Exploring UX, AI, and Mentorship with Ranjithkumar Rajarethinam, S6, Ep. 8

In this episode, we are joined by Ranjithkumar Rajarethinam, Director of Design & Strategy at Esperia Studio. With over 20 years of experience, Ranjit has worked across industries from banking to manufacturing, blending empathy, process, and AI-driven tools to shape user experiences. He is also the founder of Learner at Large, a platform that mentors UX designers at every stage of their careers.

Discussion Points

~ How did your design journey begin, and what were the turning points that shaped your career?  ~ How do you see AI impacting design careers today, especially for junior designers entering the field? ~ Rapid fire round  ~ Can you walk us through your stakeholder management framework and why stakeholder buy-in is critical in enterprise UX?  ~ How do you adapt your design approach across diverse industries like banking, manufacturing, and energy?  ~ What’s one key piece of advice you’d give to someone just starting out? 

Show Notes ~ Everything I learned so far has come full circle with AI—today I can scale my skills in ways I couldn’t before. ~ When you build a portfolio, make sure it carries your stamp—don’t try to be another designer in the market. ~ Resources are the same for juniors and seniors now; the difference lies in vision and the willingness to iterate. ~ In enterprise UX, you’re not just designing screens—you’re designing alliances. ~Time is money. To succeed, you must understand the customer’s business context, not just their users. ~ The three skills that will define careers in the next decade are creative problem-solving, analytical thinking, and lifelong learning. Ranjith’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/learneratlarge/