Rahul is available for hire
Hire RahulRahul Karnekar
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Toptal member since January 23, 2026
Bio
Rahul is a senior product designer with 8 years of experience in B2B SaaS, fintech, and enterprise platforms. As a founding designer for a construction SaaS, he architected 15+ modules and a complete design system. His work includes a crypto exchange with 5+ million users and UX audits that prevented 40-60% user drop-off. Rahul uses an AI-augmented framework to compress design cycles by 22%, mapping complex state matrices upfront to minimize downstream engineering rework.
Experience
- Digital Product Design - 7 years
- Figma - 7 years
- UI Design - 7 years
- UX Design - 7 years
- Design Consultation - 5 years
- SaaS Design - 5 years
- Design Systems - 5 years
- UX Audits - 3 years
Portfolio
Work Experience
Founding Product Designer
2023 - 2026
iBricks
- Designed an AI-powered bid analysis feature that consolidated 9,000+ active tenders into one workflow. Contractors could simulate competitor probability, set margins, and get a pricing recommendation in under 2 minutes. Research time dropped by 70%.
- Designed an AI-driven BOQ extraction that converts unstructured documents into structured data. Users review, correct, and approve AI outputs, reducing manual data entry time by 60% for procurement teams.
- Built a scalable design system from scratch that became the foundation for the entire product stack, saving the development team months of redundant component work.
- Established a design roadmap three to four months ahead of development, eliminating production bottlenecks and providing engineers with clear implementation guidance.
- Rearchitected 15 disconnected modules into a cohesive product system, giving the founder confidence to secure funding and guide development over the next three years.
- Designed role-based interfaces across 4 distinct user types where the same screen surfaces different data per role.
- Designed native mobile experiences for Android and iOS for every platform module. Each mobile interface was built from scratch to accommodate platform constraints and real-world site use, rather than adapted from web screens.
- Worked on the design layer that survived two complete technology rebuilds. The system architecture held while the engineering stack changed underneath, proving the design foundation was the product constant.
- Expanded initial branding engagement into full product ownership after demonstrating strategic problem-solving that addressed the founder's core business concerns.
Technologies: Figma, Digital Product Design, UX Design, UI Design, Design Systems, Wireframing, Prototyping, User Research, FigJam, User Experience (UX), Web UX, User Interface (UI), High-fidelity Mockups, High-fidelity Wireframes, High-fidelity Prototypes, Product Design, Branding, Product Strategy, Enterprise UX Design, Financial Software UX, Data Visualization, Systems Thinking, Business to Business (B2B), UX Process, Admin Panels, Mobile UI, Design Strategy, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Dashboard Design, Dashboards, Design, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Workflow Design, Visual Workflow, Web App UX, SaaS, Component Libraries, Web App Design, User Flows, Heuristic Evaluation, Design Consultation, Enterprise SaaS, Construction Design, Real Estate Web Design, Web Design, Design Thinking, UX Research, Mobile App UI, MVP Design, Web App UI, UX Wireframes, Artificial Intelligence as a Service (AIaaS), Role-based Access Control (RBAC), B2B, Web UI Design, UI Branding, Responsive Web Apps, System Architecture Design, User Journeys, User Experience Design, User Testing, Usability Analysis, Systems Design, Mobile Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Data-heavy Design, UX Strategy, Claude Code, AI-powered Product Design, Usability, Web Applications, Web Dashboards, User-centered Design (UCD), Interactive Prototypes, Mobile UX, Mobile UX Design, Mobile Apps, Visual Design, Design Documentation, Online Payments, Mobile Payments, iOS, Android, B2B2C, AI Design, Web Application Design, Atomic Design, Design Workshops, Discovery Workshops, Stakeholder Management, User Validation, Agentic AI, Iterative Design, Ideation, Rapid Interactive Prototyping, Rapid Prototyping, Interaction Design (IxD), Ecosystem Design, User Journey Maps, CRM, Design Leadership, Websites, UI Audits, Claude, Mobile, Qualitative Research
UX Audit Consultant
2025 - 2025
Freelance Client
- Conducted a strategic UX audit of property listing and filtering flows, identifying 63 critical usability issues projected to cause 40–60% user drop-off before platform launch.
- Delivered a prioritized eight-week implementation roadmap with detailed fixes for design and development teams, projected to improve activation by 40% and recover significant monthly revenue lost to usability failures.
- Completed a comprehensive audit and delivered strategic recommendations within three days, preventing catastrophic launch issues just days before go-live.
