Latika Gulati - UX designer who thinks like an engineer

Hi, I'm Latika!

I design for everyone in the room: the person using it, the team building it, and the business betting on it.

Mission-driven UX designer who thinks like an engineer
Hand-drawn line portrait of Latika smiling

Selected work

The iOTP interactive verification flow on a phone screen
Capital One

Calibrating friction on Capital One's iOTP

Streamlined Capital One's iOTP (interactive one time pin) experience, balancing security requirements with measurable usability gains.

Role UX/UITimeline 6 weeksTools Figma, UserTesting.com
AuthenticationMobile DesignResearch
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Concept screen for the Identity Platform quick start
Capital One

Designing for alignment with the Identity Platform

Led workshops and influenced cross-functional alignment to lay the foundation for Capital One's Identity Platform.

Role UX DesignerTimeline 5 monthsTools Figma, workshops
Platform StrategyFacilitationSystems Thinking
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my approach to design

Beautiful screens that can't ship aren't good UX

It's so easy to design in a vacuum, but it's just as important to consider the system those designs live in. A user should be able to get through a full experience comfortably, and any individual screen is just one piece of that bigger puzzle.

My background in software development means I understand technical constraints and can collaborate with engineering teams in their language. After a long tenure in tech, I also know how to make user needs and business needs line up so products get shipped and are successful. Our job is to make/save companies money after all!

My job as a designer is to be an advocate for the user, but I can't forget the system my designs live in or the team that's building it.

Off the clock

Take a look →

My creative process overflows well into my personal time. I always have some sort of hobby going and am always creating/making/exploring/tinkering. Check out what I'm up to now!

Currently excited about
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Hi! I'm Latika, an engineer who became a designer to try and solve more human problems. I always joke that I have an excess of empathy so I might as well get paid for it! I enjoy the creativity and collaborative nature of product development and prefer to come at it from a mission-focused human-forward angle.
← All work

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Hand-drawn line portrait of Latika smiling
About

Hi! I'm Latika. I'm a natural creative with an eye for engineering and design.

How I got here

I've always had a creative mind but found the puzzle-solving aspect of CS fascinating so I started my career as a software engineer. One fun fact is that when I was a developer, I filed hundreds of patents with the USPTO and now have 44 granted in the US!

I realized that the puzzles I found most satisfying to solve were the people-related ones. I took the leap to come over to UX Design and loved it! The design thinking process mirrors the scientific method beautifully and genuinely uses both sides of my brain.

Since I've seen the same systems from both an engineering side and a design side, I make sure to keep that perspective in mind as I build products.

Diagram from one of Latika's granted USPTO patents

How I work

I design for everyone in the room: the person using it, the team building it, and the business betting on it (the classic three-legged stool!). This holistic perspective of product design means I can work closely with my stakeholders and lean on their strengths to help build the best product possible.

I use AI tools liberally in my process to brainstorm and help find blind spots, but the end judgement is always mine to make.

A little more of me

One of Latika's handmade ceramic mugs with a sculpted bow on the handle

Away from the screen, I'm a maker! Some of my hobbies include fiber arts, teaching, junk journaling, dog training, and ceramics! I have a part-time pottery business called Seconds Ceramics that allows me to share a bit of my creativity with the world. There's more info over on Off the Clock.

What I'm looking for

A senior product design role on a mission-driven team. I'm in the DC area and open to remote or relocating for the right one.

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Off the clock

Bits and bobs of my creativity

Between my curiosity about how the world works and my bad case of "I bet I could figure out how to make that", I always have a project going! Poke around to see if anything inspires you too.

Ceramics

Seconds, the studio I co-run
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A small case study, if you want it

The first market we sold at taught me more about UX than I expected. Pricing, display, the path a stranger takes to picking up a mug. I wrote it up.

Read it →

Currently making

Currently excited about
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