Hi, I’m Sonali I’m currently pursuing my Master’s in Design for Retail Experience (DRE) at NID Bengaluru. Before NID, I worked for almost 3 years across different areas of design. I started as a kidswear designer, moved into communication design, & eventually found my space in CX/UX research. I’ve worked with FirstCry, Decathlon, and also taken up freelance projects along the way. My strongest area is design research especially user interviews, observation, understanding behaviour, and retail trend forecasting. I genuinely enjoy talking to people, understanding how they think, & finding insights from real experiences. Before this, I studied Knitwear Design at NIFT Chennai, so my journey has been quite a mix of fashion, communication, retail and research. Outside design, I love trekking and travelling. I’ve travelled across most parts of India, and I’m always curious about different cultures, people, food, places and communities. I think this curiosity is also a big reason why I enjoy research so much. I’m on Topmate because not very long ago, I was on the other side preparing, confused, looking for guidance and trying to figure things out. I know how much genuine help from the right person can matter during that phase. So if I can make someone’s journey a little easier by sharing what I’ve learnt, I’d be happy to help. :)