Fractional design
for platforms that can't afford confusion
Meganne Ohata
Get targeted design solutions for complex tools with high technical and usability demands—without the full-time hire.
Working 14+ years at growing tech agencies has made adapting second nature. I work strategically and autonomously in fast-paced environments with agile teams to untangle complexity and deliver value in high-trust domains like medtech, fintech, and cybersecurity.
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 inform recommendations
Executive report and summary
For Flexible Design Needs
Quarterly Bucket
Spend design efforts where you need them, when you need them. This bucket of hours can be used within a single quarter based on your needs.
Purchase a block of hours to be used in the next 3 months
You get flexibility while maintaining your budget
Offering buckets of +6 hours with rollover
Case Studies
User Research + Architecture
Customized enrolment flow for university
⭐️ 55K students
⭐️ 14+ stakeholders
⭐️ 73% drop in support tickets
Fintech + Permissions
Permissions for fast-moving fintech startup
⭐️ MVP shipped within 3 weeks
⭐️ Eliminated 5+ weeks of dev effort
⭐️ Documentation for 12+ months growth
Fintech + Onboarding
Interactive profile set up for fintech institution
⭐️ MVP qualified funding for next phase
⭐️ Flexible data strategy for 3rd parties
Legacy Suite + Audit + UX 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 value design, usability, and strategic insights
Want to de-risk your brand and product while elevating trust and credibility through design
Are looking for expertise and delivery that adapts to your constraints and timeline
We might NOT be a match if...
You want someone who just executes without providing strategic expertise and input
Do not believe in documentation and systematic design
Are looking for the cheapest option available
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
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 @ IDEO
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
Ready to work together?
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, what users say about it, and what to do
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 Spring / Summer 2026. Get in touch!
Quarterly Bucket
Why Get It
Get an experienced enterprise designer on a flexible basis
Prevent costly design debt on your platform
Avoid spending countless hours on AI or interns that aren't quite there yet
Maintain brand excellence on marketing and presentations
What You Get
Targeted design support that prioritizes clarity of data and intuitive user experience
A lightweight option that brings in design muscle when it matters—without the overhead of a permanent hire
Receive guidance and documentation that provides strategies on growth and scaling designs, even long after the retainer has ended
Deliver updates that make sense to your clients, increase trust, and strengthen their confidence in your product and brand
Process
Discussion of goals and priorities
Make a plan together
I design around your needs—whether that's a quick sprint all at once, or ad hoc tweaks as things come up is to be determined together
Availability
Booking now for Spring / Summer 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 |
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
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.
