ABOUT

I am known as - Junaid

Where are you from? I am from and based out of Bangalore – have lived here most my life except for higher education and work.

What do you do? As a Design Professional, I  figure out how people use/ would want to use technology and how I could make it easier for them to do so. I am a 'Designing your Life' certified Coach (for 1-on-1 coaching) and a certified Facilitator (for conducting workshops). I have been helping individuals create a rewarding life and a fulfilling career as the Principal Consustant - Designing your Life Practice at the Strategic Design and Innovation firm Q-GLUE and through my non-profit - 'Sructuring Creativity Foundation'.

You are educated, right? Driven by a deep desire and fascination to understand the human psyche I pursued and obtained an MS degree in Psychology with a specialization in Human Factors Psychology (Minor - Industrial/ Organisational Psychology). I completed the necessary undergraduate courses in psychology while I pursued and completed a MS degree in Electrical Engineering. My undergraduate degree was in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. 

What made you become a Designing Your Life (DYL) Certified Coach and Certified Facilitator? I am a Design Professional. I came across and read the book 'Designing your Life' written by Bill Burnett who is the executive director of the Design Program at Stanford and Dave Evans who is a lecturer of the product design program at Stanford. Designing Your Life is a philosophy based on the principles of Design Thinking and uses a set of well thought out tools & methods which help people generate ideas to figure out where they are now and design the rest of their lives. I have been working in similar lines through 'Structuring Creativity' workshops/ bootcamps/ courses and the 'Structuring Creativity Foundation' and had the necessary pre-requisites to take up the 'Designing your Life' certification offered. The certification not only gives me the credibility, but has empowered me with several tools and methods to guide individuals to create and design their lives. 

I then got my 'Designing Your Life' Facilitator Certification as well. I am the one among the only two in India with these certifications.

What makes you so excited about what you do as a Design professional? Knowing that the ‘figuring out’ part of my job would lead me along a different path on every assignment I take up - both with human lives and with products -  which would end up making someone’s life or use of technology just that little easier.

Passion? There cannot be any other puzzle as cryptic or any other device as complex as the human mind. My passion to understand the human mind and what makes a human being do what he does, continues to fascinate me. This is right in line with the work I do as a Design Professional.

Family? I am married to a PhD who worked at Indian Institute of Science as a post-doc for six years before taking up a teaching position (currently an Associate Professor) position at Dayanand Sagar University in Bangalore. We have a fourteen year old son. 

Life's philosophy? This quote sums it up: “You only get one life. It's actually your duty to live it as fully as possible.” -Jojo Moyes

INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE

• Principal Consultant – ‘Designing your Life’ Practice, Q-GLUE Innovation Pvt Ltd. | Apr 2022 - Current
• User Experience Designer, Adobe Inc., Bangalore | Jul 2018 to Mar 2022
• Sr. User Experience Designer, Oracle India Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore | Jun 2013 to Jul 2018
• User Experience Lead, Endeavour Tech., Bangalore | Dec 2012 to May 2013
• Usability & HCI Researcher, R&D Project Manager, ABB Corporate Research Ltd., Bangalore | Jan 2011 to Nov 2012
• User Experience Lead, IBM Global Services, Bangalore, India | Jul 2009 to Dec 2010
• User Experience Designer, Idea Integration, Houston, TX | Apr 2008 to May 2009
• Sr. Interaction Analyst, Satyam Computer Services Ltd., Parsippany, NJ & Hyderabad, India | Dec 2006 to Apr 2008
• Human Factors Engineer, Intel Corporation, Bangalore, India | Mar 2006 to Nov 2006
• Human Factors Specialist, Human Factors International, Bangalore, India | Jul 2005 to Ma 2006

TEACHING DESIGN THINKING, HCI, USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN and CREATIVITY

I love to teach and believe that the best way to learn and master something is by teaching it. I regularly conduct workshops and teach courses on Design Thinking, HCI fundamentals, User Experience Design and Creativity. 

