Influential Woman · Software
Uma Muthukaruppan
Lead Designer for Mobile Products, Mobile Products
San Ramon, CA
Her Story
About Uma
Uma Muthukaruppan serves as Lead Designer for Mobile Products, where she develops AI-enabled workflows and designs SaaS software products that handle extensive data sets. With a background that began as a software engineer approximately 10 years ago, she transitioned into design after earning a UX Certification from General Assembly and completing an internship. She also holds a Master's in Computer Science and a certification in AI design processes from Stanford. Uma attributes her success to bridging the gap between complex backend coding and seamless user interactions, making software feel like second nature. She values integrity and self-motivation in her work, has delivered guest lectures at her design school, and has seen her prototypes contribute to revenue-generating deals. Her career advice emphasizes staying updated, trusting the process, and pursuing personal passions for sustainability in the industry.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Uma
01What do you attribute your success to?
Success for me is when a human being can use a software product like it's second nature. Bridging the gap from the unfamiliar or difficult coding behind the scenes to the actual work the user wants to do.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Keep yourself updated and trust the process. That's what I received and that's what I applied.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Explore on what you like, because it's very hard to get lost in the industry trends and patterns. First, explore on what are your likes, what are your passions, and then navigate towards that passion so that it's sustainable.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge working in global teams and for products that are globally used is accommodating different user perspectives where users want the same feature to work differently, and establishing a common ground that satisfies a majority of users across the globe.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity and self-motivation. Working in IT, it's hard to expect rewards and motivation instantly, so being self-motivated and integrity, like, do the same thing even when nobody's watching you, nobody's micromanaging you is really important.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.