What I’m Doing Now

*Last Updated Jan, 2026

1. I am a lead product designer at Lyra Health. I own design for registration, accounts, and health plan integrations. I spend a lot of time noodling on how to improve access to employer-provided mental healthcare. Previously I worked as a designer / strategist at Navan, USAA, ConsenSys and IBM to name a few.

2. I’ve been learning more about local SEO, Google business pages and lead generation for small businesses. I’ve built websites and maintained pages for a Porsche repair shop, a fitness / BJJ gym, a speech clinic, a pediatric therapy office, wellness clinic and a real estate company. Through my work, I’ve been able to increase leads by almost 700% and click through traffic from the hundreds to the tens of thousands.

3. I live in Chicago. I have worked remotely for majority of my career focusing on product design, design thinking, facilitation and product strategy.

4. In the spring, I gave a talk at my alma mater’s UX Days Conference about what it means to put “the product in product designer.” I wanted to show aspiring design students how being a collaborative partner to the business was a superpower to their skill set. You can view the slides here.

5. In the fall of 2025 we bought another property! This Lake Michigan cottage is out of state and our goal with this new venture is to run it as an Airbnb. We have been learning a lot about setting up systems for property management and of course we are spending a lot of time on premise renovating! Below is a photo of me installing new counters, a sink and plumbing in a dishwasher.

We are big fans of the B.R.R.R method for investment properties!

6. I tried my hand at food writing and was published in Whalebone Magazine for an article on how to identify the best Chicago-land pizza shops.

7. I am a co-founder and Principal at Staircase Strategy – An innovation consulting firm.

A longer backstory

My name is Naveen, it’s nice to e-meet you. My background is in product design, brand strategy, and facilitation. I specialize in using user-centered design to solve problems.

I have helped reinvent 100+-year-old tech companies. Used design-thinking to win millions of dollars in new sales. Redefined the experience of digital home buying. Helped navigate the confusing world of emerging technologies. Started a backpack company and during a global pandemic launched a Japanese denim boutique. All of this work accomplished due to my understanding that there is a human on the receiving end of each and every decision I make.

I have spoken at conferences like Sweden’s SXSW about seemingly wild concepts. Consistently I explain things in cooking metaphors and occasionally I sing. Above all, I believe my life’s purpose is to seek out and help solve the problems of yesteryear, today and the future.

If you are looking to hire a someone to fix a digital headache, drink a coffee with, or just need someone to talk to, please reach out. I’m open to external projects that work with people who have good ideas and a track record of executing. If that is you, shoot me a message at hi@naveensraja.com.

A lil‘ bit of social capital