I’m Hari Nallan
Executive Design Leader with 23 years driving transformation across Fortune 500s, startups, and public ecosystems: with design as the primary voice in change.
Currently building at the next frontier of design and organizational transformation. Alongside advising institutions and consulting initiatives, I’m collaborating with industry leaders to define how design creates enduring business value.
Previously, I scaled Think Design into a multi-studio global network of 130 designers and integrated it into the Havas network. This experience shaped how I view design as an executive function, not just a service.
Today, my work focuses on frameworks, codes, and systems that make design an operating layer within organizations: guiding leaders, teams, and institutions toward design excellence.
I continue to engage as a jury member, advisor, and educator, helping shape the next generation of design leadership.
20+
Design Awards
95%
Leadership Confidence**
90%
CEO Approval Rating*
* Glassdoor Ratings ** Independently surveyed HAVASAY Results
Selected glimpses from my journey: milestones, awards, talks, workshops, and moments that shaped my presence.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: I spoke on 'Human by Design' at Cisco Dzone event throwing light on human centred design process and what future holds for us in the context of GenAI
RESEARCH: Glimpse of insight session for a top mobile phone brand. This project had us cover length and breadth of India, to understand emerging user needs and come up with design concepts for the sub $300 smart phone
MEMBER OF JURY: I was a jury member for Design X Social Design Awards 2022
FIELD RESEARCH: Validating healthcare toolkit we designed for rural usage, funded by Bill Gates Foundation. A glimpse from user testing session... the intended users were mothers of infants from rural Bihar
USER JOURNEY: Purchasing EVs online has inherent complexities when integrating digitally and this is an example of that. The flows need to factor payments, loans, tax sops, reimbursements, delivery etc and integrates several systems into one
WRITING: My unpublished book. EDOS stands for Executive Design Operating System and the book codifies design with a common vocabulary, framework and rituals
AWARD: Recognition for being the member of Jury at the prestigious A'Design award and competition
STRATEGY: An interactive visualisation we created as part of roadmap for vertical leaders of a pharma giant, and this became a precursor to several transformations that followed
WORKSHOP: A glimpse of the workshop I conducted on research and innovation at Singapore. Partnered with TiE Singapore for the event
UX DESIGN; Disruptive innovative solution for booking and purchase journeys for clean mobility solution in consumer space. The metrics were challenged and we impacted CTRs and CRs massively
RESEARCH: A glimpse from a large-scale research program, covering length and breadth of India. This program enquired into the user needs in the home appliance category
DATA DESIGN: One of the several outputs as part of the transformation program for a Pharma giant. Worked with the DTO team and transformed supply chain intelligence through reporting portals, apps and dashboards
DATA DESIGN: Image showing before-after of an AI powered platform. On the left is how the data was visualised before and on the right, after
STRATEGY: Synthesis session post extensive research conducted for a leading edTech solution. We researched teachers, pupils, parents and admin staff to get deep insights into how we could leverage smart solutions in the classroom and beyond
AWARD: The coveted CII NID Design excellence award. Bagged this award for our work on the digital avatar of the legacy Manorama Year Book
DATA DESIGN: A glimpse of a cybersecurity solution we designed for. Data Visualisation is one of the most important pieces of the work
TALK: I gave the talk on Data Storytelling across countries during the pandemic and after. COVID has indeed consumerised data consumption across continents and at a massive scale
DESIGN: Rebranding project of Think Design. I spearheaded this during 2020 and the activation spanned about two years in total
AWARD: 2018 was the year of great success, as we won three awards at India's Best Design Awards. We were ambitiously looking forward to more
IFH PROGRAM: A glimpse of the community that got created during the pandemic. My key initiative, Intern From Home spanned worldwide interactions with design students and mentors through a platform we created in just about a week
IFH PROGRAM: Some of the topics discussed during the Intern from Home initiative that brought together design students, mentors and academicians
FRAMEWORK: Research methods documented as part of the Golden Grid framework. I worked on this proprietary framework which is now widely used by Think Design and its clients
TALK: Hosted a talk at our office on the topic of Knowing the Unknown through design research at Denver, CO. USA
US STUDIO: This was captured in Boulder, CO during one of my business trips during the establishment of US Studio. Stephen has been one of my key associates and a great person to have worked with
