Top Talent like Cathy are on Pangea

Pangea, a YC company, connects companies with fractional talent. Fractional hiring allows companies to move faster and work with more specialized talent, while giving talent more flexibility and independence. If you are talent open to fractional work, apply here. If you’re a company looking for high-quality fractional talent, learn more here.

Cathy Jin McDonald

UX research
Process Improvement
Adobe InDesign
UX Strategy
Product Design
Graphic Design
Product Strategy
Adobe Creative Suite
UX
User Interface Design
Usability Testing
Storyboarding
Adobe Illustrator
Accessibility
Visual Design
Agile Project Management
Design Strategy
High Fidelity Prototype
Prototyping
Figma
User-Centered Design
Icon Design
Heuristic Evaluation
User Research
Design Thinking
UI/UX Design
Design Research
Design Systems
Design
Available for hire fromNegotiable
Contracts
UX/UI Design | Accessibility | Design Systems
Hello! I’m Cathy. I’m a Product Designer who loves creative problem-solving and crafting intuitive and elegant interfaces. My expertise includes designing educational CMS tools such as admin dashboards, user permissions, mass messaging systems, and more. I have 4+ years of professional experience collaborating with product, engineering, and cross-functional teams. I've led multiple features from inception to release, including a form payments with signatures feature that drove an 18% increase in revenue and an announcement feature that boosted engagement rates by 40%. My data-driven designs enhance usability, accessibility, and engagement with measurable improvements in task completion and user satisfaction. Skills: UX & UI Design, App & Web Design, Wireframing, Prototyping, High-Fidelity Mockups, User Research, Usability Testing, Heuristic Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Storyboarding, User flows and journeys, User Personas. Tools: Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Adobe XD. Mission: My goal is to drive a positive impact and contribute to projects that make a difference. I aspire to help shape services with user-friendly design and continue contributing by designing tools that empower users. Portfolio available upon request.

Work History

UX/UI, Brands & Websites

I’ve worked with clients across industries to create intuitive, impactful digital experiences and cohesive brand identities. My work spans UX/UI design, brand strategy, and marketing-focused design. Projects I’ve completed and am actively working on include: Designing UX/UI for websites that prioritize usability, engagement, and conversion. Developing design systems to ensure scalability and consistency across digital products. Creating brand identity packages including logos, color palettes, and typography systems. Designing email campaigns and templates to support marketing initiatives. Building portfolio websites for creative professionals to showcase their work and attract opportunities. I bring a collaborative, user-centered approach to every project, blending thoughtful strategy with strong visual design.
E

Product Designer & Product Manager

EdlioOct 2021 - Mar 2025 • 3 yrs 6 mosLed the UX strategy for homepage news announcements, the most-used tool by schools, resulting in a 25% increase in engagement. Designed and launched a 0-1 Accessibility Report Tool, helping schools ensure content accessibility before publishing. Achieved 30% of projected sales revenue, signaling strong early demand and customer interest. Contributed to and maintained a Figma design system, ensuring consistency and regularly updating components used by developers across all teams to streamline implementation. Led the UX research plan, conducting interviews and usability testing to inform design decisions and shape the roadmap, resulting in a 15% increase in user satisfaction. Evangelized UX maturity and advocated for users, introducing methodologies such as usability testing, competitive analysis, journey & empathy mapping, and storyboarding to drive product enhancements. Created impactful UI designs and high-fidelity prototypes transforming concepts into intuitive experiences and effectively communicating ideas to stakeholders. Managed design tasks in an Agile environment, ensuring high-quality deliverables within tight deadlines.
E

Client Success Specialist

EdlioFeb 2019 - Oct 2021 • 2 yrs 9 mosAchieved a 96% retention rate by identifying user pain points, tracking engagement metrics, and providing actionable insights to improve customer experience. Transitioned from Client Success to Product Design by analyzing user needs and behaviors, leveraging metrics to provide insights that shaped design decisions. Collaborated with product managers to identify and address customer needs, shaping product features through direct customer interviews and feedback. Led research and discovery phases, analyzing client health and churn scores to drive product enhancements and strategic improvements. Led the knowledge team, overseeing the creation and maintenance of wikis, FAQs, and help articles to improve customer self-service and support efficiency.
E

Escrow Officer

Escrow World Inc.Jan 2013 - Jan 2019 • 6 yrs 1 mo

Education

S

Santa Monica College

Associate's degree, Graphic Design
U

University of California, Santa Cruz

How Pangea Works

Effortlessly discover top talent

We've distilled the candidate search from endless hours down to just a few minutes. Using Pangea's AI-powered search tools, you can find top fractional talent able to take on your next project. Our system looks at your company's niche and your needs to find the perfect match faster than any traditional hiring platform.

Start working with talent today

The top talent on Pangea is ready to get started with you right now. You can message or hire a candidate right from their profile page and start assigning work as soon as they respond. And the best part? Pangea's fractional contract structure lets you start small and ramp up as your needs change, keeping your costs manageable and your team's capabliities flexible.

Track work and invoices in one place

Assign tasks, track progress, and complete invoices all on Pangea. We've combined every part of the hiring process into one platform to eliminate the miscommunication that's unavoidable on other freelance platforms. We even send out 1099s to your contractors at the end of the year!

