Upasana Pandey

About

Hi there! I’m an Industrial Designer graduating this May from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). I bring 4+ years of multidisciplinary design experience across UX, UI, visual design, and innovation - working at the intersection of healthcare, government, and play. Some highlights include designing healthcare UX for a leading pharmaceutical company across 7 Southeast Asian markets, building UI for an agritech policy tracker for the African Union funded by the Gates Foundation, and leading UX + research for the launch and GTM for a barter-based startup in India. I also founded a festive decor startup and have received multiple awards and fellowships in the USA, India, and France. I’m currently exploring how play, joy, and design can reshape experiences in healthcare, with a thesis focusing on humor, sensory stimulation, and interaction in patient care. I’m looking for opportunities in UX, healthcare design, and research-driven innovation.

Experience

• Teaching Assistant - History of Industrial Design · Rhode Island School of Design2025-02-01 –
• Graduate Assistant - Communications · Rhode Island School of Design2023-09-01 –
• Teaching Assistant - Biodesign NYC · Rhode Island School of Design2025-01-01 – 2025-02-01
• Teaching Assistant - UI/UX · Rhode Island School of Design2024-09-01 – 2024-12-01
• Teaching Assistant - Advance Design Studio (Biomaterials) · Rhode Island School of Design2024-02-01 – 2024-05-01
• Industrial Design Fellowship · Let's Be The Change (#TeamLBTC)2024-06-01 – 2024-07-01

  Through the Maharam Fellowship, I interned with LBTC, which focuses on solid waste management and women’s upskilling. My work spanned two key projects: \n\nProject 1: Waste Segregation Game\nI designed a card-based game to teach children and adults proper waste disposal using color-coded categories. User testing led to the creation of two difficulty levels, making learning both fun and effective.\n\nProject 2: Women’s Upskilling & Product Design\nTo boost sales of handmade tote bags, I introduced playful, market-driven designs and helped refine sewing techniques. This led to the launch of a dedicated product line.

• Design and Research Lead · Ycenter2023-04-01 – 2023-08-01

  ● Healthcare UX - Spearheaded designing patient journey mapping initiatives across 7 Southeast Asian countries, focusing on HPV vaccination and immunotherapy treatment pathways for the world’s leading I\O drug manufacturer.\n● Agritech, Policy Tracker UI - Led a team of 2 designers to develop a user-centered digital platform for the African Union, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, enabling efficient tracking of agricultural policies.\n● E-commerce UX - Led product design and go-to-market strategy development for India’s first barter-centric marketplace, creating a scalable web platform UI/UX that is streamlined for barter transactions.

• Project Manager and Design Researcher · Ycenter2022-08-01 – 2023-03-01
• Project Management and Research Associate · Ycenter2022-04-01 – 2022-08-01
• Co-Founder · FireFly2019-10-01 – 2022-10-01

  Conceptualized and designed sustainable and eco-friendly festive products. Created an online presence of the same with niche marketing on Instagram. Listed products at Jaypore, an Aditya Birla Venture which is a leading arts and crafts e-commerce website.

Education

• Brown UniversityBiomedical Engineering Design & Innovation, Biomedical Engineering Design & Innovation
• Rhode Island School of DesignMaster's degree, Industrial Design
• Harvard Business SchoolCORe - Credentials for Readiness, Accounting, Economics and Business Analytics
• Maker’s Asylum in partners with UNESCO and CRI (Paris)
• Pearl AcademyBachelor of Arts (Hons), Interior Architecture and Design
• University of MumbaiBachelors of Arts, Sociology

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