Top Talent like Myra 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.

Myra Manekia

Product Designer
UX Designer
UI Designer
San Diego, CA, US
Mobile Design
Participatory design
UX Writing
Design Systems
Service design
AI
Figma
Product Design
UI/UX Design
User Interface Design
User-Centered Design
Design Thinking
Design Research
User Research
UX research
User Personas
User Flows
Wireframing
Prototyping
Usability Testing
Branding
Brand Identity
Layout Design
Icon Design
Logo Design
Flyer Design
Sticker Design
Color Theory
Digital Art
Available for hire fromNegotiable
Contracts
(Cognitive) Interaction Designer | MDes Interaction Design @ ArtCenter | Pomona College Cognitive Science Grad
I was born in the US and raised in South Africa — two countries that shaped, early, how I think about the human mind: attention, memory, language, behavior, the ways different people make sense of things. That's where my interest in cognition started, before I had the word for it. Now I'm a designer trying to take that interest seriously. Cognitive science as method. AI as creative collaborator. Design treated as something that always takes a position — about attention, memory, and care. Cognitive Science and Human-Centered Design at Pomona College, design sprints in fintech and startups since 2022, now finishing my MDes at ArtCenter — graduating August 2026. When I’m not designing, you’ll find me curating playlists by language or building Legos.

Projects

JustFixIt

A playable critique of solutionism: you "solve" a social problem with a few toggles, then feel how hollow that is. Vibe-coded with Claude.

Dashboard Design

A luxury resort's app looks like the brand but works like a hotel. A redesign where digital luxury earns its premium by clearing away.

Allergy Service Design

A guest's severe allergy is logged at check-in but never reaches the person leaving chocolates on her pillow. A redesign that closes the last few feet.See More

Platform Rebrand

At a fintech company undergoing a rebrand transition, I was responsible for redesigning the entire donation platform end-to-end. Built a cognitive-design research framework on the visual, layout, and language factors affecting donation behavior and incorporated two new features. Selected as the final designs; the platform update was later shelved.See More

Merchant App Listings (Google Play Store & App Store)

At the same fintech company during their rebrand, I was tasked with redesigning the listing display for their revamped merchant app on both the Google Play Store and the App Store. My goals were to create updated screens that showcased the new app interface and design banners that effectively communicated the refreshed brand image. I infused familiar design elements for cognitive continuity while incorporating innovative features inspired by industry-specific research and current listing trends. My final designs were selected to be launched alongside the new app in October 2024.See More

Red Light, Green Light

A gesture-controlled prototype where Squid Game's red-light mechanic becomes a small experiment in surveillance and the freeze response. Built with Claude Code.See More

Work History

P

Product Design Intern

Payfast by NetworkJun 2024 - Aug 2024 • 3 mosProduct design intern at South Africa's second-largest online payments platform (80,000+ merchants). Designed app store listing screens and a banner for the rebranded merchant app, introducing a chevron-pattern background drawn from the brand's existing visual system (launched October 2024). Also redesigned the Cause Index donation platform end-to-end — built a cognitive-design research framework on the visual, layout, and language factors affecting donation behavior and incorporated two new features. Selected as the final designs; the platform update was later shelved.
H

User Experience/Product Design Intern

Hailo TransfersInternJun 2023 - Jul 2023 • 2 mosFirst design hire at an early-stage startup. Built the foundational design system reporting directly to the founder, and designed and tested the high-fidelity mockups, user flows, and prototypes that shipped at launch. Ran user interviews to surface friction in the core flows and carried those findings into the shipped product.
M

Boba Barista, Lead Designer, Project Manager

Milk and HoneyPart-time EmployeeJan 2023 - Oct 2024 • 1 yr 10 mosDesigned the online ordering platform for a 9,000-student campus, owning it from concept to launch and guiding a 6-person cross-functional team through research, usability testing, and iteration. In the six months after launch, total revenue (in-person and online combined) grew 52% against the pre-launch in-person baseline.

