Ruta Raju

Vice President of Product Design & Research

2024 - Current

Global Head of User Experience Design & Research

2019 - 2024

Vice President Wellbeing Products & UX

2015 - 2019

Managed various responsibilities, overseeing the User Experience (UX), User Research, and Mobile Product teams. My primary role involved uniting cross-functional teams to shape the product vision and strategy in the crawl, walk, and run phases. This approach ensured that our design and development processes were iterative and focused on creating user value centered around crucial metrics. Cultivated a resilient team with robust UX practices & methodologies, enabling the team to function confidently in the face of ambiguity. Led mobile growth and adoption, which resulted in 10x growth and an app store rating of 4.5 stars. Collaborated with Anthem Inc. to white-label the Castlight app to Engage. We onboarded an impressive 1.5 million users, marking a significant milestone in our joint venture.

Founder

2015 - 2016

Founded Geopops, a unique app designed for college students that enables them to leave hidden messages in specific geo-locations for their friends. As a hands-on founder, I took on various roles to Build-Measure-Learn. Passionately pitched the vision at diverse forums, successfully securing seed funding and assembling a skilled founding team.

Design Leadership (Mint.com Mobile Apps)

2012 - 2015

As the design leader, I prioritized the holistic user experience for the Mint mobile app and Mint Bills. By strategically planning projects, cultivating partnerships, and nurturing talent, I ensured a seamless UX journey. Additionally, I facilitated collaborations with Apple for TouchID and Apple Watch Mint App showcase at WWDC.

Director Product Design, Cloud Products

2010 - 2012

Led cross-functional teams of designers and developers to create innovative "proof of concepts" through a hybrid approach combining Design Thinking and Lean Startup methodologies. Successfully shipped products such as Consumer 360 (CRM Dashboard), Travel OnDemand, and Employee Onboarding apps.

Director User Experience Design, Front Doors Group

2008 - 2010

Lead a team of interaction & visual designers on core pillar products like Yahoo.com, MyYahoo, and Toolbar.

Sr. Manager User Experience Design, Yahoo! India

2005 - 2008

I was the founder of the Yahoo India UX & Research team, successfully scaling it to over 35 members. I played a leading role in designing and launching key India products such as cricket, movies, jobs, front page, among others. Furthermore, I was instrumental in setting up one of the first usability labs in Yahoo! India, marking a significant contribution to the company's innovation efforts.

UI Practice Head

2002 - 2005

Lead UX Designer

1999 - 2002