K

Kiran Kulkarni

Co-Founder

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India21 yrs 5 mos experience
AI Enabled

Key Highlights

  • Led design initiatives at major tech companies.
  • Co-founded successful design and gaming firms.
  • Expert in user-centric design and branding strategies.
Stackforce AI infers this person is a design leader specializing in user experience and branding across tech and consulting industries.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

BrandingUx ResearchProduct StrategyMobile Interaction DesignCustomer InsightBrand Development

Other Skills

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Branding & IdentityBusiness StrategyConcept DevelopmentConsumer BehaviourContextual InquiryCorporate BrandingDesignDesign EducationDesign ResearchDesign StrategyDesign ThinkingEthnographyExperience DesignGraphic Design

About

I am a design leader and co-founder of Tacit Design and Tacit Games. I’ve helped build brands, products, and experience strategies for startups, fostering creativity and innovation. Previously, I served as a design leader at Yahoo!, PayPal, Niyo, and InMobi, where I tackled complex design challenges on a global scale. With a deep passion for integrating Indic philosophy with contemporary design, I craft user-centric experiences that are meaningful and impactful. Let’s connect if you’re interested in thoughtful design, build your brand or creative problem-solving.

Experience

Earnifi

Head of Design

Jul 2025Present · 8 mos · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Tacit design

Partner

Jun 2024Present · 1 yr 9 mos · India · On-site

BrandingConsumer BehaviourDesignIndustrial DesignManagementMobile Design+1

Niyo solutions inc.

SVP, User Experience Design

Jun 2022Jun 2024 · 2 yrs · Bangalore Urban, Karnataka, India

  • Niyo provides digital savings accounts and other banking services to travellers in India. It works with banks to help them deliver a more modern and expansive user experience and features. It also operates a wealth management product to help users invest in mutual funds and domestic equities.
BrandingMobile Interface DesignBusiness StrategyUX ResearchBrand DevelopmentMobile Interaction Design+3

Career break

Caregiving

May 2022Jun 2022 · 1 mo · Karnataka

  • Time for self, kids, parents, reading and going slow :-)

Paypal

2 roles

Senior UX Manager, Consumer Experiences

Mar 2018May 2022 · 4 yrs 2 mos · Bengaluru Area, India

Mobile Interface DesignUX ResearchMobile Interaction DesignCustomer InsightProduct Strategy

User Experience Lead

Apr 2017Feb 2018 · 10 mos · Bengaluru Area, India

  • Consumer UED
Mobile Interface DesignMobile Interaction DesignProduct Strategy

Letsventure

Chief Product Designer. Consultant

Jun 2016Apr 2017 · 10 mos · Bangalore

  • Drove Engagement, adoption, monetization focussed initiatives for LetsVenture Mobile, Web Applications by Design Centric Methods.
Mobile Interface DesignMobile Interaction DesignCustomer InsightProduct Strategy

Inmobi

Principal UX, Commerce

Oct 2015Jun 2016 · 8 mos · Bangalore

  • Drove User Centered "Discovery Experiences" for Inmobi Commerce platform.
UX ResearchMobile Interaction DesignProduct Strategy

Vliv inc.

Co-Founder, Director, Chief Designer

May 2012Sep 2015 · 3 yrs 4 mos · Bangalore, Noida

  • Designed Vliv-Videofun a video-editing app, that touched top 500 apps in photo/video category in IOS appstore (US) consistently for over two years averaged a monthly organic download of 10,000 users between 2013 to 15. It simplifies video editing on mobile devices and enables fun tools for enhanced expression using videos.
  • Designed VOOL, the first social video app to have Video stickers. Vool aims to improvise the way people communicate using mobile videos. Vool’s new set of collaboration tools enables auto stitch of mobile videos on cloud.
  • With partners, raised seed round funding at Vliv with Mumbai Angels, other Tech Angels demonstrating Vliv’s potential as a future video platform for connected devices.
  • Positioned Vliv’s backend as a flexible video solution, ‘app constellation’ provider by designing B2B solutions for clients like HCL, Yahoo! Verisign, that helped earn key revenue for Vliv.
  • Built the discipline of Design at Vliv from ground up, demonstrating its value through Design driven product development process.
  • The design work includes Product Strategy, Branding, Interaction Design, UI design, User Research, User experience strategy.
BrandingMobile Interface DesignBusiness StrategyUX ResearchBrand DevelopmentMobile Interaction Design+2

