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Ko Punithavelu

Lead Product Designer

Enterprise UX • Workflow Optimisation • Product Transformation

I’m Ko.

Strategic Product Design: AI, Conversation Design & Accessibility

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UX / UI Design Product & Service Design Conversational & AI Experience Design Accessibility & Design Systems
Ko Punithavelu
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About Me

A deeper view of how I lead design, where I’ve worked, and the products I’ve founded.

Design Philosophy

I work in the hard parts of product design: the messy intersections of policy, risk, service operations, and human behaviour. My role is to turn that complexity into calm, clear journeys people can trust on their first tap.

I’ve partnered with product, engineering, and leadership teams to ship digital services that hold up in the real world: accessible by default, scalable by design, and strong enough for high-stakes domains.

Based in Sydney and open to work globally in a remote capacity, but not able to relocate physically.

Beyond design, I recharge through photography, organic farming, motorcycle rides, and aquascaping.

What People Say

Trusted by design leaders, accessibility experts, and cross-functional teams

All Recommendations

He is passionate about inclusive design and accessibility, keen to find solutions that work for all customers. His creative and analytical skills combined with an inquisitive nature means having Ko on your team is a real bonus. Ko knows his craft and is valued by clients and teammates alike.

Greg Alchin
Accessibility and Inclusion Lead, Service NSW

Ko is like a UX swiss army knife. He can do just about anything you can imagine with UX. I appreciated his ability to partner with clients, design awesome experiences, and his technical chops. Ko is a designer, UI developer, software engineer, and researcher — and just a great guy to work with.

Daniel Laughlin
Global Experience Strategy, IBM

We set him the challenge of uplifting the home loan process at Macquarie, which he promptly did — leading to dramatic improvements in cycle time and customer experience. He offers a rare set of skills that enable him to straddle both business and technology.

Jason Cross-Martin
Transformation Program Director, Optus

Ko has the unique ability to quickly analyze client challenges, assess alternatives and develop customized solutions. He brings a wealth of experience to drive lasting change and speedy adoption. Ko knows his craft and is valued by clients and teammates.

David Stout
General Manager, Capgemini

Ko is a true professional who goes where he is needed. We were both focused on the user experience and Ko flew into NYC from Florida weekly to help make the application delightfully usable. An expert in the field of User Experience — an asset to any team.

Charles (CJ) Cuccaro, CUA, CXA
UX Lead, S&P Global

Impactful Design for Brands

Clients I’ve had the privilege to collaborate with.

NSW Government logo
MBIE logo
Pega logo
ANZ logo
Macquarie logo
Optus logo
ME Bank logo
Toyota Financial Services logo
Bloomin' Brands logo
BlueCross BlueShield logo
BT Wholesale logo
WellCare logo
Chase logo
Citi logo
Motorola logo
NHS logo
Vermont logo
Prudential logo
Quest Diagnostics logo
Standard Chartered logo
Smith+Nephew logo
S&P Global logo
Realogy logo
UnitedHealthcare logo
Wells Fargo logo
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts logo

Design Projects

Selected works where research meets rigorous design to bridge the gap between user needs and business goals.

Founded Products

Products initiated and shaped end to end, spanning healthcare AI, inclusive design, access to care, and voice-first support experiences.

Résumé

Across government, banking, healthcare, insurance, telecom, and enterprise product design

Founded Products

Founder & Product Design Lead

  • Synapse AI: AI-assisted clinical workflow product designed to reduce admin burden and improve care continuity.
  • Invisio: Companion experience created for people with invisible disability in public service contexts.
  • ADHDLynk: Rural ADHD care model connecting local GP networks with specialist support pathways.
  • MigraineAI: Voice-first support concept for migraine episodes, focused on calmer symptom capture and lower cognitive load during pain events.
  • BlazrAI: AI-powered NSW fuel app designed to help drivers find the best live price, parse intent quickly, track trends, save stations, and receive predictive price alerts.
  • DocDeal: Doctor discovery and care access product concept designed to streamline provider matching and booking journeys.
Synapse AIInvisioADHDLynkMigraineAIBlazrAIDocDeal

Oct 2021 – Present

  • Spatial Data Strategy: Leading UX for NSW Spatial Digital Twin products, transforming complex geospatial data into intuitive interactive interfaces.
  • Drove UX strategy for MyServiceNSW Account with focus on personalisation, accessibility, and scaled onboarding across government agencies.
  • Improved accessibility by 50% by aligning delivery with WCAG 2.1 AA through audits, prototyping, and continuous testing.
  • Scaled Activity History interactions from ~800K to 7M+ by expanding touchpoints across digital and physical channels.
  • Established a Figma-based design system to improve consistency and delivery efficiency across teams.

