About Me

Fun Facts

Obsessed with garlic bread: It is the first thing I learned in the kitchen and remains my go-to dish to bring to a potluck.
Expert in planning multi-scale surprise parties: I absolutely LOVE planning parties and celebrating! I am sure it will be my side hustle once I have my UX career figured out.
Third culture kid: I grew up in Saudi Arabia, studied in Pakistan, and currently reside in the US. I am not sure what I would call my home, but I know one thing for sure - shawarma every time!

Achievements

IAAP 'Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies' Certification: I passed the exam in the May of 2022 as a step towards sharpening my A11y fundamentals.
Research Paper at CHI 2021: I authored the paper on fighting DeepFakes with a curated strategy. It was my first experience combining AI and HCI, and has kickstarted many of my projects at this intersection.
Organizations: Utilising my leadership skills, I have chartered paths of organizations that serve the mission of empowering my community (UXPA at UT, InclusiveU, LUMS EMS, etc).

1000 ft View of my UX Philosophy

Driven by challenging UX problems, I view the disciplines of research and design as the yin and yang of the user-centered design process. Every solution I design begins with research that supports my decisions and helps me empathise with the 'user' in the process.

My Superpowers

I bring a unique perspective that has been born out of a mesh of diverse experiences

The terms UX, Computer Science, A11y, and Psychology point to a tangible set of experiences that are a part of my education and my daily life. They have helped me see, think, and hear better.

With a background in tech, I am especially equiped to build practical designs and facilitate collaboration with dev teams.

Similarly, a foundation in cognitive psychology has helped me ask better questions, untangle the interplay of mental biases within users and ourselves, and design with impact.In sum, I bring an intentional and critical yet collaborative spirit on the table.

I harbor a curious spirit which strives to learn and get better

I not only take pride in my interdisciplinary skillset, but I also go beyond the basics of these disciplines. Some of my latest pursuits involve:

Using my CPACC and WCAG knowledge to streamline sources of knowledge for my community (details on InclusiveU coming soon!) and challenging myself to think about the critical issues in this space (how do you create products flexible enough to cater to multiple disabilities?)
Utilising my technical skills to explore new horizons, such as on-going projects in VR and conversational AI
Branching into different industries (career services, employment services, smart tech, music) to get different flavors of UX and learning what it really means to have transferrable skills

I can die peacefully if I am able to...

Contribute to creating an inspired and empowered community

I want to have contributed in creating a safe space for everyone where they feel empowered, welcomed, and hopeful. I believe I can use my voice to raise awareness, share my knowledge, and inspire people to climb this ladder with me.

Wave an inclusive magic wand using my interdisciplinary spell-set

Having grown with a head immersed in Disney and Harry Potter, I believe my purpose is to spread the magic of hope and empowerment in the people that need it the most: the minorities. I hope to have my interdisciplinary mindset be cautious of the sociological, economical, and political circumstances and use my capabilities to evaluate what the best solution could be.

I want to get into the muddy landscape, and push my problem-solving and challenge-loving self to the edge to craft innovative solutions.

A researcher with strong design fundamentals and passion for accessibility

A Little About Me