Darshan's Diary

Darshan Suthar
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This is the place where we sit down with some of the brightest minds in design, research, growth, and product from leading IT companies. Each episode is packed with real-world insights, lessons learned, and honest conversations that go beyond the buzzwords. Whether you're a mid-level product pro looking to level up or just curious about how the best in the industry think and work, this podcast is for you. Join us as we explore the stories, strategies, and ideas that can help you grow and make an impact.

  1. In fintech, without domain knowledge, designers can't curate the right experience — Sugam Anand

    3D AGO

    In fintech, without domain knowledge, designers can't curate the right experience — Sugam Anand

    In this episode, I sits down with Sugam Anand (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sugamanand/) , Design Leader at Smallcase, to explore what it really takes to design for high-stakes financial products, where trust is everything and a wrong design decision can cost users real money.Sugam breaks down how Smallcase thinks about the two core jobs of an investment platform: helping users make informed decisions, and giving them the tools to act on those decisions. He shares how his team is structured around domain ownership rather than screen-level handoffs, and why deep financial knowledge is non-negotiable for designers working in fintech.The conversation also gets into Smallcase's newest experience challenge: enabling Indians to invest in US stock markets through Ticker Tape, and the nuanced design problems that come with currency switching, remittance timelines, and building trust before a user even opens the app.They close with a conversation on AI, why Sugam thinks designers should be excited rather than fearful, how Smallcase already uses an AI agent for UX writing, and his vision of a future where designers, engineers, and PMs build from a single shared source of truth.And in the final question, Sugam shares what he's really looking for when he hires: not just skills, but curiosity, care, and the drive to go find a solution rather than wait for one.

    47 min
  2. Your product performance isn’t about convenience, it’s critical lifeline for safety - Nitin Awasthi

    MAY 4

    Your product performance isn’t about convenience, it’s critical lifeline for safety - Nitin Awasthi

    In this episode, I sit down with Nitin Awasthi (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitinawasthi/) , VP and Head of Product at MoveInSync, to uncover how technology and deep human empathy shape the future of enterprise mobility. With over 16 years of experience scaling products at Microsoft and high-growth startups, Nitin shares deep insights on navigating the conflicting needs of diverse stakeholders, solving for global safety nuances, and the massive shift toward hybrid work.We discuss how MoveInSync goes beyond basic navigation to use contextual AI, the architectural challenges of scaling to millions of users, and the "unstable demand" patterns that are redefining logistics today. Whether you’re a product leader, an engineer, or a founder, this conversation offers a masterclass in turning complex real-world friction into seamless, high-impact solutions.

    1h 13m
  3. It is becoming very hard for junior designers to avoid noise today - Apoorv Gupta

    MAR 30

    It is becoming very hard for junior designers to avoid noise today - Apoorv Gupta

    Designing for speed is easy. Designing for speed without breaking systems, operations, and trust is where it gets real. In this episode, we sit down with Apoorv Gupta (https://www.linkedin.com/in/apoorv-gp/**), Design Lead for Flipkart Grocery & Minutes, who is shaping how 450M+ users shop in one of India’s most complex, operations-heavy environments. From building 0→1 products to optimizing massive-scale ecosystems across Flipkart, Google, Hike, and Coverfox—Apoorv brings a rare perspective on what it actually takes to design products that move fast and still work in the real world. We go deep into: Designing for Flipkart Minutes and the challenges of speed + operationsDriving design-led decisions with C-suite stakeholdersBalancing user needs vs system constraints in high-velocity environmentsWhat junior designers are missing todayThe role of leadership in bringing clarity and direction to design teamsWe also touch on his work at Flipkart Health+, where he helped design a health-tech ecosystem spanning online consultations, AI assistance, and pharma delivery in minutes. If you’re building products where speed, scale, and complexity collide—this episode will change how you think about design.

    33 min
  4. PM's are now also responsible for the distribution: The ClearTax Shift - Swaroop Repaka

    MAR 9

    PM's are now also responsible for the distribution: The ClearTax Shift - Swaroop Repaka

    In this episode, we’re joined by Swaroop Repaka (https://www.linkedin.com/in/swaroop-repaka-10747b10/) , Head of Product for B2B Compliance at ClearTax. Swaroop leads the product organization behind a compliance platform trusted by 4,000+ enterprises, including one in every four large enterprises in India.At ClearTax, his mission is deceptively simple but incredibly difficult to execute: eliminate tax notices for large enterprises. Under his leadership, the platform has evolved from deep enterprise discovery to category leadership and is now expanding across 30+ countries in Asia and Europe.Before joining ClearTax, Swaroop worked at Boston Consulting Group, across India and the US, developing a strong problem-solving approach to complex business systems. He is also an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, bringing together engineering depth, consulting rigor, and product leadership.India has very few B2B SaaS companies that have successfully cracked the large enterprise segment. In this conversation, Swaroop shares the real playbook behind building enterprise-grade products—from discovery to launch to product–market fit.If you’re a product leader, founder, or product manager trying to build and scale enterprise B2B SaaS, this conversation offers practical insights drawn from real product decisions and enterprise-scale challenges.Subscribe for more conversations with leaders building category-defining products.

