Hi, I'm Ranjeeta.
Hi, I'm Ranjeeta.
I’m a UX researcher, anthropologist, and emotional strategist.
I grew up in Kalimpong, a small Himalayan town in Darjeeling, near the borders of Bhutan, Nepal, and China. Life moved between Nepali at home, English at school, and Hindi or Bengali in the city. This multilingual rhythm constantly made me question identity, belonging, and the systems we move through.
In many ways, I was a researcher long before I had the title. I was the quiet observer and curious listener, always asking why things were the way they were, and who they were working for. That childhood curiosity became a lifelong thread. Anthropology gave it a name. UX research gave it direction. Both help me explore the emotional, messy middle where behaviors, systems, and unspoken feelings collide.
Now based in Toronto, I live with my husband and our little boy, a curious toddler who has deepened my empathy in unexpected ways.
Motherhood didn’t pause my research; it grounded it.
It made me more committed to work that’s not just insightful, but human.
From the hills of Kalimpong to the systems of today,
I’m still asking,
I’m still listening,
I’m still designing for what’s often felt but rarely spoken.
I’m a UX researcher, anthropologist, and emotional strategist.
I grew up in Kalimpong, a small Himalayan town in Darjeeling, near the borders of Bhutan, Nepal, and China. Life moved between Nepali at home, English at school, and Hindi or Bengali in the city. This multilingual rhythm constantly made me question identity, belonging, and the systems we move through.
In many ways, I was a researcher long before I had the title. I was the quiet observer and curious listener, always asking why things were the way they were, and who they were working for. That childhood curiosity became a lifelong thread. Anthropology gave it a name. UX research gave it direction. Both help me explore the emotional, messy middle where behaviors, systems, and unspoken feelings collide.
Now based in Toronto, I live with my husband and our little boy, a curious toddler who has deepened my empathy in unexpected ways.
Motherhood didn’t pause my research; it grounded it.
It made me more committed to work that’s not just insightful, but human.
From the hills of Kalimpong to the systems of today,
I’m still asking,
I’m still listening,
I’m still designing for what’s often felt but rarely spoken.
What I Bring
What I Bring
Emotional Precision – I trace emotional friction and quiet hesitation to uncover what really needs to be designed.
Cultural Intelligence – I connect everyday choices to the larger systems, histories, and cultural logics they live inside.
Strategic Insight – I make sense of complexity without flattening it, translating lived experience into direction, not just data.
Emotional Precision – I trace emotional friction and quiet hesitation to uncover what really needs to be designed.
Cultural Intelligence – I connect everyday choices to the larger systems, histories, and cultural logics they live inside.
Strategic Insight – I make sense of complexity without flattening it, translating lived experience into direction, not just data.
Why It Matters
Why It Matters
People aren’t just users. They’re whole humans with context, contradictions, and quiet needs that don’t always show up in data. The systems we design should honor that. Let’s create experiences that don’t just work they feel understood. Because when we design with emotion in mind, we don’t just build products. We build trust.
People aren’t just users. They’re whole humans with context, contradictions, and quiet needs that don’t always show up in data. The systems we design should honor that. Let’s create experiences that don’t just work they feel understood. Because when we design with emotion in mind, we don’t just build products. We build trust.
Guiding Philosophy
Guiding Philosophy
Design is a human act.
Honor the human.
Understand the system.
Design with care.
I believe the most meaningful experiences are created at the intersection of emotion, systems, and shared understanding.I design with people, not just for them. I listen deeply, collaborate intentionally, and hold space for contradiction, vulnerability, and truth. Whether I’m working with smallholder farmers in the Himalayas, an Indigenous community at the border of two nations, or mapping complex service journeys.
Design is a human act.
Honor the human.
Understand the system.
Design with care.
I believe the most meaningful experiences are created at the intersection of emotion, systems, and shared understanding.I design with people, not just for them. I listen deeply, collaborate intentionally, and hold space for contradiction, vulnerability, and truth. Whether I’m working with smallholder farmers in the Himalayas, an Indigenous community at the border of two nations, or mapping complex service journeys.
Core Principles
Core Principles
1. Build Trust, Not Just Insights
I believe in slow, relational research. I build trust before asking questions, and create feedback loops that empower the people I design with, not just for. Whether in the field or in workshops, I listen deeply, hold space for vulnerability, and design in collaboration, not isolation.
