Designing AI-first products that scale systems and shift behaviour.
20+ years across AI, GovTech, EdTech, HealthTech, AR/VR, Telecom, OTT and Civic Technology. I lead design strategy, build systems, and shape teams — turning first-of-kind complexity into experiences that feel inevitable.
Domains & sectors
Case studies
Deep dives into problems I've solved — the decisions made, the systems built, and the outcomes delivered over two decades.
GPMD — Tamil Nadu Government Performance Dashboards
Designed a state-scale data intelligence platform for the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's Office — 40+ department dashboards, a unified design system, and real-time decision support for 600+ live screens.
Reward Rally — AI-Powered Loyalty Platform
Designed an agentic AI loyalty platform for e-commerce — embeddable loyalty widget, mobile consumer app, employee recognition, and a full marketing website. End-to-end across 3 products and 10+ modules.
MedRec — Personal Health Records Platform
Designed a patient-facing health records platform — vitals tracking, clinical trend analysis, multi-provider report management with side-by-side comparison, medications, and a full iOS companion app.
Kyn — Where We Belong. Hyperlocal Community Platform
Designed a hyperlocal community social app for India — neighbourhood news, live events, short-form Klips video, and a creator economy for local voices. End-to-end: brand, app, web, and 100+ interaction screens.
HeyMath Lumos — The Learning Command Centre
Designed the end-to-end teacher and admin dashboard for HeyMath's global platform — a responsive, data-rich command centre giving educators real-time insight across lessons, assignments, and student progress.
DiaBite — Diabetic Food Discovery App
Designed a first-of-kind food ordering and discovery app tailored for people managing diabetes — balancing location-based delivery, dietary intelligence, and a seamlessly simple mobile UX.
RIPMWC Prep App
Mobile preparation app for RIPMWC — India's most prestigious junior maths competition — helping students practice, track progress, and build competition readiness.
I turn first-of-kind
problems into
lasting systems.
I'm Lakshmidaran M, a VP of Product Design and AI-Strategic Design Leader based in Chennai, India. Over two decades I've designed products across AI, GovTech, EdTech, HealthTech, AR/VR, Telecom, OTT, and Civic Technology — from first principles to production.
At Peninsular Research Operations (2020–present) I lead design across a 35+ product portfolio — spanning emotional AI, exam paper AI, spatial computing, real-time governance dashboards, and citizen-facing civic platforms. I built a design system deployed across 5 teams, powering 600+ live dashboards with 40% faster engineering delivery.
Before that, I spent 10 years at HeyMath! as the sole design function — establishing the design practice from scratch, delivering end-to-end across web and mobile for learners in 30+ countries, and serving as the primary design-to-client bridge across global enterprise relationships.
My philosophy: design is infrastructure. Done right, it multiplies everyone else's output — engineers, PMs, analysts, and even non-designers. I build for that kind of leverage.
My process
A battle-tested framework refined across 50+ products and two decades — rigorous enough for AI and GovTech, adaptable enough for zero-to-one builds.
Discover & Frame
Ruthless problem definition before any output. Stakeholder interviews, competitive mapping, and domain research to surface the real constraint — not the assumed brief.
Define & Align
Synthesise into design principles and a north-star vision. Get CPO, CTO, and engineering aligned on what success looks like before any pixel is drawn.
Design & Validate
Rapid prototypes, iterative testing, and AI-augmented research. Prefer low-fidelity conversations over high-fidelity debates. Validate assumptions early, kill them cheaply.
Ship & Systemise
Pixel-perfect delivery with engineering. Define success metrics upfront, instrument everything, then turn the solution into a reusable system — not just a one-off feature.
Trusted by leaders
"Lakshmidaran operates at a level most designers never reach. He didn't just deliver design — he built an entire design practice and connected it to our product OKRs. The governance system he architected became irreplaceable infrastructure."
"In 10 years, Lakshmidaran single-handedly established and scaled the design function at HeyMath. He was the design language, the systems thinker, and the client's voice simultaneously. Remarkably rare."
"What makes Lakshmidaran exceptional is that he thinks in systems before he thinks in screens. He introduced AI-augmented design workflows before any of us had even discussed it. He shapes what's coming."
Let's build
what's next.
Open to VP / Head of Design roles at AI-first organisations, design leadership advisory, and selected consulting engagements. Chennai-based, open to remote.