Head of UX Practice (Global) · Principal Designer

Aaseya IT Services Pvt. Ltd. — Sydney, Australia

Dec 2020 – Oct 2021

  • Led a global UX practice of 16 designers across Principal, Senior, and Junior levels, driving hiring, capability uplift, delivery quality, and executive design leadership.
  • Drove pre-sales and client engagement across enterprise and government programs through pitching, scoping, and onboarding new design initiatives.
  • Designed end-to-end premium insurance service workflows for customer, agent, and internal operations roles, reducing errors and improving task completion.
  • Facilitated discovery workshops across Product, Engineering, and Operations to align senior stakeholders on problem framing and delivery priorities.
  • Established scalable workflow and interaction patterns to improve long-term platform consistency and operational efficiency.
OptusNZ MBIELease Plan

Director, Customer Experience

Coforge — Sydney, Australia

Aug 2019 – Nov 2020

  • Improved operational efficiency by 50% across enterprise financial and government service platforms through redesign of core user journeys and handoffs.
  • Led UX transformation for NSW Department of Planning’s Titles Management System, reducing manual workflows by 40% and improving processing speed and accuracy at scale.
  • Redesigned AICPA’s audit platform and cut onboarding effort by 90% by simplifying complex workflows and improving task clarity.
  • Directed cross-functional design delivery across regulated domains including banking, audit, and government operations.
AICPAToyota FinancialsLloyd’s of LondonCAG of India

Principal UX Designer

Virtusa — Sydney, Australia

May 2018 – Jul 2019

  • Delivered end-to-end banking UX across Macquarie Bank, ME Bank, ANZ, and Standard Chartered, spanning onboarding, servicing, and transaction journeys.
  • Led CX design for Macquarie Bank’s Cash Management Account and WRAP products through research, prototyping, and close collaboration with delivery teams.
  • Designed a scalable design system for ME Bank across home loan and credit card experiences, improving consistency and speed of release.
  • Improved digital home loan origination through workflow simplification, automation opportunities, and usability-driven interaction redesign.
  • Designed Pega BPM experiences for regulated financial services workflows and internal operations teams.

Senior UX Designer

Virtusa — Greater Boston, US

Oct 2014 – May 2018

  • Delivered UX for US Medicare insurance providers, improving claims processing efficiency by 50% and reducing legal risk by 90%.
  • Designed a wound care mobile app for Smith & Nephew to support tailored recovery guidance through smart bandage data.
  • Created a conversational chatbot for Baxter to streamline pharmaceutical ordering with NLP and improve tracking visibility.
  • Redesigned a casual dining app, improving NPS from −21 to +78.
  • Designed UX for clients including Cardinal Health, Wellcare, HealthFirst, Centene, Humana, Klink, S&P, State of Vermont, Alliance Insurance, Smith & Nephew, and Bloomin’ Brands.

Interaction Designer

Cognizant — New Jersey, US

Dec 2012 – Oct 2014

  • Designed UX for the MyQuest native mobile app, enabling users to access lab results, manage dependents, and integrate with Apple Health.
  • Conducted UX research and interaction design across native, web, and hybrid applications for healthcare, insurance, banking, and industrial sectors.
  • Delivered design solutions for North American clients including Quest Diagnostics, CVS Pharmacy, United Healthcare, Keystone Mercy, Prudential Insurance, and Wells Fargo Wholesale Banking.
  • Designed customer-facing and internal tools for Indian clients including Axis Bank, TAFE, HSBC, Reliance Motor Insurance, and POS platforms.

Jan 2010 – Dec 2012

  • Designed web applications for banking, healthcare, and telecom clients in the UK, with strong focus on usability and accessibility.
  • Contributed to early-stage HCD and interface design for enterprise systems.

Sep 2006 – Jul 2009

Worked as a design consultant for major telecommunications brands including British Telecommunications and Motorola, delivering user-centred digital product and service design.

Education & Training

Continuous learning in accessibility, inclusive design, and UX methodologies

Education

Master of Computer Applications

Anna University

Professional Certificate in Web Accessibility

University of South Australia

Training

Designing for Accessibility and Inclusion

Intopia

WCAG 2.2 Conformance Testing — Detailed Methodology

Deque Systems — 6.25 IAAP CAECs

Expertise & Tools

Transforming complex requirements into intuitive products using inclusive design thinking and technical precision.

Strategy & Collaboration

  • User-Centered Design
  • Accessibility Auditing
  • Inclusive Design Systems
  • Stakeholder Workshop Facilitation
  • Heuristic Evaluation
  • Empathy Mapping

Technical Stack

  • WCAG 2.1 / 2.2 Compliance
  • WAI-ARIA Implementation
  • HTML5 & CSS3
  • JavaScript & jQuery
  • Figma
  • Pega System Design

Certifications

Current credentials in accessibility, AI-augmented UX, and design systems

View all on LinkedIn

2025

AI and ChatGPT for Efficient UX Research AI

Udemy · Gen AI · UX Research

2025

SAP Signavio Process Modelling (BPMN 2.0)

Udemy

2025

Master WCAG 2.2 Accessibility

Udemy

2025

The Practical BPMN 2.0 Master Class

Udemy

2025

Web Design Accessibility Certificate Accessibility

Udemy · WCAG · W3C · Web Accessibility Testing

2025

UX, Research & AI Certifications AI

LinkedIn Learning · Journey Mapping · Figma for UX Research · Design Thinking in the Age of AI

2025

Figma UI UX Design Advanced

Udemy · Figma · Design Systems · Prototyping