Suma Mandalapu

About

Hello there! Welcome!


I’m Suma, a self-taught product designer and writer based out of Toronto. I pivoted to design about 3 years back so that I can design experiences that help people help themselves and it has been a rollercoaster of a ride since then.

In the short span of 3 years I worked with 3 startups and a design agency, worked on projects in various industries including Education, Finance, and AI. I wore many hats – product designer, graphic designer, content strategist, scrum master, so on and so forth.

These experiences have given me a wealth of insights into design, working with team mates, and working in fast paced and agile environments to ship quality products on time.

Design Beliefs

  1. Design is solving the right problem
  2. Design is collaborative
  3. Design is testing hypotheses
  4. Design is iterative
  5. Writing is designing
  6. Designing is Storytelling
My non-design background

Before pivoting to design I was a research analyst, teacher, and content writer for 7+ years. I have a bachelors and masters degree in civil engineering. When I was pursuing my masters in the US, I realised I wanted to be a diplomat for my home country, India. I kept that dream alive for 7 years when I attempted the UPSC CSE 6 times consecutively from 2015 to 2020. (Fun fact, around 1 million apply for this examination every year for roughly 1000 positions). Dreams break, and new callings emerge. And I found that calling in product design.

Outside of Work

I’m a plant mom, cat butler, avid reader, fantasy fiction writer, exploratory cook who loves to go on adventures usually with her husband person and sometimes with the aforementioned cat, slightly disgruntled at being chugged along.

Now, you know me well enough to say hi and start a good conversation. Your turn now. Say Hi.

Thank you for stopping by!

The coming of a person
is, in fact, a tremendous feat.
That’s because they bring with them
Their past, present and future
Their entire self comes along
The heart is fragile
So, it must have been broken
That heart is coming too

The Visitor by Jeong Hyeonjong (정현종)
from Book – Island 섬 (2009)