Hey! I am Akshat.

  • … who thrives on exploring human nuances and contradictions because that's where the real magic lies. Plus, it feels like playing detective in an endless game of Clue.

  • … who tries to deconstruct ambiguous problems into component systems. Because let's face it, life's more fun with a semblance of order in the madness.

  • … because using known attitudes and observed behaviour helps quiet that nagging inner voice (and some skeptical stakeholders) asking, "Are you sure?" when making decisions.

  • … to my furry sidekick Bento. He's not just another cute dog; he has a PhD in unconditional love and begging for food even after being fed.

Trying to sum up a person in a few lines is like trying to pour an ocean into a teacup, but here's a peek at some swirling currents in my cup:

Experience:

Currently:

Sr. UX Researcher, Driver Experience

Lyft (2024 - Present)

Previously:

Sr. Design Researcher, Digital Pharmacy and Shoppers Drug Mart - Loblaw Digital (2022 - 2024)

Director of Venture Strategy, Business Design - Highline Beta (2021 - 2022)

Senior Design Researcher and Senior Strategist - Deloitte | Doblin (2019 - 2020)

Thought Leadership Researcher - Deloitte | Future of Canada Center (2019)

AI Strategy Consultant - Deloitte | Omnia (2018-2019)

Control Systems and Automation Engineer - Bechtel Oil Gas and Chemicals (2014-2017)

Core Skills:

Research

  • Ethnography and In-Depth Interviews

  • Survey Design and Data Analytics

  • Usability and Concept Testing

  • Longitudinal Studies

  • Intercepts and Observational Research

  • Persona Building and Storyboarding

  • Card Sorting and Tree Testing

Strategy and Business Design

  • New Concept Development

  • Workshop Facilitation

  • Prototyping, Piloting, and Testing

  • Business Model Creation

  • Competitive Landscape Mapping

  • Innovation Portfolio Planning

  • Innovation Capabilities Building

Education:

Masters (M.Sc.) in Business Analytics

Ivey Business School London, Canada

Bachelors (B.Sc.) in Chemical Engineering

Purdue University West Lafayette, US

Exchange Term - E.U. Environmental Politics

Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany

Corporate Thought Leadership:

Canada’s most undervalued resource - Read Report

Canada’s AI imperative - Overcoming risks, building trust - Read Report

Publications:

Academic Research:

Handling Large-Scale Data using Two-Tier Hierarchical Super-Peer P2P Network - Read Article