Technologies: Figma, UX Design, FigJam, Heuristic Evaluation, UX Audits, User Experience (UX), Web UX, Product Strategy, Data Visualization, Systems Thinking, UX Process, Workflow Design, Visual Workflow, Web App UX, User Flows, Design Consultation, Real Estate Web Design, Design Thinking, UX Research, SaaS, Audits, User Journeys, User Experience Design, User Testing, Usability Analysis, Systems Design, UX Strategy, Usability, Web Applications, User-centered Design (UCD), B2B2C, Web Application Design, Design Workshops, Discovery Workshops, Stakeholder Management, User Journey Maps, UI Audits, Mobile, Real Estate
Associate Senior Designer
2023 - 2024
ProCreator Solutions Private
- Contributed to the strategic redesign of India's leading crypto exchange, serving 5+ million users, collaborating with the senior design team on platform modernization.
- Reduced critical know-your-customer (KYC) onboarding time by two minutes through streamlined user journey redesign, directly increasing task completion rates and user activation.
- Designed a design system with light and dark theme support using Figma variables, scaling across 15+ product modules. Cut design-to-development handoff friction across the full product.
- Authored component documentation covering usage guidelines, when-to-use rules, and edge cases. Gave designers and engineers a single reference that reduced implementation ambiguity across the team.
- Reviewed developed components in Storybook against Figma specifications. Documented each with the intended specification and reason for correction.
- Delivered structured bug reports that helped the engineering team fix design-quality issues post-development.
- Secured a one-year contract extension based on the team's strategic design contributions and delivery of high-quality work that met complex business requirements.
- Designed the full native mobile experience for Android and iOS alongside the web platform. Every feature shipped with platform-specific designs built from scratch, not responsive adaptations of web screens.
- Guided a junior designer through Figma workflows and design principles with documentation as the reference. Contributed to faster team delivery by reducing design review cycles.
Technologies: Figma, Digital Product Design, UX Design, UI Design, Design Systems, Wireframing, User Research, User Experience (UX), Web UX, User Interface (UI), High-fidelity Mockups, High-fidelity Wireframes, Product Design, Product Strategy, Financial Software UX, Data Visualization, Systems Thinking, UX Process, Mobile UI, Design Strategy, Dashboards, Design, Workflow Design, Visual Workflow, Web App UX, Component Libraries, Web App Design, User Flows, Fintech Design, Web App UI, UX Wireframes, SaaS, Web UI Design, UI Branding, Responsive Web Apps, System Architecture Design, User Journeys, User Experience Design, Systems Design, Mobile Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Data-heavy Design, UX Strategy, Usability, Web Applications, User-centered Design (UCD), Mobile UX, Mobile UX Design, Mobile Apps, Visual Design, Design Documentation, Mobile Payments, iOS, Android, Web Application Design, Atomic Design, User Interviews, Discovery Workshops, Stakeholder Management, Iterative Design, Ideation, Interaction Design (IxD), User Journey Maps, Design Leadership, Mobile, Qualitative Research
Product Design Consultant
2020 - 2023
Self-employed
- Provided end-to-end product design for early-stage startups across fintech, real estate tech, and digital platforms, translating founder vision into functional, developer-ready MVPs.
- Designed the complete mobile app and internal admin dashboard for FinRM, a credit line platform backed by RBI-regulated NBFCs. The product enables instant access to personal loans through a corporate credit line, with withdrawals and repayments.
- Built the front-end UI for FinRM’s mobile platform in Flutter, bridging design and development to ensure pixel-accurate implementation and faster delivery cycles.
- Designed a no-code website builder and lead-generation dashboard for a real estate tech client (Kailasa Enterprise), leading the full UX process from information architecture through high-fidelity Figma prototypes.
- Partnered with a California-based client to design the complete UI/UX for a digital business card platform (POPB), architecting an end-to-end experience from onboarding through analytics dashboard.