FULL LIST OF TEACHING CREDITS

Workshops Conducted

• Design Thinking (2-day live virtual workshop) as part of the Certified Program in Design Thinking (CPDT) program at Q-GLUE. April 2022, June 2022, Oct 202, Nov 2022, Jan 2023, Feb 2023, Mar 2023.
• Design Thinking for Clients - Aditya Birla (Jan 2023 - 2 day in-person), RMSI (Feb 2023 - 4 half days live-virtual).
• Introduction to 'Designing Your Life' TCS, Nashik (April 2023 - in-person), Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (February 2023 - in-person).
• 'Structuring Creativity: Creating your Life', Two week workshop at Srishti-Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Feb 2022 (in-person).
• 'Structuring Creativity', Oracle India Pvt. Ltd. For Oracle RGBU interns, Feb 2018, June 2017, Feb 2017, Aug 2016, Aug 2015 (in-person).
• 'Structuring Creativity', Ashirvad, Bangalore Aug 05 & Aug 20, 2017 (in-person).
• 'Structuring Creativity', Christ University, Sept 2016 (in-person).
• 'UX101', Oracle India Pvt. Ltd. For Peoplesoft PMs, July 2016 (in-person).
• 'Axure RP Pro', Two day workshop at Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology, Sept 2015 (in-person).
• 'Creative Thinking', Discover@Work Talk at Oracle India Pvt. Ltd. July 2015 (in-person).
• 'User Experience Design', Training for RGBU team members Oracle India Pvt. Ltd. , June 2015 (in-person)
• 'Creative Thinking', PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, Aug 2016, July 2014 (in-person).
• 'Creative Thinking', Atta Galatta, Apr 2015 (in-person).
• 'Visualization Methods (Information Visualization)'. Satyam Computer Services Ltd. Hyderabad. 2007.

Courses Taught

• 'Quantifying Creativity for Modern Workplaces’, Course at India HCI 2019, Hyderabad. November 2019
• 'The Science Behind User Experience Design' course taught at Paphos, Cyprus as part of the conference INTERACT 2019, Sept 2019
• 'Introduction to Design & Design Thinking' course taught at Oracle India Pvt. Ltd. as part of iEvolve One GBU Learning Initiative. Feb 2018, Bangalore. Mar 2018, Hyderabad.
• 'Design Thinking' course taught at IIM, Indore. Jan 2018
• 'User Experience Design', course taught at SUPVA, Rohtak. Jan 2018
• 'Structuring Creativity', One credit course taught at Mount Carmel College, Bangalore. Nov 2017
• 'The Science Behind User Experience Design' course taught at at IIT Bombay as part of the conference INTERACT 2017, Sept 2017
• 'Human Computer Interaction and User Experience Design', One credit course at PSG Tech., Coimbatore. Aug 2016 & Apr 2015
• 'Psychology', as part of my responsibilities as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the Department of Psychology, Wright State University, Dayton, OH Sept,2003-Dec 2004
• 'Electrical and Electronics Engineering' as part of my responsibilities as a Guest Faculty at the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, UVCE, Bangalore. July 2000 - Aug 2001

SPEAKING ON, TEACHING AND CONDUCTING WORKSHOPS ON STRUCTURING CREATIVITY

My deep interest to understand what makes a human mind work has not diminished one bit over all these years. Based on this understanding of the human psyche which I have obtained over several years, I regularly conduct workshops and courses on Structuring Creativity where I try to drive in the message that creativity is a skill which can be developed, is something more than artistic abilities, is measurable and is a vital ingredient of modern workplaces, innovation & entrepreneurship. I have also tried to enable my participants and attendees to understand what it means to ‘create’, debunk some of the myths surrounding creativity and help them figure out (to varying degrees) what they could do with their lives and how they could go about it. 

The duration of these 'Structuring Creativity' workshops/ courses I have conducted has ranged anywhere between half a day to over two weeks.

I have conducted the workshop/ course for a minimum number of 10 individuals and the maximum strength of the workhop has been close to a hundred individuals. My teaching/ workshop/ bootcamp credits on this topic are listed below.

