Rupa Shankar
Designer | Leader | Innovator
Rupa Shankar is a seasoned design leader with over two decades of experience shaping transformative user experiences across diverse industries, from e-commerce and luxury to robotics and identity solutions. Currently serving as a Senior UX Manager at Amazon, Rupa leads the Common Design team for Amazon Fulfillment Technologies and Robotics, focusing on simplifying and enhancing accessibility for over 1 million associates and operators globally. Under her leadership, adoption of the team’s design system grew from 30 to over 100 products, alongside scaling initiatives for digital accessibility and localization.
Previously, Rupa held pivotal design leadership roles at organizations like CLEAR, Etsy, Moda Operandi, and Estée Lauder Companies Online. Her work has consistently driven innovation, such as spearheading Privacy By Design initiatives, launching award-winning identity verification products, and enhancing e-commerce platforms with human-centered design. Rupa's tenure at CLEAR led to exponential user growth and won her team an iF Design Award in 2022.
A dual graduate of Boston University with an MBA in Marketing and an MFA in Graphic Design, Rupa complements her academic background with certifications in artificial intelligence, innovation, and UX design from MIT, Stanford, and NYU. Her expertise has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Whirlpool Product Innovation Prize, the Government of India Design Award, and the Constantin Alajalov Design Fellowship.
Beyond her professional achievements, Rupa is passionate about fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration and elevating design's role in driving business impact and customer satisfaction. She is passionate about driving design innovation, taking products from concept to development, and delivering transformative user experiences that create real impact.
As an artist, Rupa explores the interplay of tradition and modernity through painting and ceramics, blending tactile handwork with contemporary techniques to create works that resonate with emotional depth and cultural narratives. She is also a certified yoga teacher.