Technologies: Product Design, Web App UX, Mobile App UI, Flutter, UI Design, UX Design, Figma, Dashboard Design, Information Architecture (IA), MVP Design, Fintech Design, Prototyping, Digital Product Design, Design Systems, Design Consultation, Enterprise SaaS, Real Estate Web Design, Web Design, Design Thinking, UX Research, Web App UI, UX Wireframes, Artificial Intelligence as a Service (AIaaS), B2B, SaaS, Web UI Design, UI Branding, Responsive Web Apps, Tailwind UI, System Architecture Design, Tailwind CSS, User Journeys, User Experience Design, Systems Design, Mobile Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Data-heavy Design, UX Strategy, Web Applications, Web Dashboards, User-centered Design (UCD), Interactive Prototypes, Mobile UX, Mobile UX Design, Mobile Apps, Visual Design, Online Payments, iOS, Android, Web Application Design, Stakeholder Management, Iterative Design, Interaction Design (IxD), CRM, Websites, Mobile, Tablet Design, Qualitative Research, Real Estate
UI/UX Designer
2019 - 2020
The Bitstack
- Designed UI/UX for early-stage fintech, travel, real estate, and hospitality applications, taking end-to-end ownership of consumer mobile apps and admin dashboards.
- Established Figma-based design workflows and documentation standards for the product team, creating repeatable processes for UI handoff and iteration.
- Defined user flows and interface patterns for financial transactions and account management, building early experience in high-stakes B2B and fintech product design.
Technologies: UI Design, UX Design, Figma, Mobile App Design, Dashboard Design, Digital Product Design, Design Systems, Real Estate Web Design, Web Design, Design Thinking, Mobile App UI, Web App UI, Enterprise SaaS, Web UI Design, UI Branding, Responsive Web Apps, User Journeys, User Experience Design, Mobile Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), UX Strategy, User-centered Design (UCD), Mobile UX, Mobile UX Design, Mobile Apps, Visual Design, Web Application Design, Iterative Design, Websites, Mobile, Tablet Design
Co-founder and Designer
2018 - 2019
CoreCelo
- Co-founded a design studio serving the restaurant and hospitality industry. Started with social media advertising and graphic design for restaurant clients, then expanded into product design.
- Designed and developed the UI for "Kosmic," a restaurant and nightlife mobile application (similar to BarStock Exchange/Agent Jack's concept) using Flutter, handling both the design and front-end development.
- Managed client relationships, project delivery, and business development—building foundational skills in consulting and independent practice.
Technologies: Graphic Design, Flutter, UI Design, Mobile UI, Branding, Social Media Kits, Digital Product Design, UX Design, Real Estate Web Design, Web Design, Mobile App UI, Web UI Design, UI Branding, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Mobile UX, Mobile UX Design, Mobile Apps, Visual Design, Web Application Design, Websites
Skills
Tools
Claude, FigJam
Platforms
Figma, Mobile, iOS, Android
Industry Expertise
Real Estate
Other
Digital Product Design, UX Design, UI Design, Design Systems, Wireframing, Prototyping, UX Audits, User Flows, Information Architecture (IA), SaaS Design, B2B, Fintech Design, Real Estate Web Design, Mobile App Design, Web Design, Design Strategy, Product Strategy, Systems, Design Thinking, App UI, Mobile UI, Product Design, Admin Panels, Business to Business (B2B), Systems Thinking, Data Visualization, Enterprise UX Design, User Experience (UX), Web UX, User Interface (UI), High-fidelity Mockups, High-fidelity Wireframes, High-fidelity Prototypes, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Dashboard Design, Dashboards, Design, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Workflow Design, Web App UX, SaaS, Component Libraries, Web App Design, Mobile App UI, MVP Design, Web App UI, UX Wireframes, Web UI Design, UI Branding, Responsive Web Apps, System Architecture Design, Audits, User Journeys, User Experience Design, Mobile Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Data-heavy Design, AI-powered Product Design, Web Applications, Web Dashboards, User-centered Design (UCD), Mobile UX, Mobile UX Design, Mobile Apps, Visual Design, Design Documentation, AI Design, Web Application Design, Atomic Design, Design Workshops, Discovery Workshops, Stakeholder Management, User Validation, Iterative Design, Ideation, Ecosystem Design, CRM, Websites, UI Audits, User Research, UX Research, Financial Software UX, Branding, Visual Workflow, Artificial Intelligence as a Service (AIaaS), Role-based Access Control (RBAC), Tailwind UI, Tailwind CSS, User Testing, Usability Analysis, Systems Design, UX Strategy, Claude Code, Usability, Interactive Prototypes, Low-fidelity Prototypes, Online Payments, Mobile Payments, B2B2C, User Interviews, Agentic AI, Rapid Interactive Prototyping, Rapid Prototyping, Interaction Design (IxD), User Journey Maps, Design Leadership, Tablet Design, Heuristic Evaluation, Design Consultation, Enterprise SaaS, AI-Powered Features, Construction Design, UX Process, Performance, Flutter, Graphic Design, Social Media Kits, Qualitative Research
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