Industrial Designer  ·  Philadelphia, PA  ·  2026

Designyou canhold.

Architect turned industrial designer. Three years, 20+ architectural projects before the switch, now designing furniture, inclusive tech and everyday objects.

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Systems Design ·Furniture Design ·Inclusive Design ·Ergonomics ·3D Printing ·Prototyping ·DFM ·SolidWorks ·Rhino 3D ·User Research ·Systems Design ·Furniture Design ·Inclusive Design ·Ergonomics ·3D Printing ·Prototyping ·DFM ·SolidWorks ·Rhino 3D ·User Research ·
20+Projects Architecture Completed
3Years of Practice
2Disciplines Mastered
6Featured Projects
Selected WorkTap any project →
M.S. Thesis
01 / 06

StarterSpark

Systems Design · Inclusive STEM

An electronics learning kit designed as a system — redesigned components, visual overlays, guided instructions and inventory-ready storage that work together so first-time builders succeed.

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02 / 06

32×32

Furniture Design · Prototyping

Complexity revealed through simplicity. A furniture line built entirely from 32×32mm wooden sections with domino joinery.

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03 / 06Inclusive Design

DriveDeck

Adaptive bumper car controls for children with motor disabilities. Built with Easter Seals of SE Pennsylvania.

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04 / 06Ergonomics

Pentel Nomics

Unconventional ergonomic pen redesign. The final "Omega" variant was selected by educators in user validation.

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05 / 06

Pressur

Industrial Design · DFM

Tire inflator reinvented for the road. Injection-moldable, saddle-mounted, with rider visibility built in.

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06 / 063D Printing · Electronics

Eventide
Ambient Light

Snap-fit enclosure for Adafruit Circuit Playground. No screws. No glue. A custom light pipe channels NeoPixel glow into ambient light.

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About

Architect.
Turned Industrial designer.
Always builder.

I’m Mayank, an architect turned industrial designer, with three years and 20+ architectural projects worth of professional experience before making the switch. Architecture taught me how to think at scale, coordinate across disciplines, and design for people who will actually live and move through a space.

But it was the intimacy of industrial design, the challenge of solving a problem you can hold in your hand that pulled me in a different direction. I approach design as a process of listening first. Understanding the user, identifying the real problem, and then iterating until the solution is honest and functional. Not precious, just resolved. Each project gets better because the last one taught me something.

User needs aren't a checkbox — they're the starting point. Each project gets better because the last one taught me something.

Get in Touch →
2016–21
Delhi Technical Campus
B.Arch — Bachelor of Architecture
2021
Meroform India Pvt. Ltd.
Junior Architect
2022–24
Intec Infra Technologies
Architect
2024–26
Thomas Jefferson University
M.S. Industrial Design

Built to
make things.

From idea to prototype — every tool, every process, in service of the object.

Design Process
User ResearchSystems DesignIdeationPrototypingUser TestingErgonomicsInclusive DesignDesign for Mfg.
Software
SolidWorksRhino 3DKeyShotAdobe SuiteFigmaAutoCAD
Making
3D Printing (FDM)WoodworkingLaser CuttingHand MockupsElectronicsInj. Molding
Let's work together

Ready to
build something
real?

Get in Touch →Download Portfolio (PDF, 20MB) ↓
← All Work STARTER-SPARK Hire Me
Project 01 / 06 · M.S. Thesis

StarterSpark

Systems Design · Inclusive STEM · Product Design
Electronics that teach themselves

My M.S. thesis: a beginner electronics kit for teens and early-adult learners who find breadboarding intimidating. Field research showed the problem was never effort — it was friction. Components are tiny and fragile, resistor bands are unreadable, 2D diagrams don't translate to the board, and parts get lost between sessions. StarterSpark answers all of that at the level of the system — redesigned components, visual overlays, visual-heavy instructions and inventory-ready storage, each engineered to reinforce the others so a first-time builder can succeed independently.

