Interview with Akhil Patel
Akhil is currently the Founding Designer/Head of Design of an AI pioneer startup, Hero - building the world's first daily assistant. He's responsible for everything design and brand in the company.
Design Legend Interview
8 August 2025
I’m a product designer with a background in shaping high-impact digital products at companies like Microsoft, Meta, and startups. I have a Bachelors and Masters in Interaction Design.
I design because I believe design is the most powerful bridge between imagination and reality. It’s a way to create impact at scale and solve meaningful problems beautifully.
I chose it - though in hindsight, I think design chose me. I was always drawn to shaping experiences that felt effortless.
I design digital products, especially at the intersection of AI, utility, and delight. I want to design more human: AI collaboration experiences that feel magical, not mechanical.
Obsess over craft and outcomes equally. Build a portfolio that solves real problems, not just visual ones. And keep learning, design legends are students forever.
A good designer makes things work well. A great designer makes things work beautifully, feels inevitable, and solves unspoken needs.
A good design disappears- it feels natural, inevitable. I evaluate design by its clarity, emotional impact, and ability to scale without breaking.
Good design turns “function” into “experience.” It’s an investment in growth, trust, and loyalty- cheaper than fixing bad design later.
I’d design a platform that gives people superpowers in their daily lives, making productivity deeply personal.
My dream project is to design a global AI assistant that adapts to every individual’s needs, blending into their life seamlessly (like Jarvis from Iron Man).
My secret: never separating creativity from constraints- they push each other to greatness.
Dieter Rams, Jony Ive, and Naoto Fukasawa inspire me for their restraint, clarity, and timelessness.
I love the iPod’s click wheel- it’s proof that interaction design can be poetic.
My greatest design is Hero, an AI-powered personal assistant app. It’s great because it blends utility, context, and human warmth into something people love to use daily.
Seek feedback brutally early. I became better by shipping, failing, and learning fast.
I’d be in some form of storytelling, just in a different medium.
Design is intentional problem-solving with empathy at its core.
Mentors, peers, and users who gave honest feedback, often when it was hard to hear.
Curiosity, relentless iteration, and a bias toward action.
Self-doubt, resource constraints, and convincing people to take bold risks with me.
Tell the story: problem, process, outcome. Make it visual, make it human.
I’m exploring AI-generated, shareable experiences that merge data, storytelling, and personal expression.
To design products that feel like they’ve always existed- because they fit so naturally into people’s lives.
Originality, vision, and work that sets the bar for what’s next.
Design can democratize access: making complex things simple and inclusive.
I’m working on AI-driven design tools that push personal productivity into new territory.
Hero! Because it helps people every day in small but meaningful ways.
I’d like to see more long-term thinking and less trend-chasing.
Toward hyper-personalized, adaptive experiences powered by AI.
Weeks to months, depending on scope- great design needs breathing room.
By understanding the problem deeply- before touching pixels.
“Clarity over cleverness.”
Great design sets trends- but listens to the cultural moment.
Technology is my medium- it shapes what’s possible.
Figma, Origami, Framer, Rive, After Effects, etc. and AI tools for ideation and testing.
They’re the emotional layer, turning usability into experience.
“What problem does this solve for the user?”
think about what principles made it work and how I can apply them elsewhere.
Someone with complementary skills and the same obsession with excellence. Yes, co-design sparks magic.
Engineers and PMs who pushed me to think beyond “how it looks” into “how it works at scale.”
The Design of Everyday Things- it hardwired empathy into my process.
By shipping real products, relentlessly refining my process, and learning from every failure.
I’d love to talk with Leonardo da Vinci- he embodied cross-disciplinary genius.
I’m grateful- recognition motivates me, but that's not the end goal.
Blue, Kyoto, South Indian thali, autumn, my sketchbook, Apple.
During a live demo, my prototype crashed- so I live-sketched the flow for the audience. It got more applause than the actual product.
Seeing someone light up while using something I designed.
i wouldn't call myself a great designer. I'm still learning and evolving. But i appreciate the confidence you'r showing in me.
I imagine design shaping human-machine symbiosis far beyond current imagination.
I care about designing with depth, empathy, and intent. Every pixel should have a reason to exist.
Designer Interview
8 August 2025
I have been designing products for years, working on experiences at Microsoft, Meta, and startups and i studied Interaction Design during my Bachelors and Masters. I have always been drawn to the point where function, beauty, and human behavior meet, so becoming a designer felt natural.
Moat recently I was the founding designer at Hero AI where I helped create the world's first mobile daily assistant.
For me, design is intentional problem solving. It is about turning complexity into clarity.
I enjoy designing digital products that combine utility with a sense of delight, especially AI-driven experiences.
My favorite design is Hero, my AI-powered assistant app. It brings together context, utility, and a human touch in a way that people enjoy using every day.
The first thing I designed was posters for a fragrance company.
My favorite platform to design for is mobile. It is personal and always with the user, which makes it a powerful design canvas.
I feel most creative when I am deeply immersed in a real user problem and thinking about bold solutions.
I focus most on clarity in interactions and creating an emotional connection with the user.
When I design, I feel focused, curious, and excited.
When my designs are brought to life, I feel grateful and proud to see them out in the world.
A design is successful when it solves the right problem in a way that feels natural to the user.
When judging a design, I look first at usability, emotional impact, and whether it will last over time.
Designers have a responsibility to create work that is inclusive, responsible, and sustainable. Good design should improve the world in some way.
I think the design field is moving toward hyper-personalization, stronger AI collaboration, and deeper integration into daily life.
My exhibitions have been product launches that reached a global audience. I would like my next to be an interactive installation.
I get inspiration from people, culture, and technology, especially by observing how people adapt to new tools.
My style is minimal, purposeful, and human-centered. It has been shaped by working on large-scale products with real-world impact.
I live in San Francisco, which is a hub for innovation. The culture here pushes me to think globally and design for diverse audiences.
I work with companies by deeply understanding their goals and aligning design strategy with their vision.
My advice to companies is to choose a designer who listens, challenges assumptions, has a deep love for craft and aligns with their values.
My process starts with understanding the problem, exploring many directions, refining quickly, testing with users, and then polishing.
My five favorite design items at home are my iPhone, mechanical keyboard, sketchbook, noise-cancelling headphones, and my favorite coffee mug.
A typical day for me is a mix of deep design work, reviewing feedback, and exploring new tools or ideas (currently learning Javascript).
My advice to young designers is to learn fast, build often, seek feedback early, and avoid simply following trends.
The positives are the creative fulfillment and the ability to make an impact. The negatives are the constant deadlines and rapid context switching.
My golden rule is to design for the user first, always!
The most important skills are curiosity, empathy, and the ability to clearly communicate ideas.
I use Figma, Origami, Framer, Rive, AI tools, and a library of books and references for inspiration.
I manage my time by working in focused sprints, setting clear milestones, and saving perfectionism for the final stage.
It can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months to design something, depending on scope.
The question I hear most often is “Where do you get your ideas?”
My most important job experience was redesigning a core Microsoft Search product used by hundreds of millions. It taught me about scale and precision.
I have worked with Meta, Microsoft, startups, and on independent projects.
I enjoy work that blends utility with emotional resonance. It is design that uses both head and heart.
My future plans are to create more AI-powered experiences that feel human and meaningful.
I work both independently and in teams, depending on the project.
I am currently working on forward looking ad experiences.
People can contact me through my LinkedIn.
I believe the highest purpose of design is to make life simpler, richer, and more human. Technology should serve people, not the other way around.