Santhoshram Narayanan
Lead Product Designer
Graphic designer turned interaction designer — I made the switch after completing my M.Des at the National Institute of Design. That transition shaped how I think: I bring visual rigour to product problems, and systems thinking to design craft.
For the past ~5 years I've been at Locus, designing tools for the people who keep supply chains running — dispatchers, operations managers, and delivery teams. I built and led a team of 6, established DesignOps, and owned design strategy across multiple product lines.
I'm most useful when the problem is genuinely hard, the users are experts, and the cost of getting it wrong is real. I work from first principles, push back on briefs when needed, and care deeply about the system — not just the screen.
I'm looking for Lead, Principal, or Design Manager roles at product companies where complexity is the norm and craft is valued.
Experience
Led design across 10+ products including TrackIQ, OrderIQ, Self-serve, Locus Navigate, and Transporter Dashboard. Established DesignOps, built and mentored a team of 6 (until Apr 2025), and shaped specs through first-principles thinking. Custodian of the design library. Shipped 0-to-1 products, proposed and drove adoption of a Time to Market framework across product and engineering.
Managed 6 product verticals independently — Fastag, Fuel, GPS, Insurance, Loan, Tyre, and Payments — in the Boss App, BlackBuck's primary revenue generator. Designed an MVP for large fleet management in two weeks following field research. Led acquisition funnel design for Fastag.
Developed a digital map search experience for real estate. Research, conceptualisation, design, and prototyping. Proposed patterns appreciated by the Product Head and shortlisted for development.
Art direction, mobile/web design, and brand identity for clients including Parker Hannifin, Reliance Jio, and Tata Communications. Transformed a 3-month brochure project with Parker Hannifin into a 1.5-year engagement. Designed Reliance Jio's first airport internet access interface and independently built ~50 pages for Tata Communications' partner onboarding.
Education
National Institute of Design
M.Des — Interaction Design
D J Academy of Design
B.Des — Graphic Design
Skills
Currently
Reading — Add a book you're reading
Thinking about — Add something on your mind
Based in — Bengaluru, India