Welcome to the 2025 – SVUX.Awards Judges
On behalf of the Silicon Valley UX Awards, we proudly introduce our distinguished panel of 2025 judges from across the Valley. Each judge has been meticulously selected based on their exceptional track record, representing the best user experience design. Our judges epitomize the pinnacle of design and user experience excellence. Each year, we hand-select judges who meet the following stringent qualifications: Over 15 years of experience in the field. A proven track record in Silicon Valley across the industries where they currently design and lead teams. Hands-on innovation design experience, either in past roles or current ones. Mastery in crafting simple, aesthetically pleasing solutions that address fundamental human interaction challenges. The ability to build and lead world-class design and UX teams drives excellence across multiple companies and fosters creative cultures. A commitment to making an impact by understanding how design can enhance lives and contribute to a better future.
David Carson – Creative Director | davidcarsondesign. Previously Designer @ Raygun Magazine, Art Director @ Quiksilver, Creative Director @ BOSE Corporation, Creative Director @ Cheil Worldwide, Artist In Residence @ 72andSunny, Artist In Residence @ Zoku
David Carson is best known for his work with Ray Gun, the edgy magazine that defined alternative culture in the '90s, Carson flipped the industry on its head with seemingly chaotic layouts and typography that made you feel as much as it made you think. Carson's design hit like a power chord, full of raw energy and rebellion, often throwing traditional design aside while launching a new era of visual communication. ■ Carson's radical approach, beyond Beach Culture and Ray Gun magazines, caught the attention of major players like Nike, Pepsi, American Airlines, Bose, Apple, Armani, and many others who called on him to shake things up. His work for these brands didn't just sell products—it shaped culture. And the awards followed. Carson won a coveted AIGA Gold Medal and earned an Emmy nomination, a spot in the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame, and recognition from Design Museum London. Apple called Carson 'a pioneer with profound impact', naming him one of the two most influential graphic designers in 30 years of Apple. April Grieman was the other. ■ As if his design legacy isn't enough, Carson teaches in the world-renowned “MasterClass” series on graphic design, inspiring the next generation to break the rules when necessary and design with intuition. When he's not making waves in design, Carson is on the global stage, speaking at events like TED, Adobe Max, Cannes Lions 2022, and OFFF Barcelona/Mexico City—plus hundreds of others. His talks often revolve around one thing: trusting your gut and making people "feel" something works—even’s work. Even now, decades after his first big splash, Carson inspires creatives to take risks, push boundaries, and challenge convention. ■ 2024/25 clients include The Macallan, a Stussy collection, plus a Skatepark design in Dubai. Check out his gallery.
Zachery Kennedy – Executive Creative Leader | Apple, Disney, Google. Advisor @ Life360, Founder @ Future–Nostalgia, ECD Consultant @ Royal Caribbean Group, Founding Member @ Design Leaders Community, CDO Advisor @ ONE, Previously Head of Design @ 23andMe, VP of Design @ Syng, Sr. HI Design Manager @ Apple, Principal Imagineer @ Walt Disney Imagineering, UX Design Manager @ Google(Nest)
Zachery Kennedy has over two decades of experience contributing to generation-defining brands, products, services, and entertainment that have impacted billions worldwide. He is listed as an inventor on over 150 patents across multiple industries and holds an honorary platinum record.
Growing up in Southern California, his proximity to the music and entertainment industries ignited a deep passion for the creative arts. He lived the rockstar dream early by touring the world as a musician.
Seeking to explore other creative avenues, he began studying animation at the Art Institute of California, which led to an internship at DreamWorks Animation.
Simultaneously, he embarked on a decade-long journey with Apple as a certified instructor. He gained firsthand insights into how all generations interact with technology—a master class in human-centered design principles. Over the next ten years, he designed experiences that redefined Apple Stores, iPod, iOS, Apple Watch, Health & Fitness, and more.
He went on to help build the team and vision for the connected home at Nest (acquired by Google), fulfilled a childhood dream by joining Walt Disney Imagineering to redefine hotels and resorts, and delivered an inspiring vision for Tomorrowland before returning to Apple to reinvent one of their most challenged products, Apple Maps.
Since then, he has assisted startups and established brands like 23andMe, Syng, One, and Royal Caribbean to find their identity and innovative paths forward. He transforms creative visions into actionable roadmaps and builds cultures centered on people, purpose, and process.
Roberto Tagliabue – Co-Founder @ Meet ALPHA, Founder & CEO @ AWAKE, CCO @ Hale Health, Former Jawbone, Clibe, Uncommon, Nike, Motorola, Razorfish, & Domus Academy
Roberto Tagliabue is a seasoned designer and creative entrepreneur with over 25 years of international experience in brand and product experience. His expertise has been honed in leading companies such as Razorfish, Motorola, Nike, and Jawbone, most recently at his creative consulting agency and innovation lab AWAKE.
