About
Designing for writers and readers.
I’m Gajendra, a senior product designer based in India. I’ve designed Stck since its start in 2020, from its first research to a platform where thousands of writers and publishers sell their work directly to readers.
I do my best work while a problem is still messy, before anyone is sure whether it’s a design question, a pricing question or an engineering one. I start from what people already do, including the workarounds they invent, and design around that.
On Stck I led the design of Stories, co-led the Pro plan and was the only designer on Comments. I check what’s buildable with engineers as I go, and I stay with the work after launch to see what actually changed.
When I’m not designing, I’m usually traveling, mostly to the mountains for treks and hikes, with a camera close at hand.
Toolkit
What I work with.
- Design
- Figma, SketchFlows, interface design and handoff to engineering.
- Front-end
- HTML, CSSI build in code too, including this site.
- AI
- Claude, ChatGPTFor thinking problems through, writing and editing, and building in code.
Approach
Four things I hold on to.
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01
Start From Real Behavior
The best signals are the workarounds people already invented. Stories began as writers stitching chapters together by hand.
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02
Show Up at the Right Moment
Offers and controls should appear when someone needs them. That’s why Pro’s strongest prompt sits on the earnings screen.
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03
Protect the Core Experience
People come to Stck to read. Comments stay out of the way until a reader goes looking for them.
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04
Bring Engineers In Early
I check what’s buildable as I design, and I show rough cuts before asking anyone to agree.