Saksham Saxena

Hi, I’m Saksham

Product builder for complex systems.

I’ve worked across healthcare, search, payments and enterprise, and the messier the problem, the more I enjoy it. My work is turning tangled, many-variable problems into products people can understand, and shipping work that holds up at scale.

Designed at

  • AmazonHealthcare and payments
  • MicrosoftBing, Microsoft 365 and Office
  • AdyenIdentity and Access Management
  • SamsungGalaxy Watch and SmartThings
Saksham on the Seattle waterfront with the downtown skyline behind him
Saksham in the stands at a FIFA World Cup 2026 match in Seattle
Saksham on a canal bridge in Amsterdam

Education & recognition

Two degrees, two patents, and a few wins along the way

Education

  • University of Washington logoUniversity of WashingtonM.S., Human Centered Design & Engineering
  • IIT Delhi logoIndian Institute of Technology DelhiB.Tech, Engineering and Design

Recognition

  • Granted · search featuresTwo US patents, Microsoft
  • Winner · national competitionMicrosoft Design Challenge
  • Winner · 4,300+ entrantsD’source Design Challenge
  • Finalist · North America-wide8VC Design Fellowship

Community

  • Founder · official campus clubDesign Club, IIT Delhi
  • Mentor · since 2022ADPList

Side projects

Hands-on with AI

I’ve always built side projects to stay hands-on, writing the code myself, and lately I build most of them with AI coding tools. At UW, my graduate research centered on LLM-powered experiences, including how people come to trust them. Two projects are below; more are on GitHub (opens in a new tab).

Off the roadmap

Away from the desk

I make films, take photos, play piano and log miles.

Runners gathered at the 10K start line at Seattle Center under bare trees, an American flag by the arch
Palm trees against an orange and pink sunset along the Venice beach bike path
The view from Rattlesnake Ledge: Rattlesnake Lake, forest and the Cascades under a clear sky
The bow of a yellow kayak on Union Bay, other kayakers and the wooded shoreline ahead
Skaters on Wollman Rink at night under the Central Park South skyline

A Sunday 10K through Seattle

An out-and-back from Seattle Center, up Aurora and down 2nd Ave. The second half was five minutes quicker than the first.

Distance
6.2 mi
Time
1h 02m
Pace
9:59 /mi

Santa Monica to Venice at sunset

Along the beach bike path from the pier to Venice, as the sun went down.

Distance
4.1 mi
Time
24 min
Climb
7 ft

Rattlesnake Ledge, all three ledges

From the lake up to the upper ledge and back: 13,188 steps in two hours and twenty minutes.

Distance
5.8 mi
Climb
1,624 ft
Speed
2.5 mph

An evening on Union Bay

A loop from the University of Washington shore out across the bay. The slowest pace on this page, and the best view.

Distance
2.3 mi
Time
1h 08m
Speed
2.1 mph

Laps at Wollman Rink

A night skate in Central Park, under the Central Park South skyline. My review at the time: “Perfect skate w zero falls.”

Distance
3.4 mi
Time
51 min
Speed
4.0 mph