Résumé - Aravind Asokan

ARAVIND ASOKAN

Watertown MA 02472 USA

Education

2014 - 2016, M.S in Engineering and Management, System Design and Management Program, MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, GPA : 4.8/5.0

Relevant Courses : Marketing Management, Design Across Scale, Statistical Consulting, Technology Strategy, SDM Core, Systems Leadership and Management Lab

Thesis : System Architecture for Single-Pilot Aircraft in Commercial Air Transport Operations

2002 - 2007, GDPD Industrial Design, THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DESIGN (NID), Ahmedabad, India.

Experience

Terrafugia

2017 Nov to 2021 Feb : Senior UX/HMI Engineer

· End-to-end ownership of the User Experience aspects of the Terrafugia Transition flying car. Primary task was the conceptualization, design, and development of the user experience of the instrument panel display.
· Drove collaboration between different subsystem teams within Terrafugia as part of building consensus on product features, their design, and operation. Filled the role of product and system architect prior to the creation of a system engineering team within the company.
· Authored the Pilot Operating Handbook for the Transition flying car in accordance with FAA regulations and ASTM F2746 standards. Achieved FAA approval for Handbook in Jan 2021.
· Management of UX/HMI feature roadmap aligned to overall product roadmap. Drove internal discussions with stakeholders on scoping and de-scoping of features from prototypes based on program needs and resource constraints. Co-ordinated discussions with pilot users to inform detail design of features.
· Designed and wrote system requirements for vehicle operation in drive and fly modes, and transition between modes. Designed information architecture, UI wireframes and prototypes, and wrote display software requirements for the instrument cluster display.
· Supported flight testing of the Transition flying car in the following roles: Test Controller, Responsible Engineer, Data Logger, First Responder, Airborne Videographer. Designed checklists, safety processes, radio voice procedures, and data logging methods as part of flight testing.
· Designed a scale model of the Transition flying car for display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in DC. Coordinated model fabrication and logistics with external vendor.
· Drove a redesign of the front end of the vehicle, updating the industrial design from an aesthetic and aerodynamic standpoint, collaborating extensively with fluid dynamics and airframe designers.
· Developed interactive prototype of instrument cluster display to aid in design evaluation, flight training, and trade show marketing.

nuTonomy

2017 Jan to Sep : Senior UX Designer

· Managed all internal and external facing design aspects for the company prior to acquisition, including software UX, car exterior design, marketing and recruiting collateral, video and animation production, office space design, and company website. Oversaw hiring of design team members, created hiring plan for future.
· Architected a fleet management command center experience that can remotely visualize, monitor, manage and troubleshoot fleets of autonomous vehicles, resulting in intellectual property creation for the company.
· Managed and executed all design activities under nuTonomy’s partnership with Lyft, including UX research, in-car app co-branding, marketing and PR collateral. Provided inputs on product strategy and brand differentiation.
· Advocated for a product management organization within the company, initiating discussions with leadership, designing organizational structure, and assisting in the creation of job requisitions.
· Created product roadmap, requirements, user stories and wireframes for an in-car app experience for autonomous vehicles. Marshalled resources internally and gained stakeholder buy-in and led the design aspects of the project.
· Managed and provided creative direction to external vendor for the design of the company website ahead of launching partnership with Lyft. Created wireframes and produced illustrations and photographic content for the site in-house.

Magpie Solutions Inc.

2016 Feb to 2017 Feb : Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer

Co-created a clean energy company with an MIT classmate. Wrote business plans, marketing and pricing plans, created product specifications, designed brand identity, product wireframes and company website, and created investor pitches and video. Gained initial funding from MIT Sandbox initiative, selected for round 2 of MassChallenge. Advised by MIT Prof. of Building Technology Leslie Norford, and MIT’s Venture Mentoring Service.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2016 Sep to 2017 July : Teaching Assistant for Architecture of Complex Systems EdX course

· Assisted in administering the modules, creating teaching aids and technical illustrations, and acted as a technical resource available for online consultation by students.

Summer 2015 : Country Manager, Mexico & Instructor (UX Design)

· Developed and taught a new UX design curriculum, introduced into the Global Startup Labs program for the first time.
· Managed the day to day activities of the program which imparts entrepreneurship skills to Mexican students, while interfacing with local partners, investors and SMEs to mentor, nurture and invest in the teams of student entrepreneurs.

· Mentored nine teams of entrepreneurs in product development and UX, resulting in seven high fidelity design prototypes pitched to investors in Mexico. Managed 3 direct reports who were instructors on the program.

Aug 2015 & Aug 2016 : Teaching Assistant, SDM Bootcamp

· Teaching assistant for the boot camp for the incoming MIT SDM cohort, primarily as subject matter expert on building and piloting drones.

Jan 2016, Jan 2017, Jan 2018 & Jan 2019 : Teaching Assistant, Course 16.767

· Teaching assistant for 16.767, Introduction to Airline Transport Aircraft Systems and Automation. Assisted in technical setup of flight simulators, administering the curriculum, and conducting student evaluations.

Mar 2015 – Dec 2015 : Marketing Intern, MIT Technology Licensing Office

· Tasked with converting MIT inventions, patents and technologies into marketing briefs aimed at a non-expert audience.

Tata Elxsi Ltd.

Jun 2013- Jun 2014 : Lead Designer - UX

· Led multiple UX project teams aligned with external customer accounts, including teams for Jaguar LandRover, Spirent, Polycom, and Bombardier Trains. Duties included project estimation, pre-sales support, sales pitch support, interface design, prototyping, external vendor management.

· Conducted driver console UX evaluation for Ferrari F-12 Berlinetta. Pitched new design concepts successfully, creating additional business on Ferrari account.
· Successfully led the transition of Spirent design team to agile design methodology, becoming the first project team in the TATA Elxsi design unit to do so.

Honeywell, Inc.

Jan 2012 – Jun 2013 : Lead Designer

· Led a team of UX designers on end-to-end UX design for Honeywell's MyGDC iPad app and website, used by business jet operators and pilots worldwide to file flight plans.
· Led a company-wide user research and requirements gathering effort to define a new process content delivery website for Honeywell Aerospace, working with US based chief engineers.
· Conducted early design concept development and prototyping (for FAA evaluation) efforts for touch screen flight deck user interfaces for Gulfstream (G500, G600 aircraft) and Dassault, co-locating with the human factors team in Arizona.

Dec 2009 – Jan 2012 : Senior Designer

· Successfully pitched the design of a new user experience for an air traffic control software to Dubai airports in collaboration with German marketing team, leading a team of 3 designers and presenting the design portion of the sales pitch at Dubai.

· Selected for, and successfully completed, a private pilot’s license program for top performing employees in Honeywell Aerospace.
· Led UX design for airport docking guidance control software, working directly with clients in Russia and Germany.
· Led UX design and prototyping for telemedicine devices in the healthcare domain.
· Led a six-member team to conduct research into next generation flight deck concepts for general aviation, generating new intellectual property disclosures.

Mar 2007- Dec 2009 : Designer

· Sped up UX design process for Bendix/King KSN770 multifunction display project by up to 50%, working based out of Olathe, Kansas office with Bendix/King flight test engineering group. Designed entire UI from high level human factors requirements.

Co-curricular Activities

· Secretary, MIT Flying Club – Apr 2017 to 2019

· VP of Marketing, Astronautics and Space Industry Club, MIT Sloan

· Captain, MIT SDM Soccer team, 2015, 2016.