As a digital technology native with a background in architecture, product design, and brand communications, Roberto has been at the forefront of helping brands accelerate, transform, and disrupt markets with innovative strategies and new transformative digital solutions. At Nike, as Director of Innovation, he spearheaded the development of the Nike+Apple digital fitness platform. At Jawbone, he served as the Executive Director of Product, creating the UP fitness tracker, revolutionizing how people monitor their health and wellness and improve their habits.
2014, he founded AWAKE, a digital creative firm and innovation lab. Roberto and his team worked alongside top brands and emerging startups like Microsoft, Apple, Nokia, Puma, Kering, Gucci, Saint Laurent, and more. Health, Biolinq, and Hale Health to help them imagine their future, articulate their strategies, and orchestrate and design transformative and premium brand and product experiences for their clients and markets.
Most recently, he cofounded ALPHA, a company committed to transforming the Retail industry with its platform of innovative digital experiences and intelligent AI-powered tools.
Beyond his professional achievements, Roberto is passionate about mentoring the next generation of designers and entrepreneurs. He frequently speaks at industry conferences, educational institutions, and accelerators, sharing his knowledge and inspiring others to pursue excellence in design and great products.
Paola Mariselli – Head of Product Design @ Birdie, Previous Director, Head of Product Design @ Bumble, Inc., Senior Product Design Manager @ Meta, Product Designer @ Groupon, UX Designer @ Harvard University, UX Designer @ Credit Suisse, Advisor @ Barsala, Advisor @ SpaceAG Global
Paola Mariselli is a Peruvian-American design leader with a background in product and engineering. She has launched new experiences for over 3 billion people, built and scaled design teams from the ground up, executed holistic rebrands and redesigns, and driven and pivoted complex product strategies for companies like Bumble, Meta, and Credit Suisse.
Her experience spans startups, non-profits, and Fortune 500 companies, covering B2C and B2B sectors across multiple industries, including social media, dating, e-commerce, finance, travel, and agricultural technology (AGtech). She has managed global and distributed teams of individual contributors and managers across product design, content design, user research, design systems, brand, and operations.
Paola has lived and worked in North America (New York, California, Massachusetts, Florida), Europe (United Kingdom), and South America (Peru). She holds a master’s degree in Computer Science from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in Information Systems and Marketing from the New York University Stern School of Business.
Kalyani Tupkary – Senior Product Designer @ Roblox, Previously the Lead Product Designer for Discovery @ Twitch as well as Honeywell
Kalyani is a designer, educator, futurist, and many things. She designs objects and experiences—sometimes real, sometimes fictional, and often dreamed in between.
Previously the Lead Product Designer for Discovery at Twitch, Kalyani is now a Senior Product Designer at Roblox while maintaining an independent practice in speculative design and experiential futures. As a product designer, she helps teams stretch their imagination to explore near and distant futures, materializing fuzzy ideas into compelling experiences. In 2022, Kalyani was awarded the Next Generation Foresight Practitioners (NGFP) Innovative Methods Award. As a fellow, she delves into intriguing research, exploring how ordinary objects can unfold alternate histories and marginalized futures humming in the background of everyday life.
Smitha Papolu – Group Design Manager @ Intuit, Previously - Senior Product Designer @ Citrix Systems, Inc., User Experience Designer.
Smitha Papolu is a seasoned product design leader with over 16 years of experience and a Master's in Human-Computer Interaction. She spearheads global fintech product design at Intuit, simplifying complex financial concepts for millions of QuickBooks users and delivering highly-rated, user-centric apps and services. She has built and led cross-functional teams that drive innovation through data-driven approaches and emerging tech like generative AI and foster creative, high-performing team cultures.
Smitha is committed to integrating UX with AI to create intelligent and adaptive systems. Notably, she helped develop Resunate in 2009, an AI-powered resume optimization tool used in 150 countries, which TalentAlly later acquired.
As program co-chair of the Bay Area HCI Group since 2018, Smitha fosters discussion among scholars, design practitioners, and users on the convergence of UX and emerging technologies. She is a recognized thought leader in the design community. Numerous patents, professional talks at industry conferences, and workshops showcase her dedication to shaping the future of digital product design and elevating human experiences.
Rupa Chaturvedi – Founder @ Human-Centered AI Institute, Partner @ Reforge, Adjunct Lecturer of Product Design @ Stanford University, Previously - Head of Merchant & ADs Design @ Uber, Product & UX Design Mentor @ First Round Capital, UX Design Manager @ Google, Sr. UX Designer, Alexa Shopping @ Amazon
Rupa Chaturvedi is a seasoned product design leader with over 15 years of experience in the tech industry. She has worked at companies such as Amazon (Alexa AI), Google, Uber, and pioneering AI startups. She is the founder of the Human-Centered AI Institute, which offers corporate training and individual coaching programs in AI product development and design.