FRAMEWORK: A glimpse of Golden Grid research framework. This is an incredibly usable framework when there is a research task at hand. I developed this proprietary framework that went on to become foundational to Think Design's research practice
TEACHING AT NID: The quintessential view of NID Paldi aquarium. My association of over two decades as a student and now as a visiting faculty member and advisor is filled with pride and insight
METRICS: Design outcomes have to be measured and I believe, metrics are meant to be challenged. Here's an example where the outcome outperformed every historic metric and how
TALK: One of the seminars at Tokyo. Our partnership with Trinity Co. Ltd, Tokyo had us engage with industry in Japan in order to enlighten the audience and promote our partnership venture
AWARD; Proud to receive the India's Best Design Studio award from Late Prof. Vikas Satwalekar, who is among the most respected design visionaries in India and former Executive Director of NID
AWARD: 2019 marked a new benchmark for me as we won five design awards including the three at India's Best Design Awards
TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM: Capture showing the scale of engagement with Worldpay/ FIS. I headed this program that spanned over 3 years and powered the mission of the company's Data & Analytics vertical
DATA VISUALIZATION: Data Visualisation and Data Design are essential parts of my design practice... This is a capture from training program I headed where we simplified data visualisation through content and visuals
DATA VISUALIZATION: Data Visualisation and Data Design are essential parts of my design practice... This is a capture from training program I headed where we simplified data visualisation through content and visuals
JURY MEMBER: I was the member of jury for the Creativepool Annual awards
JURY MEMBER: I was the member of jury for the Ukraine Design awards. This holds a special place in my heart
TALK: Gakshuin university. I delivered a talk at one of the most prestigious universities in Tokyo. A moment of great pride
WORKSHOP: Sharing a light moment with the participants of Design Thinking workshop at Arthur Lokjack University
WORKSHOP: A glimpse from the Design Thinking and Innovation workshop at Arthur Lokjack University. Workshop spanned two weeks of immersion
WORKSHOP: Lecturing session during the Design Thinking and Innovation workshop at Arthur Lokjack University
WORKSHOP: A glimpse from the Design Thinking and Innovation workshop at Arthur Lokjack University. Students burning midnight oil to crack solutions
TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM: Capture of a design system for a low-code app development platform. The scale was massive and hence, the component consistency, scalability and edge case scenarios needed to be addressed adequately
WORKSHOP: A glimpse from the customised workshop conducted fro AnsaMcal group, Trinidad and Tobago
TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM: A massive transformation program for a low-code app development platform. Above is an image that shows execution journey of the app creator. It went on to become parametric, marking a huge shift in how the platform worked
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: I was invited as Keynote speaker for the first Foundation day at NID Kurukshetra. I continue to engage with the institution as an educator and thought leader
TALK: Seminar at Tokyo, with participants from major Japanese multinationals spanning automobile, appliance and electronics industries
TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM: Creator screen of the low code app development platform. The transformation had us question the relevance of every minute element and design for a future where creators are less tech savvy
FRAMEWORK: I worked on a proprietary data visualisation framework at Think Design, which is now widely used across the organisation and its clients. It simplifies and codifies hundreds of charts in one simple interactive diagram that can be readily used when faced with a data viz challenge
JURY MEMBER: Receiving the recognition plaque from Marianna Sharma, India's Best Design Awards. I was the member of jury and fireside chat host this time
FRAMEWORK: Abstraction Hierarchy is one of the frameworks I ace at and I have extensively used this for assignments that are complex and systemic. This map is developed through several days of inquiry with the key stakeholders
RESEARCH: One of the largest research projects I oversaw. This project formed the precursor to Golden Grid framework I pioneered
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: At NASSCOM's Design4India event. My association with NASSCOM dates back to more than 15 years
AWARD: Think Design's first major design award, 2016. This was India's Best Design Studio award
DATA VISUALIZATION: A glimpse of the rough sketches before they became pixels, charts and dashboard
WORKSHOP: Capture from one of the client workshops. In my career I would have conducted more than a hundred such workshops
INNOVATION IN RETAIL: The experience centre is a clever combination of dIgital and physical interactions, using AR interfaces with inventory management system in the back end.
