Hello, I’m Kiran.

I design withcuriosity & care.

I’m a UX designer at 1898 & Co. | Part of Burns & McDonnell. I design enterprise tools for utility clients and carry them from first requirement to final training.

I studied computer science at KU with minors in business and psychology, a mix that still shapes how I work: I think in systems, keep the business goal in view, and stay curious about the people on the other side of the screen.

View my projects ↓Read my thesis

Kiran Chandra smiling on a rooftop in downtown Kansas City — Kansas City, MO

Selected case studies

My Projects

Research, strategy and interface design for complex products.

Prompt to Prototype

Master’s thesis on using AI to translate Excel workflows into prototypes stakeholders understand and adopt.

ResearchAIStrategy

Utility workflows

Enterprise tools for utility clients that turn complex operational data into clear, actionable screens.

EnterpriseFigmaPrototyping

Beyond the screens

Design is the middle of the project, not the whole of it.

At 1898 & Co., the technology consulting arm of Burns & McDonnell, I work with utility clients across the full life of a project, from the first requirements conversation through testing and training.

That range means what gets designed is what gets built, tested and understood. Design and prototyping is where I’m most at home, and where I’m growing my practice.

01AZURE DEVOPS

Shape the requirements

Partner with the project manager to gather client requirements, translate them into user stories in Azure DevOps, and organize them into sprints the development team can build from.

02CORE FOCUSFIGMA

Design & prototype

Design interfaces and interactive prototypes in Figma, iterating with clients through review cycles until the design is approved. Then hand it off and stay close to the developers through the build.

03QA

Lead internal testing

As lead internal tester, review each completed ticket against the design and requirements, and give developers clear, actionable feedback before anything reaches the client.

04UAT

Run user acceptance testing

Lead UAT for our clients: track their testing requirements, coordinate the process, and report status and issues back to the PM and developers.

05GUIDDE

Train & enable

Produce end-user training guides and videos with the AI tool Guidde, refining them with the client and PM so people feel confident from day one.

Master’s thesis · KU · May 2027

Prompt to Prototype

Evaluating AI-assisted translation of Excel workflows into UX designs.

How can AI help translate Excel-based spreadsheet workflows into UX prototypes that stakeholders actually understand and adopt?

The question grew out of my work as a UI/UX designer at Burns & McDonnell, where interpreting a client’s spreadsheet by hand could take weeks before design work could begin, and where prototypes often failed to connect with stakeholders used to working in Excel.

M.A. Design · Design Management & Strategy · University of Kansas

Published · Utility Analytics Institute · May 2026

Why AI and User Experience Must Evolve Together

As AI makes complex utility systems faster to build, usability, trust and adoption matter more, not less. I argue that UX is strategic infrastructure rather than a finishing layer, and that AI and UX should advance together.

Read the article

How I work

Good design makes space for clarity.

Understand

Listen to people and uncover what really gets in their way.

Simplify

Turn complex needs into clear flows and useful interactions.

Refine

Test, learn, and polish the details that shape trust.

Community / Girls in STEM

Opening doors for the next generation of women in tech.

Introducing girls to technology and STEM is a cause close to my heart. From organizing events on our campus to speaking with students and sitting on panels, I want girls to see tech as a field where they belong.

“It is so important to create spaces where the next generation of women in STEM can see themselves in the people already doing the work.”

Organizer & speaker2026

LEGiT KC 2026

KC Tech Council · hosted by 1898 & Co.

Organized KC Tech Council’s Leadership and Empowerment for Girls in Tech program on behalf of 1898 & Co., bringing female-identifying high school students to our campus to explore careers in technology. I presented on UI/UX design: what it is, what a career in the field looks like, and how to get started. The day also included a facility and lab tour, a careers in law and technology panel, mentoring sessions with women across the KC tech community, and an intern networking discussion.

Volunteer speaker2025

Summit Technology Academy

Representing Burns & McDonnell

Spoke with middle school girls about what a career in tech is like, especially as a woman, and shared advice on what they can start doing now to set themselves up for success.

Panelist2024

LEGiT KC

KC Tech Council

Served as a panelist for LEGiT, a multi-week program introducing high school girls to the many paths a career in tech can take.

Founder & host

Make It Happen conference

Girls in technology

Founded and hosted a conference to inspire young girls to pursue careers in technology.

Also giving back

Organizer · 3 years

Professional wardrobe drive

1898 & Co. for UMKC’s Professional Wardrobe Studio

For three years I’ve led a donation drive that helps students feel confident and prepared for interviews, internships, and career fairs.

Get in touch

Let’s make something clear together.

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