    46 min
  5. Your judgment is your steering wheel, because data is often misinterpreted along the way - Ishan

    FEB 23

    Your judgment is your steering wheel, because data is often misinterpreted along the way - Ishan

    In this episode, we sit down with Ishan Kansal, Senior VP of Product at Snabbit, to unpack what truly changes when product leadership moves from digital-native scale to operationally intensive, real-world services.With over 11 years of experience across fintech, banking, insurance, and hyperlocal marketplaces, Ishan has built and scaled businesses where trust is not a feature, it’s the foundation.At Snabbit, he’s building India’s first quick-service marketplace for on-demand home services, leading Product, Design, and Data to solve for reliability, supply quality, and execution discipline in urban households.Before this, he was part of the early scaling team at CRED, where he launched and managed multiple P&Ls including CRED Max, Garage, Shield, unsecured lending risk, collections, P2P lending, and core payments infrastructure like UPI and BBPS.Earlier in his journey, he helped build the Payments Bank and India’s first Digital Gold product at Paytm, led global product strategy at Roadzen, and started his career in FIG investment banking at Deutsche Bank.If you’re a product leader, founder, or PM navigating the transition from clean digital metrics to complex real-world systems, this episode offers grounded, practical insights on trust, speed, and decision-making.Subscribe for more conversations with leaders building category-defining products.

    30 min
  6. Why Most PMs Fail at Gamification (and How to Fix It) with Vijay Verma - Jungly Games

    FEB 2

    Why Most PMs Fail at Gamification (and How to Fix It) with Vijay Verma - Jungly Games

    In this episode, we sit down with Vijay Varma, a product veteran with over 20 years of experience in the online gaming industry, including leadership roles at Junglee Games. With a career spanning from the early days of gut-driven development in 2005 to today’s hyper-competitive, data-rich landscape, Vijay brings a rare perspective on how to build digital products that truly resonate with users. We dive into the mechanics of gamification and user psychology, exploring how B2C products can move beyond basic features to create genuine "smiles" and trust. From the critical balance between A/B testing and intuition to the technical foundation every Product Manager needs, Vijay shares how his teams navigate complex systems while maintaining a relentless focus on the player experience. Whether you're a product manager looking to level up your technical depth, an entrepreneur interested in high-retention mechanics, or a designer curious about the intersection of data and delight, this episode offers grounded insights, sharp perspectives, and a masterclass in building products that stand the test of time.

    38 min
  7. If users aren’t part of design process, we’re not doing justice to design itself - Arun Murugesan

    JAN 19

    If users aren’t part of design process, we’re not doing justice to design itself - Arun Murugesan

    In this episode, we sit down with Arun Murugesan, Head of Design at MoneyView, to pull back the curtain on the complex world of Fintech design. With nearly two decades of experience, Arun shares how MoneyView bridges the gap between high-level business goals and deep user empathy.We dive into the evolution of the Indian consumer, debunking myths about the "tech-illiteracy" of rural users and exploring how personalization is the secret sauce to a successful "Super App." Arun also shares his unique leadership philosophy, including his unconventional hiring process and how he fosters a culture where designers feel empowered to challenge the status quo.Whether you're a designer, a product manager, or a fintech enthusiast, this episode offers a masterclass in building products that solve real-world money problems.

    46 min
  8. Why 70% of Your Product Experiments Should Fail - Ankit Gupta

    JAN 5

    Why 70% of Your Product Experiments Should Fail - Ankit Gupta

    In this episode, I sit down with Ankit Gupta, a seasoned product leader at Reliance Retail, to deconstruct the complexities of building AI-driven products for India’s massive and diverse ecosystem.Ankit breaks down the "unlearning" required when moving from online to offline retail, explaining how Reliance uses proxies like RFID and standardized rack space to track customer behavior in the physical world. We dive deep into his "Sense-Predict-Act" framework for inventory optimization and why he believes a product team isn't taking enough risks if they aren't failing 70% of the time.Beyond the tech, we explore the cultural divide between building in San Francisco versus India, the power of the "Pyramid Principle" in communication, and why the most successful PMs are those who master the art of documentation.Don't forget to subscribe for more deep dives into the minds of India's top product and design leaders!

    51 min
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About

This is the place where we sit down with some of the brightest minds in design, research, growth, and product from leading IT companies. Each episode is packed with real-world insights, lessons learned, and honest conversations that go beyond the buzzwords. Whether you're a mid-level product pro looking to level up or just curious about how the best in the industry think and work, this podcast is for you. Join us as we explore the stories, strategies, and ideas that can help you grow and make an impact.

Information

  • Creator
    Darshan Suthar
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    32
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Darshan Suthar
  • Show Website
    Darshan's Diary