Fractional design
for platforms that can't afford confusion
Meganne Ohata
Strategic UX for high-trust domains—untangling technical complexity without the full-time hire
With 15+ years of agency experience in medtech, fintech, and cybersecurity, I help agile teams move beyond "architectural patchwork." When rapid MVPs snowball into embedded usability issues, I step in to untangle the friction. I work autonomously to transform complex technical demands into intuitive, high-fidelity platforms that retain users and build trust.
For Flexible Design Needs
Monthly Retainer
Reserve dedicated design capacity each month, applied where it creates the most value. Retainer hours ensure focused attention aligned to your evolving priorities.
Reserve dedicated design time each month aligned to your priorities
Balance flexibility with clear, predictable investment
Starting at 8 hours with rollover
For Existing Platform Designs
Usability Audit
Get a report that identifies design and usability issues that critically impact conversion, engagement, and retention.
3 to 6 weeks depending on needs and platform complexity
Identify UX and architectural weaknesses
User tests and research for data-backed strategies
Executive report and summary
For Experts Ready to Scale
1 Day Intensive
If you’re tired of your website feeling like a 'work in progress,' let’s fix it in a day. Think of this as a strategic intervention for your UX.
Distill technical "info dumps" into a clear, high-impact message
Architect a streamlined journey for your visitors that inspires confidence
Define new architecture, content strategy, and premium design direction
Case Studies
UX + Redesign
Permissions workflow for fast-moving fintech startup
⭐️ MVP shipped within 3 weeks
⭐️ Eliminated 5+ weeks of dev effort
⭐️ Documentation for 12+ months growth
Audit + Redesign
Permit & Inspection Monitor Audit & Redesign
⭐️ Data-sensitive design centered around real data samples
⭐️ Comprehensive documentation expedited dev collaboration 78%
Research + Design
Integrated payroll dashboard for a bank
⭐️ User testing for data-backed decisions
⭐️ 0 to 1 design within tight constraints
Audit + Design System
Audit and design system for legacy HR Suite
⭐️ Expedited product lifecycle by 50%
⭐️ Eliminated 6 months of production time
⭐️ +267% adoption
My Values
Integrity
Being reliable, transparent, and accountable. Building impactful technology for good
Curiosity
Continuous learning, pursuing growth, and asking questions
Kindness
Giving back to the community, extending grace to others as humans
My Work Style
Collaboration
Working and winning as a team, where ego has no place
Action
Taking initiative, tackling new challenges, speaking up, and being proactive rather than reactive
Strategy
Thinking beyond "cross it off the checklist" to ask questions and do it right
We might be a good match if...
You prioritize design as a driver of product success and differentiation
You’re focused on building trust, reducing risk, and improving usability at scale
You need a partner who can adapt to your constraints and deliver with focus
We might NOT be a match if...
Are not ready to accept strategic expertise and input
Want someone to execute pixels while you and ChatGPT dictate
Are looking for the fastest, cheapest option available
Meganne excels in getting things done. Her enthusiasm is contagious and adds to any culture she is a part of. Her design solutions are always well thought out, even when the subject matter is wildly complex. She does a great job of clarifying and communicating her rationale to those she's working with.
Ceara Crawshaw, CEO @ Pencil & Paper
Meganne is one of the most detail-oriented designers I have worked with. Always solution-oriented and ready with options. She's the most lovely and friendly person and it just makes our work that much more fun.Every PM's dream.
Hiba Ganta, PM @ Kyu for IDEO
Meganne brings a tremendous level of dedication, commitment, partnership, and positivity to everything she does. Her rare combination of skills includes the ability to understand the true drivers of audience and stakeholder needs and act on these needs in a rapid manner to deliver results.
Feisal Ahmad, CSO @ Ekohe
Ready to work together?
Get In Touch
Let's Connect!
