Gaurav is a Human-Centric Designpreneur, Technologist, and Storyteller. He created the CHILD Creative Thinking framework based on over 25 years of experience studying human behavior and designing meaningful digital and physical products.
Gaurav is a designer, strategist, and storyteller with more than 25 years of experience, driven by a deep curiosity for what makes us human. His work sits at the intersection of strategy and design, where he explores how imagination, curiosity, and creativity can help us reimagine the way we live, learn, and build.
The seed of this book was planted over eight years ago. What began as a quiet reflection on the role of the child within us slowly grew into a life’s calling. Along the way, Gaurav’s journey was interrupted by moments that forever reshaped him—including surviving a stroke and a near-fatal accident. These experiences were not only near endings but also profound beginnings, teaching him the value of fragility, resilience, and the timeless wisdom of the CHILD that never leaves us.
Through Idaete, a community space for thinkers and creators, Gaurav explores ideas that place people at the center of innovation. At Humanify.design, his human-centric design studio, he develops strategies for individuals and organizations, helping them rediscover the essence of being human—often lost in processes and systems.
Beyond his professional work, Gaurav is a son, husband, and father. His child has been both muse and mirror for this book, reminding him daily of the joy, playfulness, and wonder that inspired A CHILD in Us: The Creative Thinking Handbook.
Gaurav Yadav is not just a designer—he is a storyteller of systems, a sculptor of experiences, and a believer in the profound power of empathy. A seasoned designpreneur, technologist, author, and mentor, Gaurav brings over 25 years of interdisciplinary experience to the world of human-centric innovation. His work transcends industries, tools, and trends, grounded in something more enduring: the deep human need to be seen, heard, and understood.
Inspired by ancient Indian philosophies such as Shunyata (emptiness) and Madhyamarg (the middle path), Gaurav’s approach to design is thoughtful, balanced, and insight-driven. He sees design not as decoration or interface, but as dialogue—as a dynamic process of inquiry, iteration, and understanding. His belief that “great design begins and ends with people” fuels his practice, which fuses curiosity, aesthetics, psychology, and systems thinking into every project he touches.
A relentless advocate for placing “a human in the design loop,” Gaurav’s philosophy is built on empathy, co-creation, and ethical responsibility. He believes in crafting solutions that don’t just meet needs but evolve with them—by keeping people at the center, designing with empathy, and iterating with integrity. His approach includes:
Human-Centered Design: Aligning every decision with real human aspirations and challenges.
Human-to-Human Empathy: Seeing through others’ eyes to create meaningful, inclusive experiences.
Collaboration & Co-Creation: Harnessing the richness of diverse voices to shape better outcomes.
Iterative Design: Embracing change, feedback, and evolution as creative tools.
Ethical & Inclusive Thinking: Designing with a commitment to privacy, accessibility, and integrity.
Gaurav has worked with Fortune 500s, startups, governments, and nonprofits across the globe—helping them translate complexity into clarity and technology into humanity. He has mentored countless individuals, startups, and design teams, and currently contributes as a mentor with IIT Bombay E-Cell. Earlier in his career, he was recognized as one of the Top 25 Web Designers in Bangalore and Top 100 Mobile App Designers in India by SiliconIndia.
He is the founder of two ventures:
Gaurav’s journey also includes significant contributions to the arts and culture space. In the early 2000s, a video presentation he created on Indian miniature art was showcased at renowned institutions including the British Library, Victoria & Albert Museum, Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, and the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra—demonstrating his ability to translate traditional narratives into engaging contemporary formats.
An international speaker, he has shared his ideas across San Francisco, Orlando, Chicago, and India’s leading business schools, always returning to one truth: design must serve people with dignity, empathy, and meaning.
His debut book, A CHiLD in US, is the first expression of his CHiLD Creative Thinking™ Framework—a model that helps individuals and organizations reconnect with their innate creativity, curiosity, and emotional intelligence. The book is part manifesto, part guided reflection, inviting readers to rediscover the boldness, imagination, and empathy we often leave behind in adulthood—but urgently need in our lives and work today.
Whether mapping design systems, mentoring creative minds, or sketching quietly over a cup of chai, Gaurav shows up with the same intention: to make things simpler, deeper, and more human.
He is, above all, a Human in the Loop—bridging worlds, crafting meaning, and helping others see the beauty in their own messy, brilliant stories.
Gaurav is available for Consulting, Mentoring, and Interactive Workshops on creative thinking, innovation, and human-centered problem-solving.
Whether you’re:
A startup building with purpose,
A corporate team unlocking creativity, or
An organization navigating change—
Gaurav brings strategic insight and creative energy to help you make a lasting impact.
Before We Begin 1
Curiosity Unleashed 13
Reviving the Curious Mind 33
Curiosity in Harmony 51
Heuristics for the Aiding of Easier Solutions 69
Breaking Barriers with Practical Wisdom 81
Heuristics in Collaborative Problem-Solving 99
Rediscovering the Child in Us 105
Final Thoughts 115
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