Her fingerprints are all over the AR/AI/ML/Computer Vision consumer technologies used today, including AR and Conversational AI-enabled consumer experiences at Amazon and Uber.
She holds a Master's degree in Product Design from Stanford University and a PG Diploma in Creative Leadership from THNK, Amsterdam.
She has published over 18 patents in this space, teaches UX Design for AI applications at Stanford University, and advises/invests in food startups.
As a visionary in the field, Rupa has dedicated her career to humanizing technology and uplifting others through her work and mentorship.
Rakesh Patwari – Director, Product Design & Research @ Cisco, Adjunct Professor, Design @ UC Berkeley, Previously - Product Design Manager @ Meta, Director of Product Design @ Salesforce
Rakesh Patwari is a seasoned design executive and educator with over 23 years of experience driving business outcomes through transformative design initiatives at leading tech companies such as Meta and Salesforce. Renowned for his empathetic leadership and technical acumen, Rakesh has shaped strategic narratives, pioneered forward-looking AI strategies, and crafted product visions that deliver impactful, user-centric solutions across complex enterprise domains—including sales, privacy, and cloud computing.
As Director of Design at Cisco, Rakesh emphasizes design quality, operational efficiency, and cross-functional collaboration, fostering a people-first culture that aligns design impact with business objectives. As an adjunct professor at the University of California, Berkeley, he actively engages with the design community through workshops, speaking engagements, and mentorship programs. Rakesh continues to drive thought leadership in design, advocating for excellence in user experience and business-aligned design strategies.
Shantanu Salgaonkar – Product Design Lead @ Meta, Previously - UX Designer, Buy with Prime @ Amazon, UX Designer @ Intuit, Art Director @ Communication Arts
Shantanu is an award-winning designer with a deep background in launching brands and designing innovative products for industry-leading companies like Meta, Amazon, and Intuit.
Originally from India, Shantanu was immersed in the arts from an early age and encouraged to pursue his creative passions as a career. He studied Graphic Design at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad. He began his career developing a diverse portfolio that ranged from deodorant packaging and annual reports to expansive brand identities and advertising campaigns.
Currently, Shantanu serves as the Product Design Lead for Meta’s Core Ads Growth team, where he creates solutions to connect advertisers with the right audiences in optimal contexts. In his previous role at Amazon, he led the merchant experience for Buy with Prime and designed an innovative AWS search experience that earned two Webby Awards and a patent. His portfolio website was also nominated for the Awwwards Site of the Day in 2019.
Shantanu believes that teams that partner in building innovative visions eventually build innovative products.
Ranjeet Tayi – Director, UX @ Informatica, Advisory @ CSU, Co-Chair @ UXINDIA–UMO.design, Co-Founder @ Ignite Hyderabad, Startup Investor, Speaker, Former SumTotal Systems, Inc., PURE IT UxR, CD @ Mind Visions
Ranjeet Tayi is an experienced strategic product designer and player-coach AI UX leader specializing in data, design, and AI for AI-driven enterprise cloud software products and platforms. Adept at solving complex problems with AI and design-led solutions across diverse domains, he is passionate about design-led innovation, envisioning next-generation cloud platforms and nurturing UX teams for design excellence through creative leadership. A collaborative partner with senior executives, cross-functional teams, and users, he has spearheaded industry-leading products in various data domains, including data integration, privacy, cataloging, mastering, engineering, management, business intelligence, and analytics. He is experienced in building and growing strong UX teams, solving complex design problems, and creating intelligent UX designs. In the past, he was an entrepreneur leading a VFX, game, and animation startup.
His commitment to design-centric social impact has made him part of several design councils and nonprofit boards dedicated to uplifting design. He has co-curated and organized design conferences, ignite events, hackathons, design days, and IP audits and served as a jury member for many internationally reputed design awards. He is also a core team member and Co-Chair for UMO.Design and UXIndia. His talks and articles have been featured at RSA, STRAT, IDSA, IXDA, WUC, IUI, UXPA, UX India, and other conferences. An extraordinary ability recipient and innovator with seven patents, he is shaping the future of the product landscape.
With experience building 0-1 and 1-N products, enterprise cloud platforms/ecosystems, and marketplaces, he is a limited venture partner (LP) who invests in mentors. He advises only design-led AI early-stage enterprise SaaS startups across industries. Passionate startup AI founders are encouraged to discuss opportunities in the AI-led design economy with him.