Meet Trusha Chandan | Product Designer, Creative Strategist and an Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Trusha Chandan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Trusha, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The unique and serendipitous manner in which I met my co-founders and embarked on our start-up journey unfolds against the backdrop of the debut of COVID-19. While participating in a study abroad program at INSEAD Business School in Singapore, a place renowned for its robust entrepreneurial spirit, I was compelled to return to India several weeks early due to the burgeoning pandemic. My entrepreneurial dreams found an unexpected outlet when, amidst the anxiety of catching the last flight pre-border closure, I discovered INSEAD’s COVID-19 Innovation Competition on social media.

My forthcoming summer internship in California had been rescinded due to the pandemic’s volatility, leaving me pondering my next steps during the unoccupied summer. Opting to leverage my academic training, I entered the competition to hone my pitch skills in front of investors. The competition, attracting over 200 participants, serendipitously introduced me to my future co-founders during concept submissions. Drawn together by a mutual goal and shared concerns about balancing remote work and home life amidst family and cohabitants, we formed a team.

Despite being scattered across various locations, we united virtually to ideate, scrutinize the prevailing market conditions, and anticipate post-COVID workplace trends. Recognizing the severe impact on the hotel industry, despite its existing infrastructure and proximity to most residences, an innovative idea sprouted: What if people could book hotel rooms or facilities on an hourly basis to maintain productivity, paralleling an office environment?

Competing against over 20 teams, our concept was rewarded with a £6,000 launch fund from Lake Star. This exhilarating and satisfying journey, fortified by invaluable support and guidance from seasoned Entrepreneurs in Residence at INSEAD, propelled us from conception to execution without investing any personal funds. Within six months, we successfully launched a pilot program in London, collaborating with more than ten hotels, including notable names like Hilton, Conrad, and The Standard. Remarkably, we managed to increase our valuation to $3.9 million in less than two years.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Originating from a small town in India, my upbringing was marked by modest financial circumstances, yet I draw immense inspiration from my parents, who forged their path, enduring considerable hardships along the way. These experiences have given me a dual perspective on life. My grandfather introduced me to the concept of “Jugad,” the art of creatively solving problems with available resources while aiding others. This philosophy highlighted the stark contrast between the ease of problem-solving with financial means and the struggles faced by the middle class, underprivileged, and uneducated. Education was a cornerstone in my family, with my parents placing a high value on academic excellence. Navigating school with undiagnosed dyslexia and still meeting their expectations taught me the importance of hard work, ambition, recognizing and building on your strengths, and the continual pursuit of learning and personal growth.

This learning served me well in my academic journey at the Art Center College of Design in California, where I earned a Bachelor of Science in Product Design, complemented by a Minor in Business. I quickly discovered and honed my knack for visual learning, out-of-the-box ideating, and business strategy skills.

As a Product Designer, Creative Strategist, and Entrepreneur, I harbor a deep-seated fascination for developing at the intersection of physical and digital product design, owing to my penchant for big-picture thinking. My career has been enriched by collaborations on research, design, and strategic endeavors with an array of Fortune 500 companies, such as Nissan & Infinity, PNC Financial Services, Peugeot, SIG, and Google. My expertise spans across Digital Product Design, User Experience and Interface Design, User Experience Research, Design and Business Strategy, and Visual Design. My multifaceted skill set allows me to navigate through various roles within a team, ensuring a holistic engagement in the end-to-end design process.

One of my defining abilities as a designer lies in my visual thinking and an acute ability to discern trends within the economic and cultural terrains across various industries. I delve into understanding the demands and needs of users, dissecting problems to their core, and promptly formulating innovative, out-of-the-box solutions that elegantly untangle complex, moving parts.

A pivotal goal propelling my creative journey revolves around designing for accessibility and inclusion, shaped significantly by witnessing my cousin navigate through 22 years of life with undiagnosed ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder. While these conditions posed challenges, they also bestowed upon her admirable strengths such as innate problem-solving, an innovative perspective, and a knack for disruptive solutions.