I’m always up for meaningful dialogue and professional inquiries. Let’s connect on LinkedIn, or you can book a 30-minute Strategic Coffee Chat to dive into your current challenges and see where we might align.If you’ve found value in my volunteer work or my LinkedIn insights and simply want to say thanks, you can also Buy Me a Coffee. Your contributions help me maintain community hours and build free resources!
User research & architecture of
Enrolment Flow for 55k Students
Difficulty enrolling meant students emailed support directly, which created blockages and expensive, cascading problems
Solution
An architectural audit and comprehensive user research phase helped to align +14 stakeholders in an overly democratic institution, later culminating in an enrollment process that utilized progressive disclosure in a single-source-of-truth experience.
Results
Student's individual journeys were centered for a customized single-source-of-truth that took into account their individual student background (ie: Indigenous, international, mature) and the unique requirements of their chosen path of study (ie: Accounting, Biology, Cyber Security).
⭐️ Conducted 30+ interviews and tests across 5 segments
⭐️ Led 10 design foundation workshops across 12 departments
⭐️ Consolidated multiple silos, lasting organizational impact
⭐️ Support tickets dropped by 73%
User Research
Interviews and testing informed strategy, and data-backed design decisions drew alignment across 14 stakeholders across multiple departments.
Discovery interviews gave a baseline understanding of current student experiences, which none of the staff had at the time
Interviews involved various student demographics and types (ie: Disabled, indigenous, mature, 1st year, 4th year...)
Tree testing, card sorting, and example use case testing were used based on our progress and the problem we were trying to solve
Implementation
The site architecture was updated, and was followed by wireframing, UI and interactive prototypes. These were tested at each stage and created alignment and progress with stakeholders
WCAG accessibility was a priority, especially to embody university guidelines and values
12 separate web silos based on multiple partially overlapping departments became consolidated into 1 global website
I led 10 workshops to scale UX foundation across the board for 12 departments, leading to lasting organizational impact
Usability Audit
Why Get It
This report de-risks assumptions and identifies the greatest UX blockers
Whether your platform solves pain points, or creates more confusion
Where bottlenecks and loss of trust might occur
How to prioritize your efforts
I identify and map out potential solutions to help move your product forward.
What You Get
Walk away with clarity
Identify usability weaknesses and pain points
Get the breakdown analysis of each issue and why / how it's relevant
Comprehensive, actionable strategies and solutions for next steps
Contextualize quick wins against critical growth blockers
Data-backed insights to strengthen and inform your dev and product roadmap
Process
Onboarding and knowledge transfer
Platform investigation
5 to 8 user tests and walkthroughs
Aggregation of data and pattern analysis
Full report and presentation
Availability
Booking now for Summer 2026. Get in touch!
Monthy Retainer
Why Get It
Get an experienced enterprise designer on a flexible basis
Safeguard product quality by proactively avoiding design debt
Rely on experienced execution instead of fragmented or inconsistent output
Maintain brand excellence on every touchpoint
What You Get
Design work that makes complex data clear and interfaces intuitive
Flexible access to experienced design capacity, without long-term commitment
Clear direction and documentation to scale your product with confidence
Product improvements that increase trust, clarity, and perceived quality
Monthly retainers start at 8 hours, with a limited rollover (up to 25%) to ensure continuity without wasted time.
Process
Align on goals, priorities, and areas of focus
Define a clear plan of approach based on your needs
Execute with flexibility—whether through focused sprints or ongoing refinements
Availability
Booking now for Summer / Fall 2026. Get in touch!
Interactivity that drives profile set up
A financial institution needed an engaging way to pull information from clients in order to populate their business profile
Context
The financial institution had difficulty with conversion and year-end was approaching. I was engaged in a limited capacity for a proof-of-concept:
Small business owners weren't necessarily confident or well-informed with financial strategy
They often used a variety of tools (pencil/paper, spreadsheets) until their needs grew too painful and forced them to pivot
Switching platforms was a cognitive load they'd avoid if possible, so we had to make sure it would be incredibly easy and understandable
Solution
I created playful way to engage users in what is typically a stressful, unwelcome aspect of their solo business ventures.
