Design Journeys 101: A Rendezvous with Rohan Baruah
Meet Rohan Baruah, Projects Lead at Monsoonfish. He has been with Monsoonfish since 2016 and continues to spearhead multiple projects that attract great appreciation from the client base. Part of an employee journey series we’re commencing at Monsoonfish, this blog is pieced together from a fireside chat with Rohan where he gets candid about all things design, what inspires him, and some lesser-known insights. So, let’s get started!
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself, what got you started in design, and what keeps you going.
Rohan: It was 2005, and I believed Rock (music) was what’s going to deliver us from the apocalypse. Fanatical beliefs aside, I started making band posters for some of the local gigs here and I realised I had a knack for it. Fast forward a decade, and what I love to do is tackle a problem, get comfortable with it, and facilitate in solving it. I think my biggest learning has been this huge shift from it being about me to it being about who the design impacts.
Q: What has been a high moment in your career? Any project (or other efforts) that made you feel exceptionally elated?
Rohan: Recently, we worked on an ed-tech infrastructure that crossed a billion learning sessions across the audience that mattered. It’s humbling to be part of something like this. Does it look great? No. Does it have mind-blowing interactions? Maybe not. But it’s relevant, solves a problem, and addresses a need in context.
Q: How has COVID-19 impacted work? Or has it? How did you adapt?
Rohan: I think we’ve already heard enough horror stories. When I look back, mine wasn’t. I’m as good as my team, and I have a damn good team. We’ve adapted to new processes and working styles and came out looking tough as nails from the situation. I can’t say it’s been easy, but what has helped is trust and communication with the process and each other.
Q: What are the major challenges for designers in these changing times?
Rohan: I feel like it has become such a people profession. We solve problems for people and it’s important that we understand them, humour them, and sometimes even fight with them. Earlier, we could meet them and now everyone is an avatar on Zoom. The challenge really is to maintain that connection.
Q: From a design project standpoint, how do you go about understanding requirements and offering solutions to clients?
Rohan: I think every project is three questions: Why, What, and How. Why would cover the intention behind taking up the project and justifying the need. What denotes the mental model, format of understanding, and the user. How involves the sensorial parts: how they see, hear, or perceive the design. This method of questioning is what allows us to design effectively, flip a brief, or discover something completely new.
Q: What drastic changes in design trends are you looking forward to the most?
Rohan: What I love about design today is that we are heard as a community. We have a seat at the table. Designers all over are now talking strategy and this requires understanding a broad set of things. It’s going to be a real rollercoaster ride ahead, but like all rollercoasters, it’s going to feel amazing.
Q: Lastly, what are your other spheres of interest? Anything that’s worth a mention.
Rohan: I love sketching on my iPad; sketching to me has always been the best way to unwind. Off late, I’ve also been reading a lot about Business and Economics. I’m a wannabe martial artist, but don’t let that scare you. Currently, I am only a danger to myself. :D
With an energetic team of 40+ designers, Monsoonfish specializes in Product Strategy, Design, UX, and UI. Team Monsoonfish works on various mobile applications, web applications, software, applications, and websites across multiple domains where they’ve added value in terms of user-relevant product features, seamless user experience (UX) design, and stunning graphic (UI) design.
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