Research Insights
  • Diagrams too small — hard to read resistor bands and match breadboard holes
  • Components physically difficult — too small, fiddly and fragile to handle
  • Resistors widely misunderstood — function unclear, not just placement
  • Placement errors tied to poor visual clarity, not lack of effort
  • Visual guidance carried the entire learning experience
  • No parts-organization system — sorting and storage a clear need
The System

Four parts, designed as one. Each pillar removes a specific point of failure - and together they turn a loose pile of parts into a guided, repeatable, plug-and-play experience.

Pillar 01

Redesigned Components

Larger, robust, clearly-labeled parts that can be handled, read and reused over and over. A plug-and-play language shared across the whole kit.

Pillar 02

Visual Overlay Templates

A printed map that sits on the breadboard, showing exactly what goes where, masking unused pins and making the power-busbar logic legible at a glance.

Pillar 03

Visual-Heavy Instructions

3D-style, step-by-step guidance that shows component count, orientation and placement — so building is followed visually, not decoded from 2D schematics.

Pillar 04

Inventory-Ready Storage

A compartmentalized, reusable case that keeps every part sorted and lets a facilitator confirm at a glance that nothing is missing before or after a session.

The Solutions
Solution 01 · Component

Redesigned Breadboard

Increased pitch between rows and a higher pin count per row cut the visual clutter of unused holes. Wider spacing reduces crowding and lets components spread out without overlapping connections — yet it stays fully compatible with standard breadboards, so it drops into existing setups with no adapters.

Solution 02 · Component

LED Holder

An outer housing that fixes the recurring polarity error. Color association — red for positive, black for negative — plus a flat edge on the negative side give both a visual and tactile signifier, so learners identify polarity correctly and confidently before they ever plug in.

Solution 03 · Component

Redesigned Resistor

An enclosed, larger housing with the resistance value printed right on top — no color-band decoding required. Thicker, bend-resistant pins survive repeated insertion, turning a fragile, easily-misplaced part into a durable plug-and-play module with standard and large-breadboard variants.

Solution 04 · Component

Variable Resistor / Potentiometer

A larger, commercial-grade potentiometer with a notch that clips onto the breadboard's dovetail joint — holding it securely without consuming any pin rows. It connects through short wires for flexible placement, freeing board space and keeping the build clean and easy to replicate.

Solution 05 · Guide

Visual Overlay Template

A printed map of the breadboard that shows exactly where each component sits and how the busbars run, while physically covering unused pins to cut visual noise and prevent accidental misconnections. It measurably improved the speed and confidence with which testers assembled a circuit.

Solution 05 · In Use

Overlay, Deployed

With the redesigned components seated into the overlay, the connection logic reads almost like a diagram laid directly onto the hardware — the gap between schematic and physical build effectively disappears.

Solution 06 · Guide

Visual-Heavy Instructions

Interviews showed 2D diagrams were the single hardest thing to interpret. The fix: 3D-style, step-by-step visuals paired with plain-language steps that show how many components are needed, their correct orientation, and how everything goes together — reducing confusion and giving users the confidence to attempt more complex projects.

Visual-heavy step-by-step instruction sheet
Solution 07 · Storage

Reusable Packaging

A compartmentalized case gives every part a dedicated home, cutting the time spent hunting through loose components and minimizing lost or damaged pieces. The layout doubles as an inventory check — a quick visual scan confirms nothing is missing, keeping facilitators ready for repeated use across multiple workshops.

Validated With Beginners
The complete StarterSpark kit — components, overlay templates, guided instructions and inventory-ready storage as one system.
User testing: a first-time builder assembles a circuit using the overlay template and visual instructions.
Redesigned components seating into the overlay — testers reported faster, more confident builds.
The reusable case keeps parts sorted and makes inventory a single glance.
Closed and packed — the kit designed to survive repeated classroom use.
The visual-heavy instruction sheet that carried the learning experience from first part to finished circuit.
Next Project → 32×32
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Project 02 / 06

32×32

Furniture Design · Prototyping
Simplicity that reveals complexity

A line of furniture that explores complex, overlapping patterns through simple joinery — echoing the fundamental archetypes of geometry. Every piece is built from a single 32×32×1040mm wooden section, using domino joinery to generate unexpected visual richness from the strictest of constraints.