WORKSHOP: A light moment during a 3-day immersive Design Thinking and ideation workshop. This was part of overhaul of a leading national newspaper
PANEL DISCUSSION: At NASSCOM's Design4India event
WORKSHOP: Capture from one of the client workshops. This was for a project that aimed to transform a very successful legacy suite that helps in industrial planning, automation and monitoring
FRAMEWORK: An abstraction of CX design methodology for one of our clients
AWARD: Good Design award, this was the first one from Australia we received for our work on FiGO app
WORKSHOP: Capture from our first leadership workshop. This had a significant impact on my growth as a leader and a chief executive
WORKSHOP: An object to remember NASSCOM's Design4India initiative by. A massive initiative indeed addressing the design community. I contributed as a design expert, keynote speaker and workshop facilitator across India
WORKSHOP: Design Thinking workshop for one of India's most successful internet companies. I still wonder how such a business was built entirely from the ground up
JURY MEMBER: I was part of the jury panel at the prestigious iF Design Awards
SERVICE DESIGN: A capture from service design and customer experience workshop I conducted
TALK: A capture from the seminar I addressed at Tokyo
A capture from client workshop that had their executives from across the world participate in brainstorming session... and this by flying all of them to one location
DATA DESIGN: Worked with one of the world's largest payment processor and their Data & Analytics team. Worked on multiple projects that had workshops, product design solutions, research insights and design systems spanning a period of about 3.5 years
TALK: A glimpse from the seminar we gave as part of Denver Startup Week. This is part of the merch we gave away... each card has a design problem to be solved on the back of
TEACHING AT NID: At the podium at NID auditorium. As a student, I longed to be here and address the students of the most prestigious Design school in India. My association with NID as visiting faculty spans 10 years and counting
AWARD: Good Design award from Australia. This was for a Digital Transformation work we did for one of the most prestigious publishing brands in India
FRAMEWORK: Abstraction Hierarchy is one of my frameworks of choice for solving complex problems. I have used this framework across Industrial automation and connected devices, Defence systems, Law enforcement, Public services and Life sciences domains
DESIGN: Capture from a transformation program of education solution. The image represents the classroom solution we developed and it is part of a multi-modal, multi-platform solution that addresses teachers, students, parents and the admin staff
WORKSHOP: Capture from a workshop at NASSCOM's Design4India event. Through my workshops I interacted with several startup founders and I learn as I impart learning
AWARD: A Design award for work in Healthcare
AWARD: Certificate of recognition from the A Design award and competition for work in Healthcare
PRESS: To friendship beyond borders. In the pic are Stacy and I with Rama. Enjoyed the attention of paparazzi in the Caribbean
AWARD: And then the prestigious iF Design award. Won this for innovative work in Fintech domain
AWARD: Our first major award and I couldn't keep from displaying it at the centre of our studio in Delhi
AWARD: Won Creativepool Annual award for work on app design for global travellers
AWARD: A moment of pride receiving the India's Best Awards. I was the jury member, speaker and award winner at the show in 2018. A moment of great pride!
