Devesh Mistry, a highly respected Indian-origin entrepreneur widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in the UAE’s digital and user-experience design landscape, has passed away. His company, Red Blue Blur Ideas (RBBi), confirmed the news on Sunday, prompting tributes across the region. According to Gulf News, professionals from various industries remembered him not only as a pioneer who shaped the evolution of UX design in the Middle East but also as a generous mentor whose guidance helped launch numerous careers.
RBBi revealed that Mistry was affectionately known within the company as “Superman,” a nickname that reflected both his unyielding energy and the agency’s very name — which draws inspiration from the famous red-and-blue blur that trails Superman during flight. The agency, co-founded by Mistry and Amol Kadam in 2011, described him as the driving force behind its culture, vision and values from the moment of its inception.
In an emotional LinkedIn message, the Dubai-based firm stated, “Our Co-Founder, Devesh Mistry, passed away. To many of us, he was our own Superman.” The note added that the team was taking time away from work to support each other and process what they described as a period of deep grief and reflection. The circumstances surrounding his death have not been made public.
According to Gulf News, Mistry played a defining role in bringing user-centric digital product design to the forefront in the UAE, championing usability and intuitive experiences long before they became industry norms. Although he began his professional journey as a coder in the late 1990s, he later became increasingly interested in the psychology of how people engage with digital interfaces, a curiosity that eventually inspired the creation of RBBi — one of the region’s very first agencies dedicated entirely to UX and UI.
During his career, he collaborated with a wide range of global and regional powerhouses, including Microsoft, IBM, Emirates NBD, MasterCard and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. However, colleagues emphasised that Mistry’s deepest legacy went beyond prestigious client projects. He was especially admired for uplifting emerging talent and helping others grow. He spent years teaching and designing academic curriculum, lecturing at the University of Dubai and previously at the University of Technology in Sydney.
Mistry, originally from Mumbai and academically trained in physics, built a career that fused analytical technical knowledge with a profound interest in human behaviour — a combination that shaped both his work and his influence on the Middle East’s digital design community.
