Shruti Nanajkar
Shruti Nanajkar
Shruti Nanajkar
Simple, inclusive, and impactful - that’s how I design.
About me
I started out as a web developer, but I found my true passion in product design — where technology meets human needs. I love simplifying complex problems into intuitive experiences that are accessible, inclusive, and built to last.
With my background in development, I understand how things are built, which helps me collaborate closely with engineers. I call it “Designer-Developer Empathy” — a mindset that helps me bridge design and code to create thoughtful, practical solutions.
As a designer, I believe technology should serve everyone. I care deeply about building products that are not just functional, but also compassionate — experiences that make people’s lives easier while helping businesses grow responsibly and sustainably.
Outside of work, I recharge by hiking, playing badminton, exploring new places, and chasing sunsets. I’m always learning, evolving, and looking for ways to make a real impact through design.
Company
Role
Duration
Cisco
Senior Product Design
Nov, 2021 - Current
Cisco
Senior Product Design
Nov, 2021 - Current
Cisco
Senior Product Design
Nov, 2021 - Current
Cisco
Product Designer
Oct, 2019 - Nov, 2021
Cisco
Product Designer
Oct, 2019 - Nov, 2021
Cisco
Product Designer
Oct, 2019 - Nov, 2021
What I do
Product Design
Interaction Design
Design Thinking
Design Systems
Prototyping
User Testing
UX Research
Cross-Platform Design
Information Architecture
Collaboration
Designer-Developer Empathy
Current stack
Figma
FigJam
Miro
Jira
Sketch
Asana
Webex
Slack
My design recipe
I design products from concept to reality. My design process focuses on deep user understanding and innovative solutions, ensuring every step aligns with user needs and business goals.
01
Discover
I ignite innovation by aligning user needs with business objectives. Through collaborative brainstorming, I craft a clear project vision and lay the groundwork for design excellence.
Define
I work with the research team to help conduct thorough market research and user interviews to gain deep insights into the target audience and identify design opportunities.
02
Develop
I create user-centric designs through rigorous testing and analysis. By understanding user behaviors and motivations, I deliver designs that drive engagement, inclusivity and exceed expectations.
03
Deliver
I collaborate closely with developers to define design patterns and build functional prototypes, ensuring seamless integration and optimal user experience.
04
01
Discover
I ignite innovation by aligning user needs with business objectives. Through collaborative brainstorming, I craft a clear project vision and lay the groundwork for design excellence.
Define
I work with the research team to help conduct thorough market research and user interviews to gain deep insights into the target audience and identify design opportunities.
02
Develop
I create user-centric designs through rigorous testing and analysis. By understanding user behaviors and motivations, I deliver designs that drive engagement, inclusivity and exceed expectations.
03
Deliver
I collaborate closely with developers to define design patterns and build functional prototypes, ensuring seamless integration and optimal user experience.
04
01
Discover
Brainstorming sessions in order to take their needs and company goals into account. Define the scope and objectives of the project and lays a fundamental foundation for everything that comes after.
Define
Gather additional information about the ideal client, market opportunities and design sprint. Getting direct feedback from users themselves through user surveys and field activities.
02
Develop
Define the user experience, test and evaluate design concepts, and analyze how your designs will inform behavior and effect the experience of the user.
03
Deliver
Determine design patterns, elements of template pages, different framework options, and work with developers to test design functionality.
04
Don't just take my word for it…
"I have had the pleasure of having Shruti on my team working on our networking solutions design team, and I can wholeheartedly recommend her without hesitation. She is a exceptional designer, and she never fails to impress with her innovative ideas. One of the things that sets Shruti apart is her ability to approach problems from multiple angles and her technical background adds an extra layer of depth to her design proposals. She's not afraid to roll up her sleeves and dive into the technical nitty-gritty, which makes her a valuable asset to any project."
Juan Carlos Pontaza
Senior Director of Product Design, Cisco
"Shruti can take intricate concepts and user journeys and translate them into clear designs. This not only makes the design process smoother, but it also ensures that the final product is easy for the users. Her unique technical background gives her a bridge-building viewpoint. She can understand the challenges faced by developers because she has a strong technical foundation herself. This allows her to create designs that are both beautiful and feasible to implement."
Dan Rotondo
Senior Product Design Leader, Splunk-Cisco
"I had the chance to work with Shruti while building Nexus Cloud and Nexus Dashboard and she made a difference in understanding technical requirements and translating them into a simple yet effective UI to be used by both technical and non-technical users."
Carlos Campos Torres
Senior Director of Product Management, Cisco
"It was a great pleasure to work with Shruti for nearly five years. During this time, we tackled numerous challenging projects together, and Shruti consistently impressed with her exceptional ability to grasp complex networking projects and translate them into simple, user-friendly workflows. What stood out most about Shruti was her remarkable skill in managing multiple projects simultaneously. Her strategic approach and effective communication made her a key role in our project successes."
