तत् त्वम् असि

~ tat-tvam-asi ~

YOU ARE THAT

Red line-art drawing of a butterfly rising out of flames
Maithilee in a yellow sweater posing at a gas station at night
Pink Fujifilm Instax mini 12 instant camera
Ridley's Dog Lover's illustrated playing cards tin

The Silent Patient

Alex Michaelides

Red mini-print vending machine dispensing illustrated San Francisco food prints
Maithilee in red glasses nose to nose with a white dog

Industrial designer turned product designer, so I think in systems by default. Building AI native products has made that instinct more useful, not less. Most interaction problems are really structure problems in disguise. Once the system clicks, the design mostly falls out of it.

Industrial designer turned product designer, so I think in systems by default. Building AI native products has made that instinct more useful, not less. Most interaction problems are really structure problems in disguise. Once the system clicks, the design mostly falls out of it.

Life of Mai

mai side quests

Polaroid of a coastal sunset with two birds gliding over the water
Polaroid of the Golden Gate Bridge seen from Baker Beach at dusk
Polaroid of sea lions on the docks at Pier 39, with the Golden Gate Bridge behind
Polaroid of sailboats moored in a marina at dusk

Most weekends I'm at the beach with a polaroid. In the world of digitization, there is something beautiful about physical photographs with no way to hit CTRL+Z.

Pink patent mini handbag with a leather appliqué of a row of townhouses
Red mini-print vending machine dispensing illustrated San Francisco food prints
Ridley's Dog Lover's illustrated playing cards tin

I collect deeply unnecessary objects from every place I travel to. ‘Unnecessary’ is the point: noticing why a small thing delights you is the whole job.

Maithilee lying cheek to cheek with a large German Shepherd
Maithilee, hands decorated with henna, cradling a tan dog
Maithilee in red glasses nose to nose with a white dog

Being a dog parent taught me one of the greatest gifts of being a human: empathy. I carry that empathy with me while designing new concepts, no matter who the user is.

i take my playlist seriously

Concerts are one of the best forms of community building exercise imo

Currently a founding product designer @ llmda

Industrial designer turned product designer, so I think in systems by default. Building AI native products has made that instinct more useful, not less. Most interaction problems are really structure problems in disguise. Once the system clicks, the design mostly falls out of it.

Relate to any of this? Reach out.

maithilee.natu7@gmail.com

beach evidence, mostly blurry

outside of work

Most weekends I’m at the beach with a polaroid. In the world of digitization, there is something beautiful about physical photographs with no way to hit CTRL+Z. The best constraint training a designer can get.

Polaroid of the Pike Place Public Market Center sign in Seattle, with a crowd below
Polaroid of a coastal sunset with two birds gliding over the water
Polaroid of sea lions on the docks at Pier 39, with the Golden Gate Bridge behind
Maithilee in a yellow sweater posing at a gas station at night
Polaroid of cattle grazing beside a farm gate on a hazy day
Polaroid of the Golden Gate Bridge seen from Baker Beach at dusk
Polaroid of sailboats moored in a marina at dusk

beach evidence, mostly blurry

Pink Fujifilm Instax mini 12 instant camera

My dogs taught me one of the greatest gifts of being a human: empathy. I carry that empathy with me while designing new concepts, no matter who the user is.

being a dog parent

Maithilee lying cheek to cheek with a large German Shepherd
Maithilee, hands decorated with henna, cradling a tan dog
Maithilee in red glasses nose to nose with a white dog
Minimal black line drawing of two cats' ears
Minimal black line drawing of two cats' ears
Red mini-print vending machine dispensing illustrated San Francisco food prints
Pink patent mini handbag with a leather appliqué of a row of townhouses
Ridley's Dog Lover's illustrated playing cards tin
Close-up of an intricate henna mandala drawn on skin

it's about the little things

I collect deeply unnecessary objects from every place I travel to. ‘Unnecessary’ is the point: noticing why a small thing delights you is the whole job.

“Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents.”

i take my playlist seriously

तत् त्वम् असि

~ tat-tvam-asi ~

YOU ARE THAT

DESIGNED BY MAITHILEE NATU

DESIGNED BY MAITHILEE NATU