Hey, I'm Puja! (she/her) 👋🏼 🏳️‍🌈

About me


Born and raised to Indian immigrant parents in Detroit, I moved to Seattle to work at Microsoft and stayed to grow my career in tech, leading design, product, and strategy across startups and global orgs.

Design Leader 🤝
With over a decade of leadership experience, I’ve scaled design teams from 1 to 14, built design systems, shaped product vision, and mentored designers at all levels. I’ve restructured orgs, championed UX across departments, and delivered strategies that align teams and drive results.

Product Strategist 🎯
As the PM lead for Avvo Advisor, I scaled the product to serve 75% of the U.S. population, collaborating with over 9,000 attorneys. This work played a key role in growing the company from 29 to 500+ employees and supporting its successful acquisition.

Engineer Ally 👩‍💻
I’ve partnered closely with engineers in every role and deeply value that collaboration, including the one I married 💍.

View my resume


What sets me apart is my unique, multidisciplinary background as a Design Leader, Product Strategist, and being married to an Engineer 💍

Design Leader 🤝
With 8+ years of Design Leadership experience, I've scaled design teams from 1 to 9 designers. I have also managed managers covering a team of 14 people. Through one-on-one mentorship from industry pals, I’ve led multiple successful product strategies, crafted experience visions, established design systems, mentored designers, evangelized UX across departments, demonstrated the business value of design, and hired/built teams of designers to meet a variety of org structures.

Business Strategist 🎯
As a result of having been a Product Manager, I’m serious about results. As the PM lead for Avvo Advisor, I scaled the program to cover over 75% of the US population and worked with over 9,000 attorneys across the country to provide the public with highly-rated legal services with an emphasis on price transparency and reducing the burden on consumers. I’m driven by outcomes and results. Applying this mentality at Avvo, I crafted and led a 4 year product vision and strategy that contributed to company growth from a 29-person startup when I joined to over 500 employees and an incredibly successful acquisition.

Engineer Enthusiast👩‍💻
I have worked besides dozens of Engineers in every professional role I have held in the past decade, as well as being married to a smarty pants Engineering Leader in her own right. I partner well and deeply appreciate and depend on the collaboration to bring useful and usable solutions to life.

Photo nerd 🎞️
A personal area of interest has been film photography since I was in high school. I love the analog process, and during lockdown I built a darkroom in my home. I process both color and black and white film in my laundry room and participate in Film clubs in Seattle. Moving to NYC in 2024, I am hoping to find folks who nerd out on this stuff as much as I do.

View my detailed resume

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Testimonials

"Puja is an incredible a design leader. I had the pleasure of working with her at Dropbox. Puja has a keen eye for the big picture, and pushes her team to target the highest impact work. She cares deeply about research and was a valued thought partner in research planning. Puja's leadership, collaborative nature, and infectious positivity make her an excellent design leader & collaborator."

Alesandro B.

Lead UX Researcher at Dropbox

"Puja is a true product strategist. Never fearful of asking the hard questions; her ability to navigate hierarchical and siloed groups to understand complexity, is just fun to watch. She has an uncanny way of quickly evaluating how to apply good Design to technology. She truly embodies creating a culture of warmth. Puja has the capacity to make you feel like the smartest and most capable person in the room, and leads with example."

Heather D.

Product Ops at Starbucks

"Puja is a true product strategist. Never fearful; her ability to navigate hierarchical and siloed groups to understand complexity, is just fun to watch. She has an uncanny way of quickly evaluating how to apply design to technology. She truly embodies creating a culture of warmth. Puja has the capacity to make you feel like the smartest and most capable person in the room, and leads with example."

Heather D.

Product Ops at Starbucks

"Puja was a tremendous mentor, teaching me about design thinking and always encouraging me to think in new ways about product design. Puja is one of the best product design thinkers that I've seen; she is able to take user needs and pain points and transform those into real solutions. As my manager, it was a fantastic experience."

David H.

Chief of Design at Internal Revenue Services

"I had the pleasure of working with Puja on particularly challenging usability project for a local startup. Through her hard work, expertise, and never-ending energy the project was a success. I really enjoy working with Puja, and I highly recommend her to any company."

Rebecca D.

Senior UX Research Manager at Google

Get in touch ✉️

Whether you have a question, a project idea, or just want to say hello, I'd love to hear from you. Reach out and let's start a conversation.

pujaparakh@gmail.com