👋🏾 i’m Aishwarya Vardhana; a full stack product designer and writer, working at the intersection of issues and innovation. this means that i design UX and UI for cutting edge technology while centering safety, privacy, inclusion, and other human rights considerations.
i care deeply about building ethical, inclusive, and responsible technology, and i’ve designed multiple 0-1 products over the last 8+ years. i currently lead design for Wikipedia Android. my strengths are in user research and human-computer (or AI) interaction design.
in my free time i mentor junior designers, write a newsletter on the emotions underpinning technology, contribute to a literary magazine, run ultramarathons, and practice Indian classical dance.
designing an intuitive configuration interface for Automoderator on Wikipedia
🗓️ 2023-current
UX and UI user testing
a project focused on designing an intuitive configuration interface for Automoderator, an AI-powered tool used by Wikipedia administrators to detect and mitigate vandalism on the platform. in addition to designing the administrative interface, this project also encompasses the user experience design for individuals impacted by the tool's actions, ensuring transparency, fairness, and user empowerment.
redesigning Wikipedia admin tools for efficient management of problematic accounts
🗓️ 2023-2024
UX improvements UI interaction design
Multiblock is a comprehensive redesign project aimed at enhancing the functionality and usability of the tool used by Wikipedia administrators to issue multiple blocks against problematic user accounts. with the increasing prevalence of disruptive behavior and vandalism on Wikipedia, it is imperative to provide administrators with intuitive and efficient tools to manage and mitigate these challenges effectively.
incident reporting system (IRS) for keeping Wikipedians safe
🗓️ 2022-2023
0-1 product design UX and UI
interaction design user research
the incident reporting system (IRS) for Wikipedia is a comprehensive trust and safety tool designed to empower Wikipedia editors and administrators in maintaining the integrity and safety of the platform. as one of the world's largest and most widely used online encyclopedias, Wikipedia faces various challenges related to content vandalism, harassment, and misinformation. this tool provides a streamlined and efficient process for users to report incidents of abuse, harassment, vandalism, or other policy violations within the Wikipedia community. with a user-friendly interface and clear guidelines, editors can easily submit reports and provide relevant details to assist in the investigation and resolution of incidents.
dynamic function pages for technical contributors on Wikifunctions
🗓️ 2022
0-1 product design UX and UI
interaction design
the Function Pages project is a initiative aimed at the way functions are displayed, edited, and collaborated on within the Wikifunctions platform. this project focuses on designing and implementing dynamic function pages that capture the complexities of displaying functions while providing developers with intuitive and powerful editing capabilities.
Wikifunctions launched in September 2023. it is currently in the top 10% of most active Wikimedia projects.
a machine learning-powered CMS for empowering news reporters
🗓️ 2017-2020
0-1 product design UX and UI
interaction design user research
an ambitious project aimed at transforming the way news reporters work by leveraging the power of machine learning within a custom-built Content Management System (CMS). in collaboration with end-users, our goal was to design and implement an intuitive and intelligent platform that enhances the efficiency of news reporting workflows and increases accuracy and balance in reporting.
Integrated Developer Environment (IDE) for collaborative coding on Wikifunctions
🗓️ 2021-2022
0-1 product design UX and UI
interaction design user research
the Wikifunctions IDE is designed to empower developers and contributors to Wikifunctions, a collaborative platform for creating and sharing reusable code snippets. as part of the Wikimedia ecosystem, Wikifunctions aims to democratize access to computational knowledge and enable users to create, test, and deploy small pieces of code known as functions. this innovative IDE provides a seamless and intuitive coding experience tailored specifically to the needs of Wikifunctions users. built on principles of accessibility, collaboration, and user-centered design, the Wikifunctions IDE offers a range of features to support developers at every stage of the coding process.
🌐 Designing the Knowhere web experience
A visually engaging web experience for readers to easily browse and reas news articles on desktop or mobile.
🗓️ 3 months
web design UX and UI
✉️ Designing Knowhere newsletter
Our daily newsletter for desktop and mobile platforms which delivered the most significant news of the day to over 500,000 readers across the U.S.. My objective was to create a visual language that reflected our brand: trustworthy, verifiable, high-quality.
🗓️ 3 months
visual design
**Verbatm (2016-2017)**
a mobile first platform for activists to connect, organize, and tell multimedia stories.