Top Talent like Xinyi 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.

Xinyi Zhao

Product Designer
New York, NY, US
Product Design
UI/UX Design
UX research
User-Centered Design
User Interface Design
Figma
Service design
Available for hire fromNegotiable
Contracts
Product Designer specializing in AI and UX for complex software
I’m a Product Designer with a focus on AI and UX for complex software interfaces. My Master’s in Human-Computer Interaction and Design (MHCI+D) at the University of Washington gave me a strong foundation in user-centered design principles, combining research, usability heuristics, and interaction design. Through my capstone project in collaboration with Adobe, my team explored innovative solutions to enhance the layer list interface in creative tools, transforming user pain points into actionable design improvements. This experience strengthened my prototyping, interaction design, and cross-functional collaboration skills. I’m passionate about creating intuitive, human-centered digital experiences that balance user needs with business goals. I’m eager to contribute to teams building impactful products that leverage AI and design to help users work smarter and more creatively.

Projects

Improve Layer Management in Figma

This project improves layer navigation in Figma for designers working in complex, shared files. As files grow, deeply nested layers and occluded structures slow workflows and create confusion—issues the current layer panel doesn’t fully solve. We introduced product LayerLens with two features, Z-order and Visual Coding, to simplify navigation and increase visibility, helping teams collaborate more efficiently.See More

Work History

A

Product Designer | UW MHCID Capstone Project

AdobeMar 2025 - Aug 2025 • 6 mos- A 6-month UW HCID capstone project focused on rethinking the layer list interface in creative tools, in partnership with an industry advisor from Adobe. - Collaborated weekly with Adobe advisor to align on design goals, technical feasibility, and iteration feedback. - Conducted user research and competitive analysis to uncover core pain points in managing complex layer structures. - Designed and prototyped interaction models for layer grouping and selection, aiming to reduce user friction and improve cognitive flow. - Applied UX principles and usability heuristics to guide ideation and validation phases. - Facilitated co-design sessions and user testing to refine concepts and evaluate impact on task efficiency and mental load.
H

Designer

Hudson WilderDec 2023 - Apr 2024 • 5 mos
H

Creative Design Intern

Hudson WilderApr 2023 - Dec 2023 • 9 mos
O

Design Intern

Once–Future OfficeOct 2023 - Apr 2024 • 7 mos
A

Design Apprentice

AREA 17Jul 2022 - Dec 2022 • 6 mos
B

Design Intern

BlueTown ArchitectsMay 2021 - Aug 2021 • 4 mos

Education

U

University of Washington

Master's degree, Human Computer Interaction2024 - 2025
P

Parsons School of Design - The New School

Bachelor of Fine Arts - BFA, Communication Design2018 - 2022

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
Product Designer specializing in AI and UX for complex software
I’m a Product Designer with a focus on AI and UX for complex software interfaces. My Master’s in Human-Computer Interaction and Design (MHCI+D) at the University of Washington gave me a strong foundation in user-centered design principles, combining research, usability heuristics, and interaction design. Through my capstone project in collaboration with Adobe, my team explored innovative solutions to enhance the layer list interface in creative tools, transforming user pain points into actionable design improvements. This experience strengthened my prototyping, interaction design, and cross-functional collaboration skills. I’m passionate about creating intuitive, human-centered digital experiences that balance user needs with business goals. I’m eager to contribute to teams building impactful products that leverage AI and design to help users work smarter and more creatively.

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 Xinyi 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.

Xinyi Zhao

Product Designer
New York, NY, US
Product Design
UI/UX Design
UX research
User-Centered Design
User Interface Design
Figma
Service design
Available for hire fromNegotiable
Contracts

Projects

Improve Layer Management in Figma

This project improves layer navigation in Figma for designers working in complex, shared files. As files grow, deeply nested layers and occluded structures slow workflows and create confusion—issues the current layer panel doesn’t fully solve. We introduced product LayerLens with two features, Z-order and Visual Coding, to simplify navigation and increase visibility, helping teams collaborate more efficiently.

Work History

A

Product Designer | UW MHCID Capstone Project

AdobeMar 2025 - Aug 2025 • 6 mos- A 6-month UW HCID capstone project focused on rethinking the layer list interface in creative tools, in partnership with an industry advisor from Adobe. - Collaborated weekly with Adobe advisor to align on design goals, technical feasibility, and iteration feedback. - Conducted user research and competitive analysis to uncover core pain points in managing complex layer structures. - Designed and prototyped interaction models for layer grouping and selection, aiming to reduce user friction and improve cognitive flow. - Applied UX principles and usability heuristics to guide ideation and validation phases. - Facilitated co-design sessions and user testing to refine concepts and evaluate impact on task efficiency and mental load.
H

Designer

Hudson WilderDec 2023 - Apr 2024 • 5 mos
H

Creative Design Intern

Hudson WilderApr 2023 - Dec 2023 • 9 mos
O

Design Intern

Once–Future OfficeOct 2023 - Apr 2024 • 7 mos
A

Design Apprentice

AREA 17Jul 2022 - Dec 2022 • 6 mos
B

Design Intern

BlueTown ArchitectsMay 2021 - Aug 2021 • 4 mos

Education

U

University of Washington

Master's degree, Human Computer Interaction2024 - 2025
P

Parsons School of Design - The New School

Bachelor of Fine Arts - BFA, Communication Design2018 - 2022

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.