SELECTED ARTICLES

Links to some articles I authored-

• The Unicorn Skill in User Experience Design: Three Perspectives 

In the new form of UX which is driven by AI, Conversational UI, Chatbots, Personal Assistants and Voice Activated/Enabled gadgets, people who can think about how specific words or combination of words can make sense and be made sense of would be valued in organisations.

• Choice Architecture in Interaction Design: Libertarianism Vs. Paternalism

A Designer has to walk that thin edge between libertarianism and paternalism when designing applications – the thin line between guiding a user on the right path to complete a task and forcing the user down one. Things could go very wrong when ‘Paternalism’ becomes the driving force while designing interactive systems while ‘Libertarianism’ takes a seat too far in the back. A middle path of Libertarian paternalism has to be applied to Interaction Design to create applications where the user feels that he is in control, where Designers use ‘nudges’ to guide — not force — the users down a certain path and in the end, design applications which are a delight to use.

• Humanizing Chatbots by Designing Conversational UIs 

There are several pieces in the jigsaw puzzle for designing a Conversational experience which would not just address the end user query but would also be a delight to use. A crucial step in the direction of designing an efficient and delightful chatbot is the awareness of what goes into building a conversational experience and the kind of people that are required to build one. A set of strategies for Humanizing Chatbots are listed as well. 

• A Technique to Obtain Feedback for Designing Conversational UIs

We set out to build a conversational system (a chatbot) to enable users (both internal users and customers) to obtain information on their leave balances, upcoming public holidays and complete tasks such as applying for leave while they interact with our enterprise applications through a chatbot – the ‘Absence Bot’. While there were multiple pieces being put together (both technical and procedural) on what it takes to get the Absence Bot to work, we wanted to check how people would want to use the Absence Bot before we went ahead and built it.

• The Scientific Method and Data Science in UX Design 

A significant number of industry professionals perceive User Experience (UX) Design more as an art. It is critical that a UX Professional understands and appreciates the scientific basis of the UX profession and applies the recommended methods with due diligence at various stages of a product or application design.UX designers get data from the multitude of activities they are involved in which span a vast spectrum of people, skills and situations. Planning and conducting UX activities in a structured and scientific manner yields rich data with invaluable insights.When data is used in a way which tells stories, deep awareness of end-user preferences and behaviors come to light leading to significant design insights and decisions which can disregard individual opinions and preferences.

• The Three Design Principles Which The iPhone’s WiFi Setting Violates

There are three heuristic design principles which the iPhone violates with its action of automatically switching on the wifi and not turning the wifi completely off on a swipe up and click, namely-

i. User Control and Freedom

ii. Consistency and Standards

iii. Visibility of System Status

• Creativity for Modern Workplaces

According to a 'Future of Work-Expected Skills' report by the World Economic Forum, Creativity takes the third spot in the Top 10 Work Skills expected in 2020. Research shows that for an organization to compete most effectively in the marketplace, Creativity must be a vital skill of its employees. Creativity is not like a tap which can be opened at will to let the creative juices flow. Creativity requires the right attitude, mindset and intent. Creativity, like many other skills can be learnt, practiced and improved.

• The Social Buzz: Designing User Experiences for Social Media 

We are witnessing the phenomenal rise and fast-spreading influence of social media. UX professionals are ideally placed to establish interaction patterns for social media and drive user interface designs and information architectures for environments that require a social context for optimal use. 

• Defining Social Media Settings

As we explore what social technologies can offer and the boundaries they can cross—boundaries that had confined the traditional Web—UX professionals must now take up a new design challenge. We must address the changing needs for social media and facilitate users’ taking better advantage of everything social media has to offer.

• Eleven tips for a first time author to be able to write and complete a book.

There will usually be a myriad of questions going on in the mind of someone who has never written a book and wants to write one - How do I start? What do I write on? Would someone even want to read what I write? This article is an attempt to address some of these questions and more

• What are the things you shouldn't do in life?

In this era of information overload, how do we decide how we need to live our lives? Where do we go for advice and whose advice do we believe in? How do we know if the path we have set out on would lead us along a life of happiness and fulfilment? There aren't any doubts that experience is the best teacher. But there are plenty who have walked this earth and have left behind immense insights for those who seek. A collection of wisdom and life advice on how life SHOULD NOT BE LIVED.

