Rashmi Kakde
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About
As a Designer and Design Ethnographer, I specialise in the convergence of people, business and design to allow the creation of the best products and services for all areas of life.
I see myself as a design-thinker, a problem-solver and a dreamer. I'm passionate about design and I believe the core of design is simplicity and empathy. I practise a user-centered approach, aiming to create successful products and services which are useful, user-friendly and beautiful. I see problems as opportunities for new, exciting design which makes life better.
My areas of professional expertise are:
>> UI/UX Design - for web and various devices.
>> Usability - assessment and design recommendations for web and physical products.
>> Graphic design - brand experience design, illustration and information design.
>> Design Ethnography/Design Research - from requirements gathering and problem identification through to providing solutions in a simple and implementable form.
>> Creating Prototypes - for web and physical products, marrying usability and ergonomics in a rapid, iterative and user-testing process.
When I'm not working, I can be found creating new food recipes, practising yoga, bird-watching, cloud-spotting and creating little paintings with stories. -
Education
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MSc Design EthnographyUniversity of Dundee2009 - 2010Grade A3
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Diploma (undergraduate studies in English medium) Visual Communication DesignSrishti School of Art Design Technology2003 - 2007GPA 3.45
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Pre-University College SchoolingMaharani Laxmi Ammani College for Women1996 - 1998Score - 61% | English medium | Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, English, Hindi & Kannada
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Secondary School Leaving Certificate SchoolingCluny Convent High School1995 - 1996Score - 72% | English medium | Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, English, Hindi & Kannada.
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Experience
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User Experience DesignerEdinburgh, United KingdomAug 2013 - Present (11 years 4 months)
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Face Painting Volunteer to Raise Funds for Birds & their HabitatsEdinburgh, United KingdomJun 2013 - Present (11 years 6 months)I volunteer as a face painter to raise money for RSPB in public events.
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Customer Experience DelightEdinburgh, United KingdomJul 2013 - Aug 2013 (1 month)Served customers at the cafe, worked on the till, worked on the merchandise display & in the maintenance of the cafe after closing hours.
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Volunteer for Assisting Older People with Activities that Help Retain their MemoryEdinburgh, United KingdomApr 2013 - Jul 2013 (3 months)I volunteer to assist older people with art projects, physical exercise and activities that help retain their memory.
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Volunteer for Teaching IT Skills to Unemployed Older PeopleEdinburgh, United KingdomMay 2013 - Jul 2013 (2 months)I teach IT skills to unemployed older people at Leith Community Centre. This is the other side of doing UX design. I see how difficult online and computer usability is for older people! This teaching opportunity has led me to understand their world in a very different way. This will have an impact on how I prioritise information as a designer.
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Senior DesignerBangalore, IndiaJul 2011 - Jun 2012 (11 months)My work involved UX design - apps for various devices, usability framework design, usability testing & design research; Project scheduling & management; Design research
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Senior Design EthnographerBangalore, IndiaNov 2010 - May 2011 (6 months)My work involved Research design, Design & innovation centered research, Ethnography, Framework for behavior change, Co-design with users & Information design for presentations.
My team project for PepsiCo won the award when I was working at IMRB. My role involved ethnography, interviews of consumers and retailers, co-design workshops with consumers and retailers and design recommendations for PepsiCo, USA. Our work created a significant impact on PepsiCo's directives to redesign their beverage cooler & storage units for the Indian market. -
Graphic Design ConsultantEdinburgh, United KingdomApr 2010 - Jul 2010 (3 months)I worked as a design consultant for the musician Gavin Pennycook’s music album. My work involved album design for CD and poster design.
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Visual DesignerBangalore, IndiaJan 2008 - Jul 2009 (1 year 6 months)My work involved information architecture, user interface design for web & portals, visual design & branding.
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Workshop FacilitatorBangalore, IndiaApr 2009 - Apr 2009I worked as a designer and facilitator to organise and conduct clay modeling workshops for children at The British Council in Bangalore, India.
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Design consultantBangalore, IndiaJun 2003 - Aug 2003 (2 months)My work involved website design.
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Graphic DesignerSharp AdvertisingBangalore, IndiaFeb 2002 - May 2002 (3 months)My worked as a Graphic Designer for FoodWorld, Colgate and Hindustan Lever Ltd. I designed and prototyped a multimedia unit for FoodWorld. This product was used across all FoodWorld outlets in Bangalore.
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Awards
PepsiCo Marketing Impact Award 2011-12 >>
The project won the award during my time at IMRB. My role involved ethnography, interviews of consumers and retailers; co-design workshops with consumers and retailers; and design recommendations for PepsiCo USA.
Nokia Only Planet 2006 (international design competition for students) >>
I designed and prototyped an innovative product ‘Acoustic Recliner’, which was selected as one of the final exhibits at the Design Biennale 2006, from Nov 22 to Dec 03 2006 at St. Etienne in France. I was sponsored by Nokia to attend the Only Planet Conference and programmes in Finland.
SIGGRAPH 2006 >>
As part of the ‘Guerilla Studio’ (Boston) international collaboration of artists, my artwork for the topic ‘If Dreams Could Talk’ was chosen as one of the final artworks to be published in the final compilation. It was also part of the ‘ACM SIGGRAPH 2007 Travelling Art Show’ and was showcased in the event ‘Digital Eyes 2008’ at Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery. -
Skills
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Elsewhere on the Web
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On Coroflot@rashmikakde, member since 2007
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Followers 6