Result
The proof-of-concept was received with excitement and used as a jumping-off point for investment towards developing this strategy
Permissions Flow for Fintech Platform
Agile design on a complex allow/block permission tree that resolved friction, identified logical fallacies, and saved 5+ weeks of downstream efforts
Context
As an ad-hoc designer for a fast-moving fintech startup, the team wanted to revamp a permissions flow that currently accounted for only 1 type of permission tree amidst aggressive technical / time constraints.
Process
This is an extremely complex case that is best suited for face-to-face presentation, but here's a quick run-down:
Kick-off chat with product owner and dev revealed specific technical constraints and initial thoughts
I prepared quick-and-dirty drafts using the design system I made as a jumping off point to get immediate feedback on feasibility, logic, and assumptions
The drafts helped us align and eliminate initial concepts, so I was able to dive into more detail
My flow and logic map uncovered misalignment between product owner and dev, critical conversations ensued
I navigated ambiguity by documenting various design solutions to scale impact as the startup grows
Results
⭐️ Saved 5+ weeks of downstream dev efforts
⭐️ MVP shipped within 3 weeks
⭐️ Documentation guided growth +12 months after contract
Legacy Suite + Audit + UX System
A surprise twist on an audit and design system for a legacy HR Suite whose UX has blocked them from scaling.
The solutions created after difficult conversations let us pivot part-way through the contract, ultimately culminating in a powerful UX system that changed the organization’s entire design culture and production lifecycle.
⭐️ Expedited product lifecycle by 50% for 2 products
⭐️ Eliminated 6 months of production time
⭐️ 267% adoption across 3 portfolios and 9 teams
| Week | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 | Onboarding |
| 2 | User Testing |
| 3 | Analysis and Report |
Research + Audit + Rearchitecture
Customized enrolment flow for major university
⭐️ 55K students
⭐️ 14+ stakeholders
⭐️ 73% drop in support tickets
Fintech + Permissions
Designing sensitive permissions for a growing fintech platform with a priority on shipping complex features quickly.
This case study is a great example of how I work tightly with PM and devs, create comprehensive documentation to guide future growth, and how enterprise design builds on backend clarity to create seamless front-end experiences.
⭐️ Saved 5+ weeks of downstream dev efforts
⭐️ MVP shipped within 3 weeks
⭐️ Documentation guided growth +12 months after contract
Fintech + Onboarding
Interactive profile set up for fintech institution
⭐️ MVP qualified funding for next phase
⭐️ Flexible data strategy for 3rd parties
What I Do
I work on complex, data-heavy platforms that often don’t have a dedicated designer in-house. Some examples are:
An accounting platform for forecasting, planning requisitions, and managing headcount
A platform that monitors identity fraud on the dark web and maps behavioural patterns of threat actors and related data breaches
An ML-powered tool that helps financial analysts sort through multiple data points to target investment opportunities
A lot of times, agile teams are able to use design libraries to put basic MVPs together to hit the ground running. Over time, complexities and architectural patchwork add up and small usability issues end up snowballing and becoming deeply embedded in the workflow and platform architecture. At that point, it becomes critical to untangle the usability issues so that users don't leave for a more intuitive platform.That's where I come in.
For Existing Platform Designs
Usability Audit
Get a report that identifies design and usability issues that critically impact conversion, engagement, and retention.
3 to 6 weeks depending on needs and platform complexity
Identify UX and architectural weaknesses
User tests and research for data-backed strategies
Executive report and summary
For Flexible Design Needs
Monthly Retainer
Reserve dedicated design capacity each month, applied where it creates the most value. Retainer hours ensure focused attention aligned to your evolving priorities.
Reserve dedicated design time each month aligned to your priorities
Balance flexibility with clear, predictable investment
Starting at 8 hours with rollover
Onboarding
This case study is a great example of how I work tightly with PM and devs, create comprehensive documentation to guide future growth, and how enterprise design builds on backend clarity to create seamless front-end experiences.
