Priyanka Pillai 

Bachelor in Industrial Design 

Priyanka is a designer and user researcher from India interested in designing for healthcare, accessibility, and social impact. Her major during her Bachelor’s was in Industrial Design, and she then went on to work as a Senior Experience Designer at IBM for 3 years, specializing in UX, research, and testing.  

She’s explored this space in an integrated approach with system thinking within niche socio-political contexts. For example, she’s founded an initiative that has worked to ease complications in rural pregnancy journeys. She has previously worked on interventions that scaffold the business ventures of farming and artisanal communities, and projects that enable dialogues on issues like politics and abuse. 

The penetration of technology in healthcare and the prevalence of experience design lead her to believe that we must design for resource handicaps, seamless interaction, and conscious use of technology. For this, she is interested in exploring accessible and inclusive methodologies and products during her time at MDE.