They say.
Feedback from across the organizations I worked with, grouped by why it matters.
Design that knows what it costs and who it is for.
Markets and business
His contributions to the localization of the card application process for the APAC market have been instrumental in ensuring its success. By tailoring the process to meet the unique needs and cultural nuances of different regions, he has played a key role in enhancing its effectiveness and user-friendliness.
PURUSHOTTAM SHARMA, Director of Design, American Express
Ram is extremely effective at understanding and aligning his work with the needs of our Product partners and market teams. He invests the time required to understand the underlying problem, the market context and the constraints around a solution rather than treating the work as a purely design-led exercise.
ANDREW SMITH, Director of Design, American Express
Has a very good business understanding. Excellent communication skills.
ASWATHY KARTHIKEYAN, Director of Products, Saal.ai
I’m so glad we had the opportunity to work together on Financial Goals. You are such a talented designer and I learned so much from you!
MELISSA MURRAY, Content Strategist, Vanguard
Not as a productivity trick — as a way of working the team can keep.
AI
He has become one of the people I trust most when exploring how AI can be applied meaningfully to our design practice. His involvement in the Amex AI Council strengthens this further, giving him exposure to developments beyond our immediate team and allowing him to bring relevant thinking back into our work.
ANDREW SMITH, Director of Design, American Express
His guidance helped the team build real confidence with AI, and his contributions established him as a true champion of AI this year.
AISHWARYA ADUKADAN, Lead Designer, EPAM
Ram really inspires me to incorporate AI into my daily work. Thanks to him, I’ve learned how to write prompts and even experimented with JSON and agent AI!
VINDHYA REDDY, Direct report, EPAM
What happens to the people around him.
Leadership and mentoring
Ram is an amazing manager. He inspires me to be more confident in my abilities and has really helped me become a better, more independent thinker and problem solver.
VINDHYA REDDY, Direct report, EPAM
His calm leadership helps the team stay grounded even in fast-paced situations, and his mentorship naturally brings out the strengths of those around him.
AISHWARYA ADUKADAN, Lead Designer, EPAM
Ram’s unique blend of design skill, leadership skills and emotional intelligence makes him an invaluable asset to any team.
ISHA AGGARWAL, Teammate, EPAM
You’re also a great collaborator — I always loved hearing about the new innovation or thoughtful solution you’d come up with, and you inspired me to think more creatively and outside the box.
ELIZABETH ENWRIGHT, UX Writer, Vanguard
He is a skilled designer with the potential to lead the UX design team.
NESTOR RAMIREZ RUGELES, Design Leader, Saal.ai
Taking something tangled and giving it a shape people can use.
Making the complex simple
One of Ram’s biggest strengths is his ability to translate complex acquisition challenges into reusable systems and clear design direction while keeping teams aligned around customer outcomes.
OLANIYI AKINWUNMI, Design Leader, American Express
Ram is very good at breaking down a problem, strategically finding a solution for it and articulating the solution.
ASWATHY KARTHIKEYAN, Director of products, Saal.ai
You’re a great designer, who can take in complex topics and turn them into great designs!
ANANDITA AGGARWAL, UX Researcher, Vanguard
Ram is able to make the complex concise.
JASON COHEN, Vanguard
The work itself.
Craft
Ram is a rare creative personality I have come across in my tenure. He has a great knack of storytelling with unique visualization skills. I call him the new age designer who can really bring any brief alive.
RISHABH SHARMA, Head of Strategy, ICT Health
Ram, you are exceptional. You brought complex concepts together into simple user experiences in ways I hadn’t imagined.
JASON COHEN, Solutions Consultant, Vanguard
His knowledge on design, concept and execution is remarkable. Ram has this instant thinking ability that can read your mind and produce work that you can visibly testify.
KUMAIL KIRMANI, Founder Partner and VP, Sreshta Global
I’ve been working alongside Ram for over 5 years now. It is surprising how quickly he can learn and adapt to new environments. His work is perpetually refreshing.
VRISHALI REVANKER, Applications Manager, ICT HEALTH
Ram is an amazing designer, super helpful and smart. Every time we work together, he brings clear thinking and strong problem solving skills.
VINICIUS EMER, Design partner, American Express
The majority of his design solutions are super innovative, and well through.
NESTOR RAMIREZ RUGELES, Design Leader, Saal.ai
You are quick to be creative, so thoughtful, and a wonderful problem solver.
AMALIA CESARE, Design Strategist, Vanguard
Whether the work lands.
Delivery and reliability
It’s easy to trust that Ram will do the job right the first time. I’ve never seen Ram struggle with the pressures of the project or client dynamics.
JENN BEAZLEY, Design Ops Manager, Vanguard
On our current engagement, it would be easy for Ram to fly under the radar and do the bare minimum — Ram does the exact opposite. Ram finds opportunities in tasks big and small to grow in both soft and hard skills.
LAUREN BAUER, Design Leader, Vanguard
Understood the requirements quickly and developed the initial flow and UI in short time. He factored the new suggestions in the designs quite quickly.
CHITESH KUMAR BHAT, Product Manager, Saal.ai
His patience in every initiative has been commendable. He came up with multiple iterations very quickly based on the feedback shared, incorporating multiple point of views in his designs.
SHEPHALI MISHRA, Product Partner, American Express
Ram has taken ownership multiple business cases with little or no supervision needed. Working with Ram has been a joy.
OLANIYI AKINWUNMI, Design Leader, American Express
Going to the people who will use the thing, and letting that change it.
Research and users
Ram is effective at thinking about a product in the long-term, an all-encompassing view. Ram took the time to ask different users about how they would use the Authoring Tool. That’s how we came to find out that Math and Science have slightly different needs/workflow processes for proofreading/reviewing questions.
TIEN LE, Product Manager, Saal.ai
Ram has taken care of the slightest details involved in bringing a real-life user experience. Amazing observation skills and precise persona development.
RASHMI MENON, Saal.ai, Product Manager
You have always supported research insights and patiently sat through almost every session.
ANANDITA AGGARWAL, UX Researcher, Vanguard
The things that outlast the project.
Teams, process and systems
He is one of the smartest guys that I know. His knowledge of UX process is just right. He has created a very user-centric design process that we would like to implement on Saal.
NESTOR RAMIREZ RUGELES, Design Leader, Saal.ai
He has been instrumental in setting up the Amex India Design team for success by planning operations, establishing efficient workflows and fostering collaborative team culture.
ISHA AGGARWAL, Teammate, EPAM
Thank you for all your contributions to DAP, including all those hours doing consolidation for the library.
BECCA LEECH, teammate, Vanguard
How it feels to be in the room with him.
Collaboration and temperament
Always very calm and diplomatic even when there are many high-pressure projects going on at once.
TRACY MEHOKE, Product Manager, Saal.ai
He has faced conflicts in the workplace with such calm and finesse that the team members noted his professionalism.
NESTOR RAMIREZ RUGELES, Design Leader, Saal.ai
Personally, I never felt like I was all alone or on my own, the collaboration was evident form day one.
OLANIYI AKINWUNMI, Design Leader, American Express
Your collaborative style — playing back comments to fully understand their intent is one of several ways your effective collaboration has led to building the right solutions with group buy-in and advocacy.
JASON COHEN, Solutions Consultant, Vanguard
He has a proactive attitude, the right level of professionalism and character to integrate into our team, a great cultural fit.
NIRAV DEPALA, Director of design, American Express