2. Context Matters, Always
Behavior is never just behavior. I look for the cultural, emotional, and systemic forces that shape how people act, adapt, and resist. My work draws from anthropology and lived reality not just frameworks to make sure we’re designing for real lives, not ideal ones.
3. Stay Curious. Stay Flexible.
Curiosity is my compass. I ask better questions before chasing faster answers. I trust proven methods, but I’m not afraid to break them when they don’t serve people. Good design is responsive and so is my process.
1. Build Trust, Not Just Insights
I believe in slow, relational research. I build trust before asking questions, and create feedback loops that empower the people I design with, not just for. Whether in the field or in workshops, I listen deeply, hold space for vulnerability, and design in collaboration, not isolation.
2. Context Matters, Always
Behavior is never just behavior. I look for the cultural, emotional, and systemic forces that shape how people act, adapt, and resist. My work draws from anthropology and lived reality not just frameworks to make sure we’re designing for real lives, not ideal ones.
3. Stay Curious. Stay Flexible.
Curiosity is my compass. I ask better questions before chasing faster answers. I trust proven methods, but I’m not afraid to break them when they don’t serve people. Good design is responsive and so is my process.
What I keep Coming Back To
What I keep Coming Back To
I really, truly love to cook. Not just as a hobby but as something that brings me joy, clarity, and connection.I cook because it slows me down. Because it brings people together.
Some of the most meaningful conversations I’ve had happened in kitchens, over food I made with care.Cooking helps me feel rooted. It gives me a sense of purpose.
It’s also how I express love whether I’m feeding friends, family, or someone who just needed a place to sit and feel welcome. People tell me they love my food. I hope one day I can open a restaurant not for the business, but for the feeling. Until then, I keep cooking. Because for me, it’s not just about the meal. It’s about presence, warmth, and the stories that unfold when we share something real.
I really, truly love to cook. Not just as a hobby but as something that brings me joy, clarity, and connection.I cook because it slows me down. Because it brings people together.
Some of the most meaningful conversations I’ve had happened in kitchens, over food I made with care.Cooking helps me feel rooted. It gives me a sense of purpose.
It’s also how I express love whether I’m feeding friends, family, or someone who just needed a place to sit and feel welcome. People tell me they love my food. I hope one day I can open a restaurant not for the business, but for the feeling. Until then, I keep cooking. Because for me, it’s not just about the meal. It’s about presence, warmth, and the stories that unfold when we share something real.
Things that keep me Curious
Things that keep me Curious
Travel journaling & cultural observation
I like noticing small, quiet things when I travel, how people greet each other, arrange their homes, or wait for buses. I write them down before I forget.
Visual ethnography & documentary photography
I take photos when words don’t feel enough , patterns in public spaces, handwritten signs, how people use shared space. It’s how I remember what systems feel like.
Audio storytelling
I’ve always loved listening to people talk, especially stories told in kitchens, sacred spaces, or while walking.I record some of them when I can.
Gardening & growing food
I like growing things with my hands, not just for food, but to feel time passing. Plants remind me to slow down.
Forest walks & wandering
I walk when I’m stuck. Forests, hills, or just around the block, it helps me listen better, to myself and to the world.
Community work, teaching & navigating hard conversations
I care about building trust in messy, real spaces. I’ve taught, facilitated, and sometimes just sat quietly when someone needed to talk.
Travel journaling & cultural observation
I like noticing small, quiet things when I travel, how people greet each other, arrange their homes, or wait for buses. I write them down before I forget.
Visual ethnography & documentary photography
I take photos when words don’t feel enough , patterns in public spaces, handwritten signs, how people use shared space. It’s how I remember what systems feel like.
Audio storytelling
I’ve always loved listening to people talk, especially stories told in kitchens, sacred spaces, or while walking.I record some of them when I can.
Gardening & growing food
I like growing things with my hands, not just for food, but to feel time passing. Plants remind me to slow down.
Forest walks & wandering
I walk when I’m stuck. Forests, hills, or just around the block, it helps me listen better, to myself and to the world.
Community work, teaching & navigating hard conversations
I care about building trust in messy, real spaces. I’ve taught, facilitated, and sometimes just sat quietly when someone needed to talk.