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Hello, namaste

I’m Heena Barhate

I’m a product designer who also does a fair share of the PM’s job. Most of my work is complex, data-rich B2B workflows, the kind with many tools, many users and a lot of context to untangle. I’ve designed at two early-stage AI startups and at Deloitte Consulting, across finance, healthcare and government. I prototype in code with React, TypeScript and Claude Code.

Heena smiling in front of a wall of ferns

Experience

  • Serro

    Now

    Founding Senior Product Designer

  • Shelfmark

    2025

    Product Designer & Product Manager

  • The Nature Conservancy

    May–Aug 2024

    Innovation Intern

  • Deloitte Consulting USI

    2021–2023

    Product Designer & Strategist

  • Red Baton Creative Marketing Solutions

    Jan–Jun 2021

    UI/UX Designer

  • Briota Technologies

    Feb–May 2020

    UI/UX Designer

Education

  • Carnegie Mellon University

    Master of Integrated Innovation for Products & Services

  • MIT Institute of Design

    Bachelor of Design

Community

  • InvolveMint

    Member, Board of Directors

  • Global Shapers

    Impact Officer

  • Service Design Network Learning Fest

    Organizer

Beyond work

  • Heena at the airport with three matching suitcases

    A leap that shaped me

    Leaving a stable consulting path in India to study design, tech and business in the US was a bet on myself, and a chance to define success on my own terms.

  • A grid of AI app icons

    What's inspiring me lately

    AI tools for automation, UX and visual design, and how they can amplify creativity, not replace it. Productivity systems and morning rituals keep me grounded.

  • A work-in-progress digital painting of a yellow Pittsburgh bridge

    The canvas calling me lately

    A painting of my favorite yellow bridge in Pittsburgh, each stroke a quiet love letter to the city.

  • A picnic blanket on the grass with a book, headphones and a drink

    What slow living looks like

    A picnic blanket, matcha in hand, lying on the grass with a book or iPad, doing nothing and everything at once.

  • Heena standing beside a large wall sign that reads DESIGN

    Why design, though?

    Design is a verb as much as a noun. Some of the most impactful design isn't on a screen; it's in processes, conversations and decisions we don't always see.

  • A kitchen in the middle of renovation

    An unexpected design role

    I helped redesign my family's home, thinking through corners and colors, flow and feeling. UX, just in brick and paint.

  • A still from a 2000s Bollywood film

    My go-to background vibe

    2000s Bollywood on loop: Alka Yagnik, Sonu Nigam and a sprinkle of nostalgic drama that always hits right.

  • A team photo in an office

    How I bring joy to teams

    I've led office games and post-pandemic team rituals, because culture needs care, not just calendars.

  • A person meditating cross-legged at sunset under palm trees

    My centering ritual

    I return to yoga and meditation to rebalance. I move, breathe and realign.

  • A hand-drawn sketchnote held up against a window

    How I think on paper

    Sketchnotes are my jam. Workshops, to-do lists, podcast takeaways: I think best when I draw what I mean.

  • A podcast episode playing on a tablet

    Current podcast obsession

    WTF with Nikhil Kamath: big questions, layered perspectives and conversations that linger.

  • A rainy street seen from the back of an auto rickshaw

    What makes a city feel like home

    Buses, metros, rickshaws. I love public transport; a city with good connectivity earns my respect.