Find the real problem first
I spend time on constraints, stakeholders, and the system map before touching a frame. The brief is rarely the problem; the work is figuring out what is.
Asgar Gullukhan
FIG. 00 — AN INDEX OF TWENTY YEARS · SCALE 1:1
An index of twenty years turning complexity into clarity.
Design leader working end-to-end — research through systems and engineering handoff. Currently Head of Design at Reward360, building the loyalty platforms behind HDFC SmartBuy, ICICI iShop & Kotak Edge. Before that, PhonePe — 500M+ users.
I build the systems a product runs on — and the teams that outlast any single screen.
Approach — Discover · Design · Scale
Est. practice 2004
SEC — 01
Operating
Operating
principles
Design that makes the next team faster
Tokens, patterns, and principles that outlast a single product. Good design leadership is measured in how confident the engineers and PMs around you become.
Ship with intent, document the why
Every decision justified and written down. A design system is an argument, not a sticker sheet — and the reasoning is what keeps it coherent at scale.
Bring the craft and the leverage
Still hands-on in Figma; also the person who integrated AI into the team's workflow — live client prototypes generated on the fly. Range is the job.
SEC — 02
The index —
The index —
selected work
Drawing register — 6 sheets · tap any drawing to open
SHT 01 · A-01
Live
Plate 01 · UX + System
Shipped
Plate 02 · B2B · 4 Sub-Projects
Shipped
Plate 03 · Consumer UX
Shipped
Plate 04 · Fintech / Wealth
Launched
Plate 05 · Brand + 0→1
Flight Booking
HDFC SmartBuy · Web & Mobile
Redesigning flight redemption on HDFC SmartBuy — clearer pricing, faster fare comparison, and a booking journey that converts and retains.
Open drawing 2025 — Now
SHT 02 · A-02
PhonePe Business
PhonePe · B2B · Four Sub-Projects
Merchant Home, settlement errors, lending top-of-funnel and SmartSpeaker ordering — 11.5M+ merchants, +15% DAU, ₹20Cr/mo incremental.
Open drawing 2019 — 2025
SHT 03 · A-03
Recharge & Bills
PhonePe · Consumer
Simplifying utility payments for hundreds of millions of users — high-frequency UX where small frictions become national-scale problems.
Open drawing 2019 — 2025
SHT 04 · A-04
Digital Gold
PhonePe · Wealth
Digital-gold investing for India’s next 100M investors — a centuries-old asset made native to a payments app, and safe enough to trust.
Open drawing 2019 — 2025
SHT 05 · A-05
Tripsure 0→1
Reward360 · ICICI iShop
An OTA brand built from scratch to challenge the market — identity, strategy, and product, from blank page to launchable proposition.
Open drawing 2024
SHT 06 · A-06
In Preparation
Plate 06 · System Design
One system, three banks
Reward360 · HDFC · ICICI · Kotak
In
Prep
Prep
One token architecture serving HDFC, ICICI & Kotak — 40% faster handoffs across every partner. Case study in preparation.
Drawing pending2025
SEC — 03
Twenty years,
Drag to scroll
Twenty years,
on the record
Head of Design
Reward360 · Bengaluru
Loyalty for HDFC, ICICI, Kotak, Standard Chartered & Amex. Unified design system — 40% faster handoffs. Built an internal AI bot for live client prototypes.
Sr. Product Design Manager
PhonePe · Bengaluru
India's largest fintech — 500M+ users. Launched SmartSpeaker (11 languages, 100k+ merchants). Led Merchant Lending, Gold, Recharge.
UI/UX Lead
Dunzo · Bengaluru
Owned consumer app UX for India's hyperlocal-delivery pioneer — 8 cities, 400k+ partners.
Creative Lead / Head of Design
Mara Labs · Seynse · Protoryze
Built in-house design practices across multiple B2B SaaS products at three product companies.
UX Designer
Hike Messenger
India's #1 app on Android & iOS in 2013, a $1.4B unicorn. Designed messaging flows and the Sticker Store.
The formative years
Qburst · Alamy · Vanilla Networks
Visual craft across IT services, telecoms (BT & Plusnet, UK), stock photography and brand design.
SEC — 04
By the
By the
numbers
20yrs
Years of
design craft
design craft
500M+
Users reached
across products
across products
40%
Faster handoffs
via design system
via design system
5
Countries · 1,000+
retail partnerships
retail partnerships
Let's make something last.
I'm most useful where design has real influence over product direction — Head of Design and UX leadership roles at product-led companies. Open to remote, hybrid, and relocation for the right team. Also take on selective consulting: UX audits, design-system foundations, and coaching new design managers.