I am a Dallas-based physician turned designer interested in making care delivery services and experiences equitable, accessible, and enjoyable for both care receivers and providers. I learn, think and communicate visually. Fascinated by every aspect of design, from design research to visual design to service design and committed to improving healthcare, I serve as a vital liaison between the fields of design and health. Please check out the skills and tools section to see what I bring to the table. In my free time, I make clay models, cook Indian food, and read books.
DOCTOR. DESIGNER. DOER.
WORKED WITH/FOR/AT
"Nirali is a rising star in healthcare design. She is a rare mix that has a deep understanding as a clinician for system-level challenges, incredible empathy for everyone - from front-line care providers to staff and operations, to patients and caregivers, and stellar service design chops to understand needs, define opportunities and find a path to building support for change."
- David Steuer, Director, Strategic Design at the Center for Digital Health Innovation at UCSF
SKILLS & TOOLS
As a CX Design Mangar, I primarily help executive leaders and stakeholders see the connection between research and customer insights in choosing the right tech solutions that address business and consumer needs. I utilize various visual artifacts such as ecosystem maps, service blueprints, and system leverage maps to showcase opportunities, gaps, and proposed initiatives across the spectrum to help stakeholders visualize and prioritize the initiatives based on desired impact and efforts needed to make them happen.
I am a physician turned accredited service design practitioner (accreditation by Service Design Network) striving to improve healthcare delivery services through design and innovation. I use various service design tools, such as mapping (stakeholders, services, experience, and journey), service blueprint, business model canvas, and scenario building... to align business goals with users' needs and effectively communicate current and future service systems to clients.
I have been studying and practicing systems thinking for the last four years, including learning theoretical concepts through Fritjof Capra's textbook and course to practicing it at the Design Institute for Health through various systems design projects. I use various systems design tools, such as causal loop diagrams, stock and flow diagrams, systems archetypes, stakeholder analysis, systems leverage map, behavior over time graphs, and ecosystem mapping... to bring larger context and meaningful depth to the project.
As a curious and compassionate person, I enjoy learning about other humans' how, what, and most importantly, why. I mastered my design research skills through User Research – Methods and Best Practices and fieldwork and anthropology for design courses. I use various design research tools, such as semi-structured interviews, contextual inquiries, cultural probs, video ethnography participatory design activities, surveys, AEIOU framework, affinity diagraming, and thematic analysis... to collect and make sense of rich qualitative users' data.
I am a proud alum of Harvard School of Medicine's Media and Medicine: How to Tell Stories that Make a Difference and Shillington School of Design's graphic design programs. I use various visual design tools, such as Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Captivate, Animaker, Kumu, Figma, and Sketch... to design interactive, informative, and thought-provoking visual stories.
I learned futures thinking and strategic foresight from Dr. Jake Dunagan and Professor Glass during my master's program. I use various systems design tools, such as causal layered analysis, the three horizons model, speculative design, STEEP Analysis, backcasting, visioning, and scenarios... to provoke conversation and generate insights into how and why the future might be different from today.