Talk with a Talent Expert

Members of our team are available to help you speed through the hiring process.
Available Now
Book a Call
UX/UI Design | Accessibility | Design Systems
Hello! I’m Cathy. I’m a Product Designer who loves creative problem-solving and crafting intuitive and elegant interfaces. My expertise includes designing educational CMS tools such as admin dashboards, user permissions, mass messaging systems, and more. I have 4+ years of professional experience collaborating with product, engineering, and cross-functional teams. I've led multiple features from inception to release, including a form payments with signatures feature that drove an 18% increase in revenue and an announcement feature that boosted engagement rates by 40%. My data-driven designs enhance usability, accessibility, and engagement with measurable improvements in task completion and user satisfaction. Skills: UX & UI Design, App & Web Design, Wireframing, Prototyping, High-Fidelity Mockups, User Research, Usability Testing, Heuristic Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Storyboarding, User flows and journeys, User Personas. Tools: Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Adobe XD. Mission: My goal is to drive a positive impact and contribute to projects that make a difference. I aspire to help shape services with user-friendly design and continue contributing by designing tools that empower users. Portfolio available upon request.

Talk with a Talent Expert

Members of our team are available to help you speed through the hiring process.
Available Now
Book a Call

Top Talent like Cathy are on Pangea

Pangea, a YC company, connects companies with fractional talent. Fractional hiring allows companies to move faster and work with more specialized talent, while giving talent more flexibility and independence. If you are talent open to fractional work, apply here. If you’re a company looking for high-quality fractional talent, learn more here.

Cathy Jin McDonald

UX research
Process Improvement
Adobe InDesign
UX Strategy
Product Design
Graphic Design
Product Strategy
Adobe Creative Suite
UX
User Interface Design
Usability Testing
Storyboarding
Adobe Illustrator
Accessibility
Visual Design
Agile Project Management
Design Strategy
High Fidelity Prototype
Prototyping
Figma
User-Centered Design
Icon Design
Heuristic Evaluation
User Research
Design Thinking
UI/UX Design
Design Research
Design Systems
Design
Available for hire fromNegotiable
Contracts

Work History

UX/UI, Brands & Websites

I’ve worked with clients across industries to create intuitive, impactful digital experiences and cohesive brand identities. My work spans UX/UI design, brand strategy, and marketing-focused design. Projects I’ve completed and am actively working on include: Designing UX/UI for websites that prioritize usability, engagement, and conversion. Developing design systems to ensure scalability and consistency across digital products. Creating brand identity packages including logos, color palettes, and typography systems. Designing email campaigns and templates to support marketing initiatives. Building portfolio websites for creative professionals to showcase their work and attract opportunities. I bring a collaborative, user-centered approach to every project, blending thoughtful strategy with strong visual design.
E

Product Designer & Product Manager

EdlioOct 2021 - Mar 2025 • 3 yrs 6 mosLed the UX strategy for homepage news announcements, the most-used tool by schools, resulting in a 25% increase in engagement. Designed and launched a 0-1 Accessibility Report Tool, helping schools ensure content accessibility before publishing. Achieved 30% of projected sales revenue, signaling strong early demand and customer interest. Contributed to and maintained a Figma design system, ensuring consistency and regularly updating components used by developers across all teams to streamline implementation. Led the UX research plan, conducting interviews and usability testing to inform design decisions and shape the roadmap, resulting in a 15% increase in user satisfaction. Evangelized UX maturity and advocated for users, introducing methodologies such as usability testing, competitive analysis, journey & empathy mapping, and storyboarding to drive product enhancements. Created impactful UI designs and high-fidelity prototypes transforming concepts into intuitive experiences and effectively communicating ideas to stakeholders. Managed design tasks in an Agile environment, ensuring high-quality deliverables within tight deadlines.
E

Client Success Specialist

EdlioFeb 2019 - Oct 2021 • 2 yrs 9 mosAchieved a 96% retention rate by identifying user pain points, tracking engagement metrics, and providing actionable insights to improve customer experience. Transitioned from Client Success to Product Design by analyzing user needs and behaviors, leveraging metrics to provide insights that shaped design decisions. Collaborated with product managers to identify and address customer needs, shaping product features through direct customer interviews and feedback. Led research and discovery phases, analyzing client health and churn scores to drive product enhancements and strategic improvements. Led the knowledge team, overseeing the creation and maintenance of wikis, FAQs, and help articles to improve customer self-service and support efficiency.
E

Escrow Officer

Escrow World Inc.Jan 2013 - Jan 2019 • 6 yrs 1 mo

Education

S

Santa Monica College

Associate's degree, Graphic Design
U

University of California, Santa Cruz

How Pangea Works

Effortlessly discover top talent

We've distilled the candidate search from endless hours down to just a few minutes. Using Pangea's AI-powered search tools, you can find top fractional talent able to take on your next project. Our system looks at your company's niche and your needs to find the perfect match faster than any traditional hiring platform.

Start working with talent today

The top talent on Pangea is ready to get started with you right now. You can message or hire a candidate right from their profile page and start assigning work as soon as they respond. And the best part? Pangea's fractional contract structure lets you start small and ramp up as your needs change, keeping your costs manageable and your team's capabliities flexible.

Track work and invoices in one place

Assign tasks, track progress, and complete invoices all on Pangea. We've combined every part of the hiring process into one platform to eliminate the miscommunication that's unavoidable on other freelance platforms. We even send out 1099s to your contractors at the end of the year!

Talk with a Talent Expert

Members of our team are available to help you speed through the hiring process.
Available Now
Book a Call
Pangea empowers fractional work across the world for marketing and design roles.