Design Brief
  • Design a complete line of furniture
  • Only 32×32×1040mm wooden sections for construction
  • Must be easy to manufacture
  • Joints made exclusively with domino joinery
  • Design language translates across every piece
  • Build one full 1:1 scale prototype
The Process
Step 01

Joinery Study

It began with the joint. Loose studies in wood explored how simple lap and butt joints could overlap and interlock to suggest larger structures.

Step 02

Abstract Structure

Those joinery studies were scaled into abstract structures — testing how a repeating language of overlapping members could stand, support, and define space.

Step 03

Scale Models

The vocabulary was translated across the whole family: side table, coffee table, sofa and a partition bookshelf, each at 1:5 scale to validate the shared language.

Step 04

Cutting Joints

For the 1:1 build, a domino joiner cut each mortise by hand — the only joining method allowed by the brief.

Step 05

Finishing

Every member was sanded and prepped before the finish coat, keeping the raw 32mm section honest and tactile.

Step 06

Pre-Final Assembly

A dry assembly checked fit and tolerance across the overlapping knot details before final glue-up.

Final Design
The complete furniture line — sofa, coffee table and side table sharing one joinery language.
The 1:1 scale coffee table prototype with glass top, revealing the overlapping knot structure beneath.
Side table render showing how the language scales down.
Next Project → DriveDeck
← All Work DriveDeck Hire Me
Project 03 / 06

DriveDeck

Inclusive Design · Healthcare Collaboration
All hands on deck

Developed in collaboration with Easter Seals of Southeastern Pennsylvania. A physical therapist identified the need for an alternative control system for bumper cars — one that accommodates children with physical and motor disabilities. The stock joystick is challenging for children with limited fine motor control, so DriveDeck replaces it with large, easy-to-press buttons, giving more children the chance to participate independently.

Design Brief
  • Tray mounts and unmounts with minimal effort
  • Tray must never hinder the user
  • Any adjustment made without special tools
  • Light yet sturdy enough to support a child’s forearms
  • Controls simple enough to engage easily
The Process
Step 01

Initial Ideation

First sketches worked out the overall articulation: a tray that hinges and locks, a three-part assembly, and the knob and pivot that hold the whole thing in place.

Step 02

Refining the Tray

A direct comparison — thick-and-bulky vs. light-thin-and-strong — led to an internally ribbed tray that stayed rigid without the mass.

Step 03

Clamp & Mount Versions

Four mount versions and two clamp variants were studied side-by-side, plus the knob, to find the combination that adjusted easily without tools.

Step 04

Iterating the Hardware

Every articulation part — the pipe mount, the tightening knob, the clamps — went through multiple printed iterations to find the right balance of strength, fit and adjustability.

Step 05

Mounting on the Car

Each iteration was fitted to the actual bumper car on the bench, checking clearance, reach and the act of actually engaging the buttons.

Final Design
The final DriveDeck mounted on the bumper car, with large dual buttons for forward and reverse.
Three-quarter view: both decks deployed and ready to drive.
Side profile, showing the tray angle tuned for comfortable forearm rest.
From behind: the buttons sit cleanly above the car’s factory controls without hindering access.
Detail of the left deck and clamp, deployed in working position.
Next Project → Pentel Nomics
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Project 04 / 06

Pentel Nomics

Product Design · Ergonomics
Getting hands on

A complete ergonomic redesign of the Pentel pen — pivoting away from the traditional cylindrical form toward an unconventional shape that is easier to hold and support. The goal was a better writing experience, a nib-retracting mechanism, and a premium presence, all designed with real manufacturing processes in mind.

Design Brief
  • Ergonomic pen with a nib-retracting mechanism
  • Redesign for a noticeably better writing experience
  • Stand out in a premium way
  • Designed with manufacturing processes in mind
The Process
Step 01

Ergonomic Form Study

Foam models tested unconventional grip geometries in the hand, setting a baseline before refinement.

Step 02

High-Fidelity Mock-ups

Four contenders — Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Omega — were built at high fidelity for structured user validation.

Step 03

Grip Refinement

A dedicated series of printed grip sections refined exactly how the fingers seat against the body.

Step 04

User Validation

Educators tested each candidate in real writing tasks. Omega won — they liked the weight in the grip and how its contours guide finger placement and weight distribution.

