Helping founders and technical teams move from ambiguity to working products through product design, research, and AI-assisted workflows.
A consulting practice for product design and research, sized to whatever shape your problem takes — from a four-hour session to a year-long fractional role.
About
Kalpana means imagination. INK is what makes it real.
This practice is run by Maya Venkatraman — a designer and researcher who has spent two decades helping users understand, interpret, and act on complex information.
She brings the experience of leading design and research at startups, established healthcare companies, and global enterprises — typically as the sole or lead designer, owning the work from research strategy through shipped UI.
What I do
01
Workflow design, interaction design, and visual systems for complex products — especially in regulated, high-stakes, or expert-user domains.
02
From discovery interviews to FDA-grade summative usability studies. I've built and run end-to-end research programs from scratch.
03
Embedded design ownership and thought partnership for teams that need experienced product design support without a full-time hire.
Engagement
Across any of these models, I take work end-to-end:
01
A few hours to a day — design reviews, research consultations, strategy conversations. Best when you need senior eyes on a specific question.
02
Defined scope, defined timeline — typically weeks to a few months. Best when you have a concrete need with a beginning and an end.
03
Ongoing, embedded with your team — a few hours a week or days a month. Best when you need senior design ownership without a full-time hire.
Send a note — I'd be happy to learn more about your project and share relevant work samples.