My realization is that a myriad of products and services, despite being crafted for the masses, lack user friendliness—particularly for those with special needs. Inspired by adults like my cousin and their unique challenges and strengths, I am presently working on a side project named “Aura.” It is a modular personalized brain-computer interface with augmented reality glasses for consumers that employs AI and machine learning algorithms to monitor and comprehend user behavior daily, employing cognitive-behavioral learning techniques to offer real-time, personalized guidance and support for adults with undiagnosed ADHD, Autism, and Sensory Processing Disorder. “Aura” aspires to simplify daily life, foster connections, enhance productivity, improve sleep, and promote mental health for its users.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Most of my friends are avid adventurers with extremely similar hobbies. I would recommend taking a day excursion to the Santa Catalina Islands to go camping, kayaking, and scuba diving, as well as hiking to Eaton Canyon.

It’s also a terrific day trip destination for going snowboarding or skiing at Big Bear, just a few hours’ drive away. Additionally, I would take them canyoning down San Antonio Falls, California, which is ideal for novices and intermediates. To get the best LA city views, a drive to Angles Crest Observatory at night is the perfect destination. The Silver Lake area boasts several fantastic restaurants, making it one of the greatest places to eat. My top picks for restaurants and desert places in Los Angeles are Urth Cafe, Pijja Palace, Ramen Tastonoya, Salt and Straw and Gyu Kaku.

When it comes to tourist spots, it’s fantastic to go to places like Hollywood Sign for a Hike, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Santa Monica Pier, Universal Studios, Disneyland, Griffith Observatory, and Redondo Beach or Malibu Beach and see movies at the El Capitan or Chinese Theater. If my visitors are up for some retail therapy, I’ll definitely take them to the Camarillo Outlets, Melrose Avenue, or Third Street in Santa Monica.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to devote my “shoutout” to my parents, who have instilled in me the values of perseverance, hard work, ambition, and the never-ending quest for knowledge and self-improvement. Without their financial sacrifices, support, direction, and encouragement, I never would have made it to the United States, much less Art Center College of Design.

Furthermore, I want to thank my friends at Caltech and ArtCenter for all of their help and support—no matter how small—with moving, selecting the appropriate classes, and helping with projects around finals. Even a small helping hand made a big difference in my ability to forge my own path.

Last but not least, I would like to give a shoutout to my school Art Center College of Design, whose transdisciplinary studio classes allowed me to experiment across various design domains. My initial focus lay in designing consumer goods and medical equipment, later evolving into a fervent passion for wearable technology and material innovation. In addition, study-abroad programs, which have taken me to China, and Singapore, have greatly enhanced my communication skills and deepened my understanding of diverse perspectives, fostering collaborative opportunities across various fields.

A transformative experience unfolded during my 2019 study abroad program with “Neuni Material Studio” in Shanghai. As one of the fortunate twelve chosen, we traversed China, exploring production processes, traditional crafts, and imbibing insights from renowned design fairs like Design Shanghai and Design Beijing. Observing travelers struggling with generic, cumbersome luggage, I innovated a patent-pending material from recycled airline waste and conceptualized ‘re-pack’—a light, durable, and sustainable modular luggage system, which garnered recognition at notable design exhibitions.

Up until that point, my intrigue was rooted in industrial design and tangible creations. However, a shift occurred in early 2020 during a study abroad program at INSEAD Business School, Singapore, where courses in Business, Strategy, Marketing, Negotiations, Entrepreneurship, and UX/UI Design stirred a growing passion within me. Consequently, I pivoted towards Business Strategy and Digital Design (UI/UX), integrating these learnings with my expertise as a Product Designer amidst the expanding digital world spurred by the onset of COVID.

Believing it imperative for designers to evolve with emerging trends and technologies, I aim to intertwine my roots in physical product design with digital product design. My journey since has interwoven design and business: coaching over 150 participants as part of INSEAD’s Design Thinking and Creativity for Business Program, aiding them in applying design thinking within their organizations, and, in some instances, launching their businesses.

Now, amidst the burgeoning AI revolution, I’m utilizing my newfound knowledge in Generational AI, exploring how to amalgamate my early passion for wearable tech, neuroscience, and psychology with digital design. My current research delves into brain-computer interface technology, augmented reality, and AI, exploring potential advantages for populations with neurodivergent traits, thus continuing my exploration and fusion of technology, design, and innovation.

Website: https://www.tbchandan.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trush_24/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trusha-chandan/