About Me

I’m a Chicago-based UX Researcher & Designer with a background in Computer Science. I specialize in creating accessible, intuitive solutions that align with both user as well as business needs.

During my undergrad, I started as a frontend developer and quickly realized that I enjoyed the WHYs behind building a product more than the HOWs.

Since then I've helped build 0-1 products in startups, worked on making big tech and AI more accessible (@Google) and shaped design strategies for business clients. I recently graduated with a Masters of Science in Engineering Design Innovation @Northwestern University.

A portrait of Palka Dhirawani wearing a white dress, smiling at the camera

If my life was a moodboard of my experiences and everything I liked

A moodboard of 9 pictures of my interests - including trekking, beaches, food styling & photography, singing, iced coffee, playing the guitar, solving sudoku, reading books, stargazing.