We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kanika Sharma. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kanika below.

Alright, Kanika thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Any advice for creating a more inclusive workplace?

An inclusive workplace starts with inclusive hiring practices, but it doesn’t stop there. It’s not just about bringing in diverse talent. It’s about creating an environment where they can actually thrive. Hiring should be fair, unbiased, and open to people from different backgrounds, but that’s just the first step. What really matters is making sure they feel valued, heard, and supported.

I’ve seen how workplaces that respect different work styles and give people space to process and contribute in their own way make a real difference. On the other hand, I’ve also been in spaces where only the loudest voices get heard, shutting out different perspectives. But when leadership listens, encourages open feedback, and genuinely values diverse input, everything changes.

Performative inclusion isn’t enough, hiring diverse talent without mentorship or leadership opportunities doesn’t do much. True inclusion means giving people the space, support, and opportunities to grow, lead, and contribute in their own way.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I didn’t always know I would become a UX Researcher and Designer. My journey into this field has been anything but linear. I grew up in India, in a home where education, hard work, and helping others were core values. My grandfather, a deeply compassionate man, believed that small actions could create lasting change, and that belief has stayed with me ever since.

From a young age, I was drawn to storytelling, especially through movies. Disney and Pixar animated films inspired me, not just as entertainment but as a powerful way to shape emotions and perspectives. That passion led me to motion graphics and visual storytelling, and before long, I was determined to learn the craft. Without access to formal training, I taught myself motion design from scratch, relying on trial and error, countless late nights, and sheer curiosity.

That hard work landed me a job as a motion graphic designer at Paytm, one of India’s largest fintech companies. It was an exciting time, blending design, technology, and storytelling to craft compelling visuals and brand communication. But in 2019, life took an unexpected turn when I suffered a spinal injury that forced me to take a break. While on bed rest, I had time to reflect on my journey and think about what I truly wanted next. That’s when I decided to pursue my dream of higher education and move to the U.S.—the land of opportunity, innovation, and, of course, Hollywood.

I initially came to study motion graphics at SCAD, but everything changed during a collaborative project with Google. It was my first exposure to user-centered design, and suddenly, everything clicked. I realized I didn’t just want to create visuals—I wanted to design experiences that truly help people. That moment shifted my career path toward UX Design and Research, where I now focus on understanding human behavior, solving real-world problems, and creating meaningful solutions. At the heart of it all, I’m a storyteller—whether through design, research, or life itself. My mission is to create experiences that empower, connect, and truly make a difference.

I approach research as part detective and part storyteller. I dig deep into behavioral patterns, uncover insights, and translate them into strategies that help businesses create products that actually work for people. My work spans across user research, design strategy, and behavioral science, helping teams build experiences that are functional and truly intuitive.

Making the transition from motion graphics to UX research wasn’t easy, but it reinforced something I’ve always believed in—staying curious. I’ve never been someone who settles into a comfort zone. I thrive on asking questions, challenging assumptions, and learning from every experience.

Outside of work, I find inspiration in photography, books, and movies, each offers a different lens to understand the world. I love hiking and exploring nature, and one of my biggest dreams is to travel the whole world one day, experiencing different cultures and perspectives firsthand.

At its core, design isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about accessibility, function, and emotion. Every small decision has the power to shape how people experience the world, and I’m here to ensure those decisions are made with real people in mind. That’s what keeps me going.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

One of the hardest things I’ve ever done was leaving everything behind in India and moving to the U.S. alone with my cat Alice. It was more than just chasing a dream—it meant starting over in an unfamiliar place, far from family, friends, and everything I knew.

I had spent years building a life back home. I had a routine, people I loved, and a sense of comfort. But deep down, I knew I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to push myself, experience the world beyond what I knew, and grow in ways I couldn’t if I stayed in the same place. So, I took the leap.

But nothing could have prepared me for the challenges that came with it. The biggest struggle wasn’t just adapting to a new culture—it was feeling like I didn’t belong. The language barrier hit me harder than I expected. I could read and write in English just fine, but speaking fluently? Understanding fast-paced conversations? That was a whole different challenge.

I remember sitting in a room full of people, struggling to keep up with discussions, missing half the words, and feeling like an outsider. Simple things like ordering food, asking for directions, or making small talk felt overwhelming. I was frustrated. There were days when I wondered if I had made a mistake, when self-doubt crept in, when I felt like I wasn’t enough.

But I refused to let that define my experience. Instead of avoiding situations that made me uncomfortable, I forced myself to adapt. I watched movies with subtitles, practiced speaking even when I felt embarrassed, and slowly put myself out there. It wasn’t easy. It took time. But little by little, things started to change. I began understanding more, speaking with more confidence, and finally feeling like I belonged.

Looking back, those struggles shaped me in ways I never expected. They taught me that resilience isn’t about having everything figured out—it’s about showing up, pushing through discomfort, and trusting that things will get better with time.

As they say in the Bollywood movie Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani– ‘To reach somewhere, you have to leave something behind.’ That’s exactly what I did. And no matter how difficult it was, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

For the longest time, I believed that everything I created had to be perfect before I put it out into the world—whether it was a design, a project, or even just speaking up in conversations. I thought that if something wasn’t flawless, it wasn’t good enough. That mindset pushed me to work harder, but it also held me back. I hesitated to share ideas, second-guessed my work, and spent too much time chasing perfection instead of making progress.

That started to change when I moved to the U.S. and found myself in an environment where ideas moved fast, and people weren’t afraid to fail, iterate, and improve on the go. I noticed how others would confidently share rough ideas, take feedback, and refine them later. Meanwhile, I was still overthinking my responses and waiting until I felt “ready.”

I slowly realized that this perfectionist mindset wasn’t helping me—it was getting in the way of growth. I had to shift my thinking and accept that putting something out there, even if it’s imperfect, is better than not doing it at all. Creativity, research, and design are all about iteration—learning, improving, and evolving.

Once I let go of the need for perfection, I became more confident, took more risks, and learned faster than ever before. Now, I remind myself that progress matters more than perfection, and that mindset has made all the difference.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kanikasharmas.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kanikasharma-uxresearch