Step 05

Internal Mechanism

A cross-section of the resolved design, working out the nib-retracting mechanism and how every component seats inside the slim body.

Final Design
The final Pentel Nomics family — matte black, transparent demonstrator, and iridescent finish.
The transparent demonstrator revealing the internal retracting mechanism.
The progression of grip-refinement prototypes that led to the final Omega form.
Exploded view of the assembled mechanism — cap, transparent body, and the retracting nib unit broken out along the pen’s axis.
Next Project → Pressur
← All Work Pressur Hire Me
Project 05 / 06

Pressur

Industrial Design · Design for Manufacturing
Inflation, reinvented for the road

A redesign of the external enclosure for a portable tire inflator — keeping all the same internal components while adding new functionality and designing for injection molding and assembly. The key move: a mount that attaches the inflator directly under a bike saddle, with rider-visibility features built into the form.

Design Brief
  • Redesign the enclosure using the same internal components
  • Design must be injection moldable
  • Can be mounted on a bike
  • Add more visibility for the rider
The Process
Step 01

Carrying Over the Internals

The motor, battery, pump, fan and pipe were carried over unchanged from the original product — the new shell had to package all of them while staying fully injection moldable.

Step 02

Designed for Assembly

An exploded view of the resolved design: a two-part molded shell closes over the internals and PCB, located by screw bosses and locating ribs, with the LED board seated at the rear.

Designed for Assembly
Step 03

Visibility, Every Angle

Reflective tape runs along both sides while four red LEDs sit at the rear — so the rider stays visible from behind and from the side. Vent holes for the fan double as a texture motif.

Step 04

Mounted in Context

The clamp grips the saddle rails directly, tucking the inflator neatly beneath the seat where it stays out of the way until needed.

Final Design
The final Pressur mounted under the saddle, rear LEDs lit for visibility on the road.
Three views of the finished enclosure — rear lights, side reflective tape, and the clip mount.
The internal layout: motor, battery, pump, fan and control PCB packaged into the new form.
Exploded view showing the injection-moldable shell closing over the carried-over internals.
Next Project → Eventide Ambient Light
← All Work Eventide Ambient Light Hire Me
Project 06 / 06

Eventide Ambient Light

Product Design · 3D Printing · Electronics
Glow, contained

An ambient light enclosure designed entirely around snap-fit assembly — no screws, no glue. It houses an Adafruit Circuit Playground, a lithium-ion battery, and a custom light pipe that channels the board’s NeoPixel LEDs into a soft ambient glow. Every decision was driven by the constraints of 3D printing and clean snap-fit geometry.

Design Brief
  • Assembled entirely with snap-fits — no screws or glue
  • House an Adafruit Circuit Playground, battery and light pipe
  • Light pipe must channel the NeoPixel output
  • Designed around 3D-printing constraints
The Process
Step 01

Form Development

The housing took the silhouette of a starship — a wide saucer over a tapered body with two raised nacelles, each a natural vessel for a light element.

Step 02

Snap-Fit Assembly

An exploded view of the resolved design: the Circuit Playground, battery and light pipe all locate into the lower body and are captured by the top shell’s snap features — no fasteners anywhere.

Snap-Fit Assembly
Step 03

Seating the Circuit Playground

Looking straight into the saucer: the Adafruit board drops onto its standoffs with the ring of NeoPixels facing out, and the perimeter snap tabs lock the cover down over it.

Step 04

Channeling the Light

A cutaway through the assembled body shows how the light pipe picks up the NeoPixel ring at the saucer and carries it down through the nacelles — the whole optical path resolved inside the snap-fit shell.

Step 05

Tuning the Light

With the electronics seated, the NeoPixels drive the nacelles red and the central core blue — the light pipe carrying each color cleanly to its surface.

Final Design
The finished Eventide ambient light, nacelles glowing red against a cyan saucer.
The light staged on its halo platform — the signature ambient glow.
Head-on: red nacelles and a blue core, every channel lit by a single Circuit Playground.
Section through the lower body and nacelle, showing the internal structure and snap detail.
Top-down into the saucer: the three light-pipe legs splay out from the central core to feed each channel.
Next Project → StarterSpark