Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nikith Joshua DSouza. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Nikith Joshua thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
For me, design has always been about creating impact, not just making something look good. My career in healthcare has shown me the weight of that responsibility. When you design for clinical trials, you’re not just shaping a screen or a workflow; you’re indirectly shaping the experience of patients and researchers. The products I’ve worked on have touched more than eleven million patients around the world. Knowing that my work contributes to making clinical research more inclusive, accessible, and efficient is deeply rewarding.
I’ve always believed that good design should feel invisible. It should make complex things simple, give people confidence, and include voices that are often overlooked. In healthcare, especially, the stakes are high and the systems are complex, which makes it even more important to keep users at the center. Every time I see a design decision reduce confusion, save time, or give patients and clinicians more clarity, I’m reminded why I chose this path.
My mission isn’t tied to a single company. It’s rooted in the belief that design should serve people and create social good. Whether it’s in healthcare or beyond, I want my work to leave a positive mark by simplifying experiences, building trust, and making technology feel human
Nikith Joshua, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I like to call myself an “accidental designer.” Growing up, I thought I’d become a doctor. But somewhere between tinkering with my first PSP, obsessing over my Nokia Lumia phone, and sketching screens for my friends who struggled with code, I stumbled into design. What started as helping classmates visualize their ideas slowly became a career built on curiosity, empathy, and the belief that technology should feel human.
Today, I’m a Senior Product Designer with more than five years of experience working across healthcare, fintech, and enterprise platforms. My work in healthcare, particularly in clinical trials, has been the most meaningful. The products I’ve designed have touched over eleven million patients worldwide. When you’re designing for that scale, every detail matters. It’s not just about pixels, it’s about making sure patients feel included, researchers feel supported, and technology doesn’t get in the way of science. That sense of purpose keeps me grounded.
What sets me apart is the way I approach complexity. I thrive in messy spaces where workflows are long, data is dense, and stakes are high. My job is to bring clarity, to simplify without stripping away meaning, and to design systems that feel approachable even when the problem behind them is anything but simple. Over the years, I’ve built AI-driven tools that help researchers save days of work, run framing workshops with product managers and data scientists to align on vision, and led pattern design initiatives to make large platforms more consistent and scalable.
I’m proud of the impact my work has had, but I’m just as proud of the philosophy that drives it: make it simple, but significant. Whether I’m mentoring younger designers, speaking on panels, or sketching the first draft of a new idea, that mantra is what I return to. If there’s one thing I want people to take away from my work, it’s that design isn’t just about how something looks, it’s about how it makes people feel and the difference it makes in their lives.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
One of the biggest turning points in my journey was not getting into my dream college for my master’s program. At the time, it felt like a setback, but it pushed me toward a path I now feel truly grateful for. I am the first person in my family to pursue a master’s degree abroad, something made possible by the sacrifices my parents made and the values they passed on to me. Coming from humble beginnings, resilience was never just a choice; it became a way of life.
That path eventually led me to Indiana University Bloomington, where I pursued my master’s in Human-Computer Interaction. It was there that everything shifted. I met incredible people who became lifelong friends, worked with mentors who shaped the way I think about design, and had the chance to dive into projects that stretched me beyond what I thought I was capable of. Living away from home wasn’t easy, but it gave me perspective and strength. Each late-night project, each critique, and each breakthrough moment taught me not only about design but about perseverance and gratitude.
Indiana University gave me more than a degree; it gave me confidence, resilience, and a community that continues to inspire me. Looking back, I realize that the setback I once feared was what allowed me to grow into the person I am today.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
At the heart of my creative journey is a simple but powerful goal: to design with impact and purpose. My time at Oracle Cerner and later at Medidata shaped this belief in a profound way. Working on products that support over thirty-six thousand clinical trials and touch the lives of more than eleven million patients gave me perspective on what design can truly do. It isn’t just about creating an interface, it’s about ensuring that people at the most vulnerable points in their lives feel supported, included, and understood.
Placing humans at the center has always guided my approach. In healthcare, the complexity of systems can easily overshadow the people who rely on them. My mission has been to simplify without losing meaning, to design tools that give researchers clarity and patients a sense of trust. Each design decision becomes more than a feature.
That same philosophy carried into my time at Rocket Mortgage, where I worked on experiences that helped families take one of the biggest steps in their lives: buying a home. I designed tools that made the mortgage process less intimidating, reduced friction, and built trust, contributing to measurable growth and stronger customer confidence. This feature led to a lead-to-growth conversion rate of 23% used by 7.8 million users
Even at Deloitte, the mission of impact stayed with me. I worked on solutions that helped recruiters gain deeper visibility into their hiring pipeline, making the process more transparent and data-driven. By designing tools that saved time and uncovered insights, I was able to help recruiters focus more on people rather than process, which was both meaningful and rewarding.
What drives me is the possibility of bringing humanity to technology, no matter the industry. Whether it’s enabling scientists to conduct life-changing research, helping families secure a home, or supporting recruiters in finding the right talent, my mission is to design experiences that are purposeful, inclusive, and lasting.
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