About
Mudassir Azeemi: Shaping the Future Through Innovation and Impact
In over two decades of work, Mudassir Azeemi has left a profound impact on the world of UX design, product management, and entrepreneurship. His journey has been defined by a commitment to creating user-centered solutions, driving business success, and advancing global design practices. From pioneering innovations to empowering individuals through mentorship, Mudassir’s contributions continue to influence industries and inspire new generations of leaders.
Innovating at the Intersection of Technology and Human Needs
Mudassir’s work spans multiple industries, leaving a legacy of excellence in each. Some of his key contributions include
Urdu Nastaleeq on iOS
Mudassir pioneered the integration of the Urdu Nastaleeq script into iOS, a groundbreaking effort that greatly enhanced the representation of Urdu on Apple devices. His dedication to advancing cultural typography has had a lasting impact on millions of Urdu speakers around the world. Read more
OneTap: Two-factor Biometric Authentication
Mudassir led the development of OneTap, an advanced two-factor biometric authentication system designed to enhance security while simplifying user access. This cutting-edge solution leverages biometrics to provide both robust protection and a seamless user experience, helping businesses safeguard sensitive information with minimal friction.
StorTrack: Data Solutions for Self-Storage
As a UX consultant, Mudassir played a key role in the success of StorTrack, a leading provider of actionable market data for the self-storage industry. StorTrack offers invaluable insights into pricing strategies, market trends, and key performance indicators, empowering storage operators and investors to make informed decisions. Its continued success has made it a flagship product of Aggregate Intelligence, a renowned company delivering data solutions across various sectors, including travel, hospitality, and RV parks. Read more
Wells Fargo Pioneer Design System
As the lead designer for Wells Fargo’s Pioneer Design System, Mudassir helped scale UX across mobile platforms, resulting in an impressive $82 billion in mobile transactions annually. His work ensured that the bank’s digital experiences were intuitive, efficient, and accessible. Read more
Vixl & Pixl for Windows Phone
Mudassir played a key role in developing Pixl and Vixl, two highly innovative apps for the Windows Phone platform, setting new standards in mobile design and user experience. These apps were integral in delivering high-quality, user-friendly solutions on a platform that was both challenging and full of untapped potential. Read more here and here
Mentorship & Community Impact
Beyond his professional achievements, Mudassir has been a dedicated mentor to designers and entrepreneurs. His commitment to nurturing talent is reflected in his years of work with organizations like Hirekind, where he has mentored dozens of mentees through challenging career transitions.
Empowering Businesses to Scale
Scaling businesses and solving real-world problems requires a mix of strategy, innovation, and human-centered design. Mudassir works with businesses in Real Estate, Food, and Product Consulting to help them adopt cutting-edge technology, optimize operations, and create lasting impact. His focus is on delivering solutions that drive efficiency, increase profitability, and empower teams to succeed in a rapidly evolving market
Let’s Work Together
Publications et al
Mudassir Azeemi, Lead Interaction Designer at US largest bank and UX Instructor at UC Berkeley, shares insights on design systems and enterprise applications. From shaping mission-critical apps to bringing Urdu to Apple’s 2 billion devices, his work spans UX strategy, research, and product design. Join this session to explore the evolving design landscape and how curiosity and empathy drive impactful digital experiences.
A 7-part series featuring Mudassir Azeemi, an enterprise interaction designer shaping mission-critical digital experiences. As the lead designer for a platform handling $13 trillion in transactions annually, he brings deep expertise in UX strategy, research, and enterprise applications. From bringing the Urdu language to Apple’s 2 billion devices to teaching UX/UI at UC Berkeley, Mudassir shares insights on the ROI of UX, design thinking, and the evolving role of digital experiences.
Mudassir Azeemi discusses the role of AI in banking, the impact of UX on financial services, and how personalization is shaping digital experiences. He shares real-world examples of AI-driven fraud detection, contextual banking, and seamless financial interactions, emphasizing how AI is becoming the new UI in banking. Mudassir also reflects on the importance of trust, transparency, and customer-centric design in financial applications while drawing from his experience in mission-critical banking platforms and bringing the Urdu language to Apple’s 2 billion devices.
In this Mobile Matters column, Steven Hoober and Mudassir Azeemi explore the evolving role of context in mobile design, moving beyond traditional environmental factors to the interplay of people, devices, and ecosystems. They argue that while mobile devices remain ever-present, design must now account for seamless interactions across an increasingly fragmented Internet of Things (IoT).
In 2014, Mudassir Azeemi wrote to Apple CEO Tim Cook, advocating for the Nastaʿlīq script, the true artistic form of Urdu, to be integrated into iOS. His persistence led to Apple adopting Noto Nastaliq as the default Urdu typeface, marking a pivotal moment for the language’s digital presence. Yet, the struggle continues, as Urdu still faces challenges in system-level integration, reflecting broader issues in digitizing non-Latin scripts.
In 15 minutes, Mudassir Azeemi will share how he convinced a trillion-dollar company to adopt Urdu’s true script, Nastaʿlīq, on iOS. His journey includes a $50,000 startup failure, a relentless push for linguistic representation, and the moment Apple integrated Noto Nastaliq after his direct appeal to Tim Cook. Learn how he balanced a 9-to-5 job while leading a cultural revolution in digital typography, ensuring Urdu’s beauty was preserved online.
A small struggle with a Starbucks cup sleeve led to a deeper curiosity about design, affordances, and signifiers. The discovery of tiny glue bumps inside the sleeve revealed an intentional design choice that enhances grip and prevents slipping, aligning with Starbucks’ vision of a seamless experience. This simple yet thoughtful detail underscores how great product design goes beyond aesthetics—it’s about interaction, intention, and user comfort.
A deep dive into design, experience, and usability in Pakistan with Imran Hussain and Dr. Suleman Shahid. In this episode, Mudassir Azeemi shares his journey from software development to UX, his work at Wells Fargo, and how he played a key role in bringing the Urdu font to Apple’s iOS. From the Urdu Writer app to shaping digital typography, this conversation explores the intersection of culture, language, and design.
In 2010, Mudassir Azeemi launched the Urdu Writer app, pioneering Urdu typing on iOS. What started as a small experiment quickly grew to 170,000 downloads and 500 five-star reviews, proving the demand for proper Urdu representation in digital spaces. In 2014, he wrote to Tim Cook and Jonathan Ive, urging Apple to adopt Nastaleeq, Urdu’s true script, and was stunned when iOS 9 included it—an achievement that transformed how millions experience Urdu on Apple devices.