Tacit

Co-Founder, Chief Designer

Apr 2012Apr 2017 · 5 yrs · Bangalore

  • Consulted over 15 companies (60% start ups), helping them create ‘Design driven’ product development. Advised on creating ‘design value’ to shape business strategies and build user centered design capabilities that help the organizations to scale and deliver.
  • Provided strategic user experience consulting, mobile application design, product design, interaction design, platform design for Insurance management platforms, Crowd funding web applications, Social networking platforms, Retail experience, Brand development.
  • Product strategist for PuzzleDesh, a puzzle brand with a focus on Indian Mythological Visual traditions, Tromke – a map based social network that enables people connect with each other on the go!
  • Clients: Reliance, Inube, Tringbee, Tromke, Smartowner, Kham, StudioMotley, Kinetic Glue, Moonwalkr, LetsVenture
  • www.tacit.in
BrandingMobile Interface DesignBusiness StrategyUX ResearchBrand DevelopmentMobile Interaction Design+2

Yahoo!

Principal Design Researcher, Global Design Research

Dec 2007Apr 2012 · 4 yrs 4 mos · Bangalore

  • Built the discipline of Design Research at Yahoo! India, from ground-up, usability lab, demonstrating its value companywide. Drove product road-map decisions by conducting strategic User research including studies for growth initiatives, usability, directing India/Global focused top priority Yahoo! Products like Yahoo! Mail, Registration, Yahoo! Cricket, Search, Local, Maps.
  • Promoted from senior researcher to Principal Design Researcher in 2009-10.
  • Conducted ethnographic field studies & interviews with Cricket enthusiasts, gaining a greater understanding of the role cricket plays in their lives. Research helped drive design direction for a new online portal, mobile app on Cricket –Yahoo! Cricket, which gained #1 rank for most visited website on Cricket (India) for consecutive 2 years.
  • Directed research for India-focused growth initiative called “NextGen” study, spanning across 2 metro cities and 2 towns, conducting field studies, interviews with ‘Teen’ segment, understanding their behaviors, ‘Digital Lives’. Research helped drive design direction of India-focused products like Yahoo! Screen, Yahoo! Movies, Yahoo! Celebrities.
  • Awarded with Yahoo! “You Rock” award for pursuing innovation for this initiative
  • Recognized for exposing Yahoo! Registration usability problems that triggered multiple studies globally, resulting in 14% improvement in registration process in 2009.
  • Evangelized design research by initiating UER101, ID8 workshops for new comers and Product teams to learn and exploit the power of design research in their daily work.
  • Skills in setting up, managing UX lab: Conducting end to end qualitative research using Design Ethnography, Usability, persona creation, participatory design, diary studies, paper prototype evaluations, focus groups, eye tracking, surveys. Skills in triangulating qualitative data with analytics, marketing research, segment or audience data to arrive at design, product, experience strategies and actionable insights.
Mobile Interface DesignUX ResearchMobile Interaction DesignCustomer Insight

Indian institute of technology, bombay

Senior Lecturer

Sep 2004Dec 2006 · 2 yrs 3 mos · Mumbai

  • Design Education
  • Courses taught
  • Elements of Design * Studies in Form * Product Interaction Design * Orientation * Design Projects
  • Developed a new course on Product Interaction Design focusing on device specific gestures and interaction analysis
  • Part of Exam committee for Common Entrance Exam for Design CEED in Question Paper Creation, Valuation process.
  • Industry Consultation
  • Consulting Industries for Strategic Design, Design Research
  • Consulting on Product Design development and execution
  • Toy Design
  • Game Design
  • Product Interaction Design
Mobile Interface DesignUX ResearchMobile Interaction DesignCustomer Insight

Trina systems

Product Designer

Jan 2003Jan 2004 · 1 yr

  • Productizing e-learning solutions
Mobile Interface DesignUX ResearchMobile Interaction DesignCustomer Insight

Education

Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

Master in Design — Product Design

Jan 2001Jan 2003

Bangalore University

B'Arch — Architecture

Jan 1996Jan 2001

National College, Jayanagar, Bangalore-82(Autonomous)

Pre University

Jan 1994Jan 1996

Vijaya High School

High School

Jan 1991Jan 1994

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