered tools, from text summarization to systems that help people work with complex information. I’m interested in where new technology can genuinely improve an experience - not where it can simply be added to one.

04

Tools & Experiments

Small ideas, useful things.

Not everything needs to become a large product. I enjoy building focused tools, browser extensions, prototypes, and experiments to explore an idea or solve a specific problem.

05

Physical Products

Design beyond the screen.

My work has also extended into physical product design, including patented product concepts. Working with physical constraints brings a different set of problems to solve - materials, mechanics, interaction, manufacturing, and the relationship between the physical and digital experience.

Breadth & Domains

My Experience

From small startups to enterprise software providers, and everything in between.

I’ve designed and built products across a wide range of problems, teams, and technologies. My work has taken me from early-stage startups to complex enterprise software, working across product design, UX, interaction design, visual design, and development.

I’ve designed and developed software products, browser extensions, AI-powered tools, and physical products - often working across the entire journey from understanding the problem to designing the experience and helping build the final product.

23 Problem Domains Explored

Some of the products and problems I’ve worked on

01Peer-to-peer communication tools
02Resume builders
03News summarization engines
04Compliance and invoicing tools
05ETL and data pipeline tools
06Data reporting and graphical analysis tools
07Data report schedulers
08Banking report processors
09User segmentation tools
10User engagement simulators and creation tools
11User engagement journey orchestrators
12Funnel and drop-off analysis tools
13Payment gateway experiences
14Payment gateway customization flows
15Payment links
16Payment forms
17Customizable interfaces and tables
18Role-based access systems
19Dynamic documentation
20Browser extensions and customisations
21AI-powered tools for software development simplifications
22Physical product design for POS machines
23And a lot of things in between

Some call it experience. I call it steps on a path of continuous learning.

Every project, experiment, and detour has taught me something - about design, technology, people, and how to build better products. These are a few of the milestones along the way.

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Awards

7 awards across design and product work

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Patents

2 granted or pending

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Startups Founded

2 companies built from the ground up

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Papers Published

3 papers exploring ideas beyond the work itself

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Books Published

Author of "Glimpses of Existence", examining human experience