Minchi Hu Chang
Software Engineering Leader, Cisco
"She’s first to jump in when someone needs help, offers helpful and actionable feedback, and always encourages the newer voices on the team to speak up during brainstorming sessions and team show and tells. Shruti’s compassion for others is also evident in her design process. She’s sure to center the people we design for throughout, from brainstorming to engineering reviews. She’s got serious design skills too—her visual design, user experience, and strategy are top-notch, and her experience with design systems is sure to be a huge help on any design team. I truly can't recommend Shruti enough as a teammate, designer, and mentor."
Cody Capella
Senior Product Designer, Cisco
"Shruti is one of the reasons why work is fun! One of the qualities I admire most about her as a lead and mentor is her ability to offer constructive design feedback while still providing me with the space to explore and develop my own ideas. This balance not only helps me grow as a designer but also fosters a culture that encourages creativity and innovation within the team. Though she trusts me to deliver independently, Shruti also has the knack of knowing exactly when to step in and offer guidance, especially when navigating collaboration amongst stakeholders."
Victoria Tu
Product Designer, Cisco
"I have had the pleasure of having Shruti on my team working on our networking solutions design team, and I can wholeheartedly recommend her without hesitation. She is a exceptional designer, and she never fails to impress with her innovative ideas. One of the things that sets Shruti apart is her ability to approach problems from multiple angles and her technical background adds an extra layer of depth to her design proposals. She's not afraid to roll up her sleeves and dive into the technical nitty-gritty, which makes her a valuable asset to any project."
Juan Carlos Pontaza
Senior Director of Product Design, Cisco
"Shruti can take intricate concepts and user journeys and translate them into clear designs. This not only makes the design process smoother, but it also ensures that the final product is easy for the users. Her unique technical background gives her a bridge-building viewpoint. She can understand the challenges faced by developers because she has a strong technical foundation herself. This allows her to create designs that are both beautiful and feasible to implement."
Dan Rotondo
Senior Product Design Leader, Splunk-Cisco
"I had the chance to work with Shruti while building Nexus Cloud and Nexus Dashboard and she made a difference in understanding technical requirements and translating them into a simple yet effective UI to be used by both technical and non-technical users."
Carlos Campos Torres
Senior Director of Product Management, Cisco
"It was a great pleasure to work with Shruti for nearly five years. During this time, we tackled numerous challenging projects together, and Shruti consistently impressed with her exceptional ability to grasp complex networking projects and translate them into simple, user-friendly workflows. What stood out most about Shruti was her remarkable skill in managing multiple projects simultaneously. Her strategic approach and effective communication made her a key role in our project successes."
Minchi Hu Chang
Software Engineering Leader, Cisco
"She’s first to jump in when someone needs help, offers helpful and actionable feedback, and always encourages the newer voices on the team to speak up during brainstorming sessions and team show and tells. Shruti’s compassion for others is also evident in her design process. She’s sure to center the people we design for throughout, from brainstorming to engineering reviews. She’s got serious design skills too—her visual design, user experience, and strategy are top-notch, and her experience with design systems is sure to be a huge help on any design team. I truly can't recommend Shruti enough as a teammate, designer, and mentor."
Cody Capella
Senior Product Designer, Cisco
"Shruti is one of the reasons why work is fun! One of the qualities I admire most about her as a lead and mentor is her ability to offer constructive design feedback while still providing me with the space to explore and develop my own ideas. This balance not only helps me grow as a designer but also fosters a culture that encourages creativity and innovation within the team. Though she trusts me to deliver independently, Shruti also has the knack of knowing exactly when to step in and offer guidance, especially when navigating collaboration amongst stakeholders."
Victoria Tu
Product Designer, Cisco
"I have had the pleasure of having Shruti on my team working on our networking solutions design team, and I can wholeheartedly recommend her without hesitation. She is a exceptional designer, and she never fails to impress with her innovative ideas. One of the things that sets Shruti apart is her ability to approach problems from multiple angles and her technical background adds an extra layer of depth to her design proposals. She's not afraid to roll up her sleeves and dive into the technical nitty-gritty, which makes her a valuable asset to any project."
Juan Carlos Pontaza
Senior Director of Product Design, Cisco
"Shruti can take intricate concepts and user journeys and translate them into clear designs. This not only makes the design process smoother, but it also ensures that the final product is easy for the users. Her unique technical background gives her a bridge-building viewpoint. She can understand the challenges faced by developers because she has a strong technical foundation herself. This allows her to create designs that are both beautiful and feasible to implement."
