Why Great Design Has No Universal Truths: Context, Craft & Building for Real Users |Shayak Sen |Ep 5

Behind the Screens of India’s Top Apps: The Untold Story of Context-Driven Design

“There are no universal truths in design. Only local truths shaped by context, behavior and culture.” - Shayak Sen

Introduction:

Shayak Sen, Head of Design at Myntra and former VP of Product Design at Meesho, has shaped the design language of India’s top consumer brands - spanning healthcare (Practo), education (Vedantu), and commerce (Meesho, Myntra).

In this episode of Product X People, Amar Srivastava (SVP Product & Business, Scaler) sits down with Shayak to unpack decades of design leadership in India’s tech ecosystem.

From his early days studying architecture at IIT Roorkee to building one of India’s first design agencies, Shayak shares how design in India evolved from “making things look good” to “solving real human problems.”

They explore how design matured alongside India’s startup ecosystem - from the days of bootstrapped ventures to billion-dollar platforms - and how AI, local truths, and multidisciplinary thinking are reshaping design today.

What you’ll learn:

• How Shayak’s journey from architecture and filmmaking led him to product design
• The evolution of India’s UX and design ecosystem from 2006 to today
• What “local truths” in design mean - and how to spot them
• Lessons from building user trust at Practo and scaling onboarding at Vedantu
• How Meesho built for Bharat through design and business model innovation
• The importance of domain depth vs. generalist design in today’s world
• Why design systems are living organisms, not static style guides
• How AI is redefining workflows, creativity, and team structures
• The future of design as a deeper, more conscious discipline beyond screens

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Architecture, filmmaking, and the roots of design thinking
(06:52) How India’s design ecosystem evolved from 2006 to the UX era
(18:20) “There are no universal truths in design” - Shayak’s local truth framework
(25:02) Building context before crafting design - why leaders must go deep
(32:32) Domain depth vs. domain-agnostic design - finding the balance
(38:25) Persuasion and attention in design: lessons from Vedantu & Myntra
(46:38) Designing trust in healthcare: how Practo built confidence at scale
(53:06) Meesho & Bharat: how resellers bridged India’s digital trust gap
(1:00:23) Why design systems must evolve beyond static guidelines
(1:07:04) AI in design teams: workflow, skillsets, and future structures
(1:14:15) How to identify creativity and build diverse design teams
(1:31:37) The future of design: from mechanical execution to deeper, conscious creation

Referenced:

• IDC, IIT Bombay - Visual Communication Program
• Cheese Design Agency - Early design studio founded by Shayak
• Vedantu, Practo, Meesho, Myntra - Case studies in persuasion, trust & user behavior
• Gojek Omega Design System - Framework reference
• Flash & ActionScript - Early example of conditional design coding
• AI Tools: Figma Variables, Cursor, Lovable, Bold
• Concepts: Local Truths, Domain Depth, Conditional Design Systems, Service Design

Where to find Shayak Sen:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shayaksen...

Where to find Amar Srivastava:
LinkedIn:   / amarsrivastava26  

Where to find Product X People:

Website: https://www.enzolab.in/
LinkedIn:   / enzolabdesign  

[how to become a designer in india, shayak sen myntra interview, meeshodesign strategy, practo user experience, vedantu product journey podcast india, myntra design leadership podcast, future of ux design in india, ai and design podcast india, design systems india, product and design podcast india, startups india, entrepreneurship india, next half billion users podcast, bharat users india podcast, uxdesign podcast india, best podcast for product designers india, product leadership podcast india, design thinking india]

#design #myntra #meesho #practo #vedantu #productdesign #uxdesign #designleadership #ai #futureofwork #productstrategy #bharatusers #NextHalfBillion #indianstartups #techinindia #designsystems #uxresearch #podcastindia #ProductXPeople