How I Lead

I lead by taking ownership of the whole problem, not just “my part.” I read everything, map what’s missing, document decisions, and ask the questions no one has gotten around to asking. If conversations aren’t happening, I start them — I pull PMs, engineers, SMEs, QA, and support into the same story so we’re not solving five different versions of the problem.

I value clarity more than theatrics. Once I’ve stitched the picture together, I share it back: what we heard, what’s broken, what we’re changing, and why. People know the solution I’m proposing, how it works, and where their piece fits. Then we stop spinning and start moving — together.

Collaboration Style

Almost everything I shipped at Cloud Software Group was only possible because of deep collaboration — especially when there was no spec, no owner, and no clear path. I don't wait for alignment to magically happen; I create it.

PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

PMs: co-owning the problem, not just the feature

I treat PMs as partners in defining the problem, not feature requesters. We align on the "why," the constraints, and the sequencing before I push pixels.

Example – ReportCaster: there was no roadmap and no real documentation. I worked with my PM to inventory the legacy behavior, decide what to retire vs. carry forward, and phase the redesign into something we could realistically ship instead of one risky "big bang."

ENGINEERING

Engineering: constraints as a design input

I bring engineers in early so constraints become a design input, not a late-stage blocker. We talk openly about what's trivial, what's expensive, and what's just not worth it.

Example – ReportCaster & IQ Plugin: I walked engineers through ideal flows and then negotiated trade-offs — keeping high-impact interactions, dropping the "two-week button" that wasn't worth the cost. That's how we stayed ambitious without being unrealistic.

CUSTOMER REALITY

Support & QA: protecting the edge cases

In legacy products, support and QA see where users actually suffer. I treat them as primary inputs, not afterthoughts.

Example – ReportCaster: we had almost no formal UX history, but support had years of tickets and patterns. I sat with them to understand where users were getting stuck and which workarounds they relied on. Those pain points shaped the new flows, defaults, and test scenarios QA could validate.

SMES & DATA SCIENTISTS

SMEs & Data Scientists: translating complexity

With SMEs, my job is translation. I learn their world deeply, then design a version of it that non-experts can use without feeling lost or stupid.

Example – ML Functions / Predict Data: I spent time with our principal data scientist learning how model training truly worked. Together we reshaped it into a guided, step-based workflow that analysts could follow, while still respecting all the underlying ML complexity.

My Frameworks

I keep my frameworks lightweight and repeatable — enough structure to align a team, not enough to suffocate it. They're built for legacy systems, AI/ML, and environments where you rarely get perfect inputs.

MINDSET

The D.E.S.I.G.N. framework

A mindset for designing within constraints and leading through collaboration: D – Discover Deeply (talk to everyone, learn the system), E – Empathize with the Ecosystem (users and builders), S – Simplify the Chaos (map, cluster, prioritize), I – Iterate with Inclusion (prototype with the team, not alone), G – Grow through Constraints (let limits sharpen the solution), N – Navigate Forward (carry the lessons into the next release, not just the next ticket).

SYSTEMS LENS

Current → Ideal workflow mapping

I always start with two pictures: how things actually work today and how they should work. For legacy tools, that means studying the old UI, digging into pain points, and asking support and SMEs what would truly make their lives easier.

The "ideal" isn't fantasy — it's the most respectful improvement over the current reality, sequenced in a way engineering can actually deliver.

DECISION-MAKING

Trade-offs, priorities, and teaching judgment

Not every idea deserves the same amount of engineering pain. I coach teams to ask: is this interaction worth two weeks of backend work, or is it a nice-to-have we can park?

I think in must-haves, good-to-haves, and visionary next. With junior designers, I don't just review screens — I walk through why this is the right call given the constraints, so they learn to think like product owners, not just UI owners.

Mentorship

I mentor because the industry doesn't just need more designers — it needs more clear thinkers who can navigate complexity, advocate for users, and work well with engineers and PMs.

ADPLIST

Mentoring the wider community

On ADPList, I primarily meet design students, job seekers, and early-career designers. They come in with questions about portfolios, interviews, and "how do I even get into B2B or enterprise UX?"

I help them get clear on what they actually want, sharpen their case studies around outcomes (not screens), and build confidence in talking about their work instead of apologizing for it.

INSIDE TEAMS

Growing designers around me

Internally, I've mentored designers stepping into complex products like ReportCaster, ML Functions, and the IQ Plugin. I bring them into the history, decisions, and politics of the work so they're not just inheriting Figma files — they're inheriting context and ownership.

We focus on systems thinking, collaboration with engineers, and building product vision so they can ship with confidence instead of just "doing the UI."

What People Say

A few excerpts from people I’ve worked closely with — across product, data science, engineering, and design leadership.

“Anuja consistently brought clarity to highly technical workflows and unified engineering, PM, QA, and data science around a shared direction.”

Marcus Horbach, Ph.D. · Principal Data Scientist

“Her ability to drive alignment across multiple disciplines is rare.”

Sr. Product Manager

“She’s the kind of UX leader any team would be lucky to have.”

Principal System Software Engineer

Full Recommendations

If you’d like more detail, here are longer-form recommendations grouped by role.

PMs
  • Vijay Raman · VP of Product Management
    “She brings a rare combination of strategic thinking, design intuition, and the ability to work seamlessly across product, engineering, and business teams… She quickly earned the trust of stakeholders at all levels and elevated the quality of decisions and execution around her.”
  • Aniket Awchare · Sr. Product Manager
    “Anuja demonstrated exceptional ability to understand intricate workflows and translate them into elegant, user-centric designs… Her professionalism, creativity, and dedication to delivering intuitive user experiences make her an invaluable contributor to any design-led team.”
  • Karishma Khadge · Sr. Product Manager
    “Her design thinking workshops and prototype walkthroughs often became the foundation for key product decisions, driving clarity and alignment across cross-functional teams.”
Engineering
  • Yingchun Chen · Principal System Software Engineer
    “She impressed everyone with how quickly she grasped all aspects of a highly intricate system and translated that understanding into a clear, modern, and user-centered design… She’s the kind of UX leader any team would be lucky to have.”
Design & Leadership
  • Dave Pfeiffer · Director of Design
    “Anuja brings energy and determination to tackling complex design challenges… She is willing to take on difficult problems and push for creative solutions, even under tight timelines.”
Customer-Facing & SMEs
  • Anita George · Principal Account Technology Strategist
    “Her design was clean, intuitive, and clearly addressed the needs of users across different skill levels… Anuja has a remarkable ability to bridge the gap between core product features and an enhanced user experience.”
Mentees
  • Reviews from ADPList mentees available on request — they mostly speak to clarity, confidence-building, and learning how to navigate real-world collaboration with PMs and engineers.

Want to Work Together?

I’m exploring Senior, Lead, and Principal Product Design roles where I can own complex systems, enterprise UX, and AI/ML workflows — and bring teams with me.

If this leadership style sounds like what your product needs, I’d love to hear what you’re building and where you’re stuck. That’s usually where I do my best work.

Email Me Connect on LinkedIn