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Rutvika Gupta

Rutvika Gupta is originally from the Midwest, but also lived in India for seven years. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a B.F.A. in Industrial Design. Before DSI, she led the user research efforts for multiple products at IBM Design. She chose to attend DSI to learn the ways design can permeate through rigid and complex systems, and is specifically interested in understanding and analyzing systemic interventions and the various ways humans interact with each other, their surroundings and technology.

Since graduating from DSI, Rutvika has been based in NYC and is focused on inclusive, community-centered, and compassionate design. Rutvi is passionate about co-creating with communities and using design as a mechanism to build capacity. Shortly after completing our program, she joined Nava, a public benefit corporation working on radically improving critical government services for over 50 million Americans. At Nava, Rutvi is working with the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide employees with technology to increase timely and accurate appeals decisions for veterans, and ultimately improve the veteran experience. She is also the co-founder of Hatke, where she works with Indian textile artisans to create handcrafted products that contribute to their livelihoods, the production of ethically made products, and the Indian textile industry. She can be found constantly searching for the best cup of chai.

Thesis Projects

The {In}Dependent Project

A grassroots initiative that helps dependent spouses activate citizens in their community to take action for their right to work.

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