Dan Rotondo
Senior Product Design Leader, Splunk-Cisco
"I had the chance to work with Shruti while building Nexus Cloud and Nexus Dashboard and she made a difference in understanding technical requirements and translating them into a simple yet effective UI to be used by both technical and non-technical users."
Carlos Campos Torres
Senior Director of Product Management, Cisco
"It was a great pleasure to work with Shruti for nearly five years. During this time, we tackled numerous challenging projects together, and Shruti consistently impressed with her exceptional ability to grasp complex networking projects and translate them into simple, user-friendly workflows. What stood out most about Shruti was her remarkable skill in managing multiple projects simultaneously. Her strategic approach and effective communication made her a key role in our project successes."
Minchi Hu Chang
Software Engineering Leader, Cisco
"She’s first to jump in when someone needs help, offers helpful and actionable feedback, and always encourages the newer voices on the team to speak up during brainstorming sessions and team show and tells. Shruti’s compassion for others is also evident in her design process. She’s sure to center the people we design for throughout, from brainstorming to engineering reviews. She’s got serious design skills too—her visual design, user experience, and strategy are top-notch, and her experience with design systems is sure to be a huge help on any design team. I truly can't recommend Shruti enough as a teammate, designer, and mentor."
Cody Capella
Senior Product Designer, Cisco
"Shruti is one of the reasons why work is fun! One of the qualities I admire most about her as a lead and mentor is her ability to offer constructive design feedback while still providing me with the space to explore and develop my own ideas. This balance not only helps me grow as a designer but also fosters a culture that encourages creativity and innovation within the team. Though she trusts me to deliver independently, Shruti also has the knack of knowing exactly when to step in and offer guidance, especially when navigating collaboration amongst stakeholders."
Victoria Tu
Product Designer, Cisco
"I have had the pleasure of having Shruti on my team working on our networking solutions design team, and I can wholeheartedly recommend her without hesitation. She is a exceptional designer, and she never fails to impress with her innovative ideas. One of the things that sets Shruti apart is her ability to approach problems from multiple angles and her technical background adds an extra layer of depth to her design proposals. She's not afraid to roll up her sleeves and dive into the technical nitty-gritty, which makes her a valuable asset to any project."
Juan Carlos Pontaza
Senior Director of Product Design, Cisco
"Shruti can take intricate concepts and user journeys and translate them into clear designs. This not only makes the design process smoother, but it also ensures that the final product is easy for the users. Her unique technical background gives her a bridge-building viewpoint. She can understand the challenges faced by developers because she has a strong technical foundation herself. This allows her to create designs that are both beautiful and feasible to implement."
Dan Rotondo
Senior Product Design Leader, Splunk-Cisco
"I had the chance to work with Shruti while building Nexus Cloud and Nexus Dashboard and she made a difference in understanding technical requirements and translating them into a simple yet effective UI to be used by both technical and non-technical users."
Carlos Campos Torres
Senior Director of Product Management, Cisco
"It was a great pleasure to work with Shruti for nearly five years. During this time, we tackled numerous challenging projects together, and Shruti consistently impressed with her exceptional ability to grasp complex networking projects and translate them into simple, user-friendly workflows. What stood out most about Shruti was her remarkable skill in managing multiple projects simultaneously. Her strategic approach and effective communication made her a key role in our project successes."
Minchi Hu Chang
Software Engineering Leader, Cisco
"She’s first to jump in when someone needs help, offers helpful and actionable feedback, and always encourages the newer voices on the team to speak up during brainstorming sessions and team show and tells. Shruti’s compassion for others is also evident in her design process. She’s sure to center the people we design for throughout, from brainstorming to engineering reviews. She’s got serious design skills too—her visual design, user experience, and strategy are top-notch, and her experience with design systems is sure to be a huge help on any design team. I truly can't recommend Shruti enough as a teammate, designer, and mentor."
Cody Capella
Senior Product Designer, Cisco
"Shruti is one of the reasons why work is fun! One of the qualities I admire most about her as a lead and mentor is her ability to offer constructive design feedback while still providing me with the space to explore and develop my own ideas. This balance not only helps me grow as a designer but also fosters a culture that encourages creativity and innovation within the team. Though she trusts me to deliver independently, Shruti also has the knack of knowing exactly when to step in and offer guidance, especially when navigating collaboration amongst stakeholders."
Victoria Tu
Product Designer, Cisco
Let's connect
I'm not just here to design products; I'm here to connect with people.
As a product designer, I'm on an exciting journey to blend creativity with technology to craft memorable user experience
nanajkarshruti@gmail.com
nanajkarshruti@gmail.com
nanajkarshruti@gmail.com
Current Residence
Toronto, Canada