Education

ArtCenter College of Design

Master of Design (MDes), Interaction DesignSep 2025 - Present

Pomona College

Bachelor of Arts - BA, Cum Laude, Cognitive Science (HCD Concentration)Aug 2021 - May 2025
R

Roedean School (SA)

High School Diploma, Math, Advanced Math, Physical & Life Sciences, English, French, Zulu2017 - 2020
G

GoEast Mandarin

Mandarin HSK 3 Module2019
L

Le Centre International d'Antibes

French Language DELF B12019

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
(Cognitive) Interaction Designer | MDes Interaction Design @ ArtCenter | Pomona College Cognitive Science Grad
I was born in the US and raised in South Africa — two countries that shaped, early, how I think about the human mind: attention, memory, language, behavior, the ways different people make sense of things. That's where my interest in cognition started, before I had the word for it. Now I'm a designer trying to take that interest seriously. Cognitive science as method. AI as creative collaborator. Design treated as something that always takes a position — about attention, memory, and care. Cognitive Science and Human-Centered Design at Pomona College, design sprints in fintech and startups since 2022, now finishing my MDes at ArtCenter — graduating August 2026. When I’m not designing, you’ll find me curating playlists by language or building Legos.

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 Myra 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.

Myra Manekia

Product Designer
UX Designer
UI Designer
San Diego, CA, US
Mobile Design
Participatory design
UX Writing
Design Systems
Service design
AI
Figma
Product Design
UI/UX Design
User Interface Design
User-Centered Design
Design Thinking
Design Research
User Research
UX research
User Personas
User Flows
Wireframing
Prototyping
Usability Testing
Branding
Brand Identity
Layout Design
Icon Design
Logo Design
Flyer Design
Sticker Design
Color Theory
Digital Art
Available for hire fromNegotiable
Contracts

Projects

JustFixIt

A playable critique of solutionism: you "solve" a social problem with a few toggles, then feel how hollow that is. Vibe-coded with Claude.

Dashboard Design

A luxury resort's app looks like the brand but works like a hotel. A redesign where digital luxury earns its premium by clearing away.

Allergy Service Design

A guest's severe allergy is logged at check-in but never reaches the person leaving chocolates on her pillow. A redesign that closes the last few feet.

Platform Rebrand

At a fintech company undergoing a rebrand transition, I was responsible for redesigning the entire donation platform end-to-end. Built a cognitive-design research framework on the visual, layout, and language factors affecting donation behavior and incorporated two new features. Selected as the final designs; the platform update was later shelved.

Merchant App Listings (Google Play Store & App Store)

At the same fintech company during their rebrand, I was tasked with redesigning the listing display for their revamped merchant app on both the Google Play Store and the App Store. My goals were to create updated screens that showcased the new app interface and design banners that effectively communicated the refreshed brand image. I infused familiar design elements for cognitive continuity while incorporating innovative features inspired by industry-specific research and current listing trends. My final designs were selected to be launched alongside the new app in October 2024.

Red Light, Green Light

A gesture-controlled prototype where Squid Game's red-light mechanic becomes a small experiment in surveillance and the freeze response. Built with Claude Code.

Work History

P

Product Design Intern

Payfast by NetworkJun 2024 - Aug 2024 • 3 mosProduct design intern at South Africa's second-largest online payments platform (80,000+ merchants). Designed app store listing screens and a banner for the rebranded merchant app, introducing a chevron-pattern background drawn from the brand's existing visual system (launched October 2024). Also redesigned the Cause Index donation platform end-to-end — built a cognitive-design research framework on the visual, layout, and language factors affecting donation behavior and incorporated two new features. Selected as the final designs; the platform update was later shelved.
H

User Experience/Product Design Intern

Hailo TransfersInternJun 2023 - Jul 2023 • 2 mosFirst design hire at an early-stage startup. Built the foundational design system reporting directly to the founder, and designed and tested the high-fidelity mockups, user flows, and prototypes that shipped at launch. Ran user interviews to surface friction in the core flows and carried those findings into the shipped product.
M

Boba Barista, Lead Designer, Project Manager

Milk and HoneyPart-time EmployeeJan 2023 - Oct 2024 • 1 yr 10 mosDesigned the online ordering platform for a 9,000-student campus, owning it from concept to launch and guiding a 6-person cross-functional team through research, usability testing, and iteration. In the six months after launch, total revenue (in-person and online combined) grew 52% against the pre-launch in-person baseline.

Education

ArtCenter College of Design

Master of Design (MDes), Interaction DesignSep 2025 - Present

Pomona College

Bachelor of Arts - BA, Cum Laude, Cognitive Science (HCD Concentration)Aug 2021 - May 2025
R

Roedean School (SA)

High School Diploma, Math, Advanced Math, Physical & Life Sciences, English, French, Zulu2017 - 2020
G

GoEast Mandarin

Mandarin HSK 3 Module2019
L

Le Centre International d'Antibes

French Language DELF B12019

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.