• A Curated List of The Best Life-Changing Hacks

If you really want to, transforming your life shouldnít be all that hard. At all. Especially if you have from some of the greatest philosophers and eminent personalities who have walked this earth guiding you through the transition.

CONFERENCE PUBLICATIONS

• Junaid, A (2017, 2019). The Science Behind User Experience Design. Course taught at @IIT Bombay as part of the conference INTERACT 2017, Sept 2017 and at Paphos, Cyprus as part of the conference INTERACT 2019, Sept 2019.

Planning and conducting User Experience (UX) activities in a structured and scientific manner has many advantages. It is important that UX Professionals understand the scientific basis of UX methods and leverage them to enhance the UX of the application being designed. It would also be easier for the UX designer to get a buy-in from the stakeholders if his design recommendations are based in scientific logic and whetted by supporting data. ​

• Junaid, A (2018). Quantifying Creativity for Modern Workplaces. India HCI 2018, UX Café, Bangalore.

Creativity is at the core of modern innovation and entrepreneurship. Creativity is also closely coupled with the kind of work Designers and HCI Practitioners are involved in. The biggest challenge which organizations face while embracing creativity is that there doesn’t seem to be a straight forward method to measure expertise in creativity among its employees. It is important to measure creativity to evaluate the creative competence of an individual or a group of people. Without the ability to measure or quantify, it would be difficult to form an opinion to make decisions. Once creativity is measurable, it can be managed. And if creativity can be managed, then organizations the world over can enable and make creativity ‘happen’.​

• Junaid A, Wagesh K, Dr. Sanjay,T (2013). Complex Menu Redesign Logic and Representation. Poster presentation, APCHI 2013, Bangalore.

It has been long established the cognitive processes of perception and pattern recognition are more efficient than the cognitively intensive processes of memory, integration and inference. With usability practitioners looking more at data visualization techniques to present results, expectations will inevitably shift from simply delivering information to conveying meaningful information.By providing information in a form that allows observer to utilize the more efficient processes of perception and pattern recognition, usability can overcome the hurdle of efficiently representing usability solutions.

• Junaid, A (2010). Essentials for a Comprehensive Social Media Roadmap. Industry Presentation, India HCI 2010, IDC – IIT, Bombay. Pg.168

Efforts to integrate user generated content within an organization as an approach to obtain insights on customer preferences, increase brand awareness, leverage marketing efforts or to provide support (among others) necessitates a planned and structured effort. Planning for Social Media needs to be done with a long-term perspective in mind with a good amount of groundwork put in. A Social Media effort cannot be perceived merely as a campaign, it’s more of a permanent approach on how you reach out to customers, engage with them on a long-term basis and cater to their needs in a better way.

• Flach, J.M., Junaid, A. A., & Warren, R (2004). Judgments of Speed of Self-Motion: Modeling the Relative Effects of Speed and Altitude Change. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, New Orleans.

​This paper which came out of my MS Thesis work in Human Factors Psychology examines the influence of optic flow during self-motion on judgments of speed and altitude. Optic flow is the apparent visual motion that we experience as we move through the world. Data from the study suggested that a geometrical quantity . the angle of approach (Langewiesche, 1944, Gibson, Olum & Rosenblatt, 1955) or the H-angle (Hasbrook,1975) seems to provide a better explanation for the human performance data obtained than the other geometrical quantities Global Optical Flow Rate (Warren, 1982; Ballard, Roach & Dyre, 1998; Patrick, 2002; Patrick, Flach & Jacques, 2003;Flach, Junaid & Warren, 2004) or Edge Rate (Denton, 1979, Warren, 1982; Ballard, Roach & Dyre, 1998;Patrick, 2002; Patrick, Flach & Jacques, 2003; Flach, Junaid & Warren, 2004).

My second novel 'Closure' (yet unpublished) is narrated entirely through email conversations. I was a finalist at the LitMart event of the November, 2019 edition Bangalore Lit Fest where I got a chance to pitch 'Closure' to the publishers present and am in talks with them for getting it published.