Aakash is a designer, futures researcher, and design leader. He currently leads the experience design team for Core Services at IKEA Global Digital (Ingka Group), where the work moves between strategic design, guiding the direction of the practice, and the day-to-day craft of running a team. Speculative design and futures forecasting sit in his working toolkit alongside the more conventional methods of UX and service design, and he tends to reach for whichever combination a given problem actually needs.
Before IKEA, he was at HP Advanced Design in Barcelona, leading research and vision work for the future of HP's digital product and service roadmap. Earlier, he led packaging, device, and service design at Studio 5B, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, across oncology, hematology, and OTC pharmaceuticals in India, Colombia, and Russia. He has also set up and led the experience consulting practice at PwC India, and held earlier roles at Legrand and as an independent consultant.
Across these roles, a consistent thread has been the work of leading and growing designers: running teams, designing methods and workshops, and mentoring practitioners through the messier parts of the craft. He trained in product design management at Rubika (DSK International School of Design) and in interaction design at the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID). He recently completed the d.MBA programme for designers, and teaches at Strate School of Design.
The practice is organised around three long-running questions, which you can read on the home page.
Awards
- Shortlist, Interaction Design Award 2021
- Finalist, ThingsCon Talent Awards 2021
- Packaging Design - Best in Category, Lexus Design Award 2019
- Best In Category, ID Annual Design Review 2011
- RunnerUp & Notable, Core77 Design Award 2011
- Label, Observer du Design 2011
- Best In Category GOLD, IDEA - IDSA 2010
Talks / Exhibitions
- Lecture/masterclass STRATE School of Design, 2025
- Arduino exhibition & lecture, 2021
- Things Con, 2021
- Museum of Interactivity, 2021
- CIID Graduation Show, 2021
- Design thinking for MBA - NMIMS, 2018
- Observer du Design award exhibition, 2011
- IDSA exhibition-Henry Ford Museum, 2010