WRITING: A capture from the article I wrote and was published. By 2024 I might have written about a hundred articles and at least a fifth of them published in digital and print media
WORKSHOP: Capture from a workshop as part of NASSCOM's Design4India event
WORKSHOP Capture from one of the workshops conducted in Atlanta, GA. This one involved participation from the employees across the world. In one room, 2 Days of undivided attention from the leadership, 1 big solution to crack
SERVICE DESIGN: A capture from service design workshop for a new-age start-up foraying into the space of journalism
TALK: A glimpse from India's Best Awards, fireside chat
PANEL MEMBER: Design4India initiative by NASSCOM. During this period, it was sponsored by Facebook and had attracted a wide audience pool
MIXED REALITY: Our first MR project. I facilitated workshop with the client's team and established vision and journeys for the same
PANEL DISCUSSION: A pic from the panel discussion. I was invited as panelist for the NID CII Design excellence awards event and the topic covered Industry 4.0 and Data
ACQUISITION: A new phase started as Think Design got integrated with Havas. This picture has me among the SEA top leadership of Havas
RESEARCH: A capture from community insights generated post pandemic... I spearheaded this project and we brought innumerable trends to common knowledge
WORKSHOP: A note of acknowledgement from the participant of my workshop. What a beautiful gesture!
TALK: I was a panel member for discussion on Customer Experience and Communication
LECTURE: Capture of my presentation session at ISDI Mumbai campus
GLOBAL TEAM: Global design leadership huddle at Paris. As we were being integrated with Havas, the global peers huddled together to form common methodologies and work together. I led this initiative through Havas CX incubation phase
TALK: Winning together, as we were being integrated in the Havas network. It was not only new but also grand and much needed especially while integrating with the network companies
PANEL MEMBER: I was invited as panel member as part of Ajeenkya DY Patil University's initiative during the pandemic
TALK: I was invited as a speaker organised by the World University of Design. My first on Instagram Live
TALK: I spoke on Data Storytelling for ISB executive education participants. This is one of the several talks I delivered on the subject
TEACHING AT NID: A capture from NID education program. I continue to love teaching and interacting with student in the capacity of a visiting faculty
PANEL MEMBER: A glimpse from CII NID's India Design summit. I was part of the panel discussion at this event
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN: Avanti Cardiogym CG6: A U.S Patented Award winning gym which also had a pioneering touch screen interface to guide users on individual workouts and plans. Designed at Think Design
INTERACTION DESIGN: The console interface of Avanti Cardiogym CG6. It is a pioneering product that revolutionised the idea of cardio + strength on a single machine and in a single workout
CAREER: My last working day at Think Design. July, 2024
ACQUISITION: The final signing moment as Think Design gets acquired by Havas. Wow, that was an exhilarating experience going through the process
SERVICE DESIGN: A capture from service design workshop and blueprint
SERVICE DESIGN: A spreadsheet rendition of Service Design Blueprint. I always follow up the creative map with a spreadsheet because it then becomes data and is usable
GLOBAL COLLAB: A moment of sharing thoughts and walk, as Havas' design leadership across the world huddled in Paris
TEAM: A glimpse from the send off party as I gear up to transition out of Think Design
AWARD: The CII Design Excellence award trophy and certificate in the background
MENTORING: Learning session at Think Design's office. I was quite active in acquiring new knowledge and sharing it with my colleagues... it became part of the culture
WORKSHOP: A capture from Design Thinking workshop conducted at IIT Delhi campus
RECOGNITION: As I complete 19years at Think Design in 2023, a light moment in the office
PARTNERSHIP: I led the discussion and closure of MoU between IIT Mandi's iHUB and Think Design. I continue to be part of the governing council as of 2024
TALK: My TEDx talk. I spoke about First principles Vs. Analogical thinking and how they influence innovations around us. At IID Mandi campus
TALK: A capture at the IIT Mandi campus after my TEDx talk. In the picture as the students and the capture by travel influencer, Analli gupta
TEACHING AT NID: A capture from the lecture at NID campus. Research, Data and Design are some of the topics I cover for the presentations
PROGRAM: Intern from Home program had us capture several design trends and insights during the pandemic. It continues to inspire me
TALK: I delivered several talks on the subject of Dark Patterns in UX
JURY MEMBER: A moment from the iF Design award jury and the article published in POOL magazine on the subject
POST: That was a lovely gesture from team Think Design!
Copyright 2025, Hari Nallan. All rights reserved.
DISCLAIMER: Certain images and references may depict work created under prior engagements. All such content remains the intellectual property of their respective organizations and is used here strictly for illustrative and referential purposes.