Hello!
My name is Araa (he/him)

I’m a Product designer, half developer and a part-time cook!
Currently, Principal Product Designer at LegalZoom, Mountain view, California.

With a background of launching successful 0-1 startups and scaling SaaS products to millions of revenue, I bring my experiences designing for both consumers & enterprise products with passion, creativity, and understanding of business goals.

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My Values

I've learned a few things over the course of my 13+ year career. These are the values that I believe are the secret to success in any field.

The team matters the most

This might sound cliche, especially in a workplace, but I consider this the essential value. The attitude of the team matters more than the skill. A good team will support, help each other and grow together.

Inspire through craftsmanship

Technology and design are constantly evolving. Therefore, it is crucial to focus on the product design's craftsmanship and the user experience. A good design inspires - not just us but also XFN partners, customers and competitors.

Take ownership

Taking ownership is an essential quality, irrespective of the task. Owning a feature, release, or event gives a sense of responsibility and allows one to learn and understand the product better. It's also an incredibly satisfying experience to take ownership of something or some part of something and see it to completion.

Understand the Business Goals

As designers, there is always a thirst to try something new and creative. It's important to be in the know of what the business or organisation wants to achieve.. While working as a team, Individual goals should be aligned with the business goals. This helps to prioritize and focus on the good features.

It’s Ok to fail

There is no single solution for a design problem. Design is an evolving process, and many factors like the device, mood, gender, location, and time affect it. A design may not always work for every one, all the time. One might spend days trying create something, only to have it fall short. That's OK. As long as one accepts the failure, and tries again.

My design principles

These are my guiding principles.

Define the process

The process differs from team to team. So, I focus on identifying and defining a strategy that is clear and efficient.

Be nimble

I prefer being quick and adaptive to changes. Open to learning new things on any given day.

Keep the team motivated

As a design leader, I focus on keeping the team well-informed and motivated.

Make sure XFN is on the same page

Unless we align the cross-functional team with the design, the output will not be as expected. I work with the XFN from the early stages to avoid confusion.

Be on the support channel

Something that I follow and also encourage the product team is to be on the support chat. There is nothing better than helping and understanding the customer.

Keep learning - tech evolves, so as to design!

There is no single solution to a design problem. Design is an evolving process. It is important to consider factors like geography, gender, mood, device, societal factors, time and more.

Take a break and try something new

It is not always easy to be creative constantly. I believe that taking breaks or trying something different helps to clear the mind and increase focus.

Learn to code - atleast html & css

I enjoy writing HTML and CSS as much as I design. This has helped be collaborate better and move things faster.

Focus on the metrics - Measure the design

Numbers don't lie. Measuring the metrics of the design is vital for iterations and deriving better results.

During my years as a designer and product head, I've created solutions that run the gamut - from product to marketing to employee experience.

When solving problems, I draw from both my depth of experience in design and my breadth of expertise from wearing many hats at startups — including product, engineering, and marketing. This approach helps reduce the thought cycles needed for well-considered design solutions.

See my work About me