Personal User Manual

*A comprehensive guide to help the people in my life understand how to connect, communicate, and build meaningful relationships with me.*

About This Document

I've created this Personal User Manual to help the people in my life understand how I operate, what I value, and how we can build the strongest relationship possible. Instead of months or years of trial and error, I'm hoping this gives you a head start in understanding me.

This isn't a rulebook you must follow perfectly—it's guidance to help us connect more effectively. I'm also always growing and changing, so consider this a living document. I'd love to learn about you too. If you have your own manual or want to share how you operate, I'm eager to listen.

The Quick Summary

If you only read one section, read this. The essential things to know about me.

In Three Bullet Points:

I am a business-first designer. User empathy and good UX are the means, not the end. I care about solving problems that actually matter—moving revenue, shifting perceptions, or making the old way obsolete.
I hate repetition and love scale. If I have to do something twice, I'll likely automate it, template it, or build a tool for it. I vibe with code to save my time.
I value directness and radical openness. I design better when I know why it matters. I always start with defining success and am radically open to feedback.

My Personality in Brief:

Processing Style: Internal processor (I often think before I speak)
Decision Making: Logic-led, heavily influenced by first-principles thinking and second-order consequences.
Planning vs. Spontaneity: Planner by default (I love organizing things), but I embrace discomfort to grow.
Energy Style: Ambivert. I can give talks and lead communities, but I need deep recharge time.

Who I Am: Background & Context

Where I Come From:

Originally from Chennai, started my career in Gurgaon (NCR), and now live in Bengaluru. I grew up tinkering with gadgets—film cameras, Nokia flip phones, and DC motors. That curiosity led me to study Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering, but a rabbit hole into web programming turned me from script kiddie to design engineer.

Fun Facts About Me:

I have a strange habit of binge-watching backpack reviews on YouTube.
I speak Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, English, and just enough Kannada to navigate an auto ride.
My first "engineering" projects involved breaking cameras to see what was inside.
I'm obsessed with shooting (the sport) since 2024.
I once had to give up my Raspberry Pi 4 because my funded final year project became college property.

My Core Values

My Top Values:

Growth via Discomfort — I believe in going outside my comfort zone until that discomfort becomes the new normal.
Efficiency & Scale — I don't like doing the same thing again and again. I build systems and tools to solve problems at scale.
Curiosity — From dissecting gadgets as a kid to asking odd questions on Perplexity today, understanding how things work is fundamental to me.
Impact — Design is how we solve problems that matter. I focus on outcomes over outputs.

Beliefs I Hold Strongly:

First-principles thinking is the best way to understand problems deeply.
User empathy is a tool, not the goal. The goal is solving the problem.
Credit is not a zero-sum game—there's plenty of it to go around.
"Don't worry, I use my powers only for good." (Persuasion is a superpower).

Quotes That Resonate With Me:

My Energy Patterns

What Gives Me Energy:

Tinkering with workflows and "vibing" with code.
Deep-diving into topics like movies, music, or gear reviews.
Organizing things (digital or physical).
Persuading people to try things they initially resist (for their own good!).
Collaborating with devs and PMs where we're "fighting with each other, not against."

What Drains My Energy:

Repetitive manual tasks that could be automated.
Corporate speak and jargon without substance.
Designing without knowing why it matters.
Being stuck in a comfort zone for too long.

My Ideal Day Looks Like:

Energy Rhythms:

Communication Preferences

My Communication Style:

Conversational, personal, and direct. I avoid corporate speak. I like self-aware humor and light jokes. I might use em dashes—a lot—for asides. I prefer to write as if I'm talking to a friend.

Preferred Channels:

It might be difficult to find me on social media as I don't use them much.

Quick/Casual: DM me on X/Twitter.
Professional: LinkedIn is best.
Scheduling: If you want to chat, schedule a call via Topmate.

Response Time Expectations:

Communication Approaches That Work Well:

Communication Approaches That Don't Work:

When I Go Quiet, It Usually Means:

I'm likely deep in a rabbit hole (researching, coding, or binge-watching reviews) or I'm processing a complex problem. It's rarely personal.

Things People Might Misunderstand About Me

Common Misperceptions:

My Quirks and Idiosyncrasies:

Things I Do That Might Initially Annoy People:

Emotional Landscape

How I Typically Express Emotions:

Signs I'm Stressed or Overwhelmed:

What Helps When I'm Going Through a Hard Time:

What Doesn't Help (Even If Well-Intentioned):

My Triggers:

How I Process Difficult Emotions:

Building Connection and Trust With Me

What Makes Me Feel Cared For:

My Love Languages:

Actions That Build My Trust:

Actions That Damage My Trust:

Quality Time With Me Looks Like:

Feedback and Difficult Conversations

How I Prefer to Receive Constructive Feedback:

What Makes Feedback Land Well:

What Makes Feedback Hard to Hear:

How I Prefer to Receive Appreciation:

When We Have Conflict:

My Strengths

I'm Naturally Good At:

People Often Come to Me For:

How I Can Help You:

My Growth Areas

My Known Blind Spots:

What I'm Actively Working On:

How You Can Support My Growth:

Patience You Might Need With Me:

Favorites & Personal Details

Movies/ShowsWar & Period Dramas

HobbiesBadminton, Shooting, Snooker

Online HabitPerplexity deep-dives

Guilty PleasureBackpack reviews

My Favorites (Detailed):

Random Things That Make Me Happy:

Topics I Could Talk About Forever:

Topics I'd Rather Avoid:

Practical Preferences

My Ideal Environment:

Scheduling and Plans:

When Hosting/Being a Guest:

Health and Wellness Notes:

Dreams and Aspirations

What I'm Working Toward:

Modernizing enterprise legacy systems to make them usable for today's teams.
Building tools and resources around design, AI, and productivity.
One day owning a pool table.

What Success Means to Me:

Solving problems at scale, minimizing repetition, and having the freedom to explore questions that interest me.

How You Can Support My Dreams:

Final Notes

The Best Advice I've Ever Received:

What I Want People to Remember About Me:

A Note to You:

I'm not actively looking for new roles, but I'm always open to interesting conversations. If you're curious whether I'd be a good fit for something you're building, check out my résumé.

Appendix: Quick Reference Card

Last updated: January 2025