Everyone has a story and this is mine
I'm Shine Krishna. I spent my childhood in India with a pencil in hand, dreaming of being an artist. Life had other plans. I studied commerce, climbed the conventional ladder, and tried to ignore the pull toward creativity.
Eventually, I couldn't anymore.
Today, I'm a Lead Product and Experience Designer who specialises in untangling complexity at scale, where business strategy, technical constraints and human needs meet.
And I'm still learning. I'm studying a Master of Applied Artificial Intelligence at Auckland University of Technology, focusing on how AI is designed into products and services: solution design, governance and ethics, and agentic AI. AI is already part of how I work, from research to workflow mapping and prototyping, and I want to design AI products that people understand and trust, not just use the tools.
What I've delivered
At Transmax, I used Claude Code to build a catalogue of 251 workflows in about 6 weeks, work estimated to take two quarters by hand.
At Westpac, I led UX for the Depositor Compensation Scheme through to launch. Research showed customers needed clearer information, not a new contact channel, which helped the bank avoid unnecessary investment. I also owned the RED design system and introduced experience map and user flow templates that other designers adopted.
At Spark NZ, I led design for MySpark Business, a B2B self-service portal. We cut call centre volume by 20% and grew Managed Data customer adoption from 0 to 50%. "The wall", my journey mapping approach, became standard practice across the team.
How I work
I believe great design is about turning messy problems into something people can actually use. I like to zoom out before I zoom in. I notice the gaps others walk past. At Westpac, I saw that our design ways of working were different across teams. So I stepped in, set shared ways of working for 16 designers, and helped push the RED design system forward. Nobody asked me to. I just saw what needed fixing and got on with it.
also believe in making things visible. At Spark, I built a big journey map on the wall. It brought together people who had never worked with UX before. Suddenly everyone could see the problem the same way. That's when the real conversations started. And I try to leave things better than I found them. The practices I set up, like journey mapping and user flow templates, were adopted by other designers. That's the kind of impact I care about.
Experience
Senior Product Designer (Contract), Transmax
April 2026 to September 2026
Built a catalogue of 251 customer workflows for a SaaS traffic management platform using Claude Code and Copilot, and planned and ran the validation process with Product, Delivery and subject matter experts.
Senior Experience Designer, Westpac NZ
May 2020 to Aprl 2026
Delivered experience design across 6+ projects, often supporting 2 squads at once. Led UX for the Depositor Compensation Scheme through to launch, owned the RED design system, co-led concept design for business lending, and drove discovery for the Westpac One app redesign. Set ways of working for 16 designers, ran design critiques and tips sessions, and mentored junior designers.
Key projects: Depositor Compensation Scheme, Business Lending, Westpac One, Westpac One business, RED Design System.
Senior Experience Designer, Spark NZ
November 2016 to April 2020
Led design for MySpark Business, cutting call centre volume by 20% and lifting SUS scores from about 45 to 80+. Designed 6 micro-portals that unlocked 4 new customer segments, including government. Won the Best Team Player Award.
Key projects: MySpark Business, Managed Data, Xtra Mail, Broadband Join Online.
Product Design Lead, Fastfilmz
September 2015 to October 2016
Led design strategy, UX, visual design and branding for a video-on-demand app across iOS and Android, built for low-bandwidth use. The app became one of the top-rated movie apps on Google Play and was later acquired by SHAREit.
Senior UX/UI Designer, Cisco
July 2012 to October 2014
Designed set-top box and companion app experiences for Cisco Videoscape clients, whose TV services reached 10+ million households. Created 4-key remote navigation and interfaces that worked well on low bandwidth.
Let's talk
I'm exploring Principal level UX roles in Australia where I can solve complex problems, mentor teams, and drive strategic design decisions.
Email: mails4shine@gmail.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shinekrish
Phone: AU +61 450 542 255