I'm Mel —
A product designer.
specialising in EdTech and learning platforms.
20+ years of design depth paired with modern AI tooling. I design product UX in Figma and ship it fast — web apps, landing pages, and learning platforms — for startups and small teams.
Work
A curated selection of recent work spanning platform development, design collaborations, and digital product builds.
Co-founder & Lead Designer
iNGENiO Education
Digital art learning platform for kids aged 5–18. Designed and built end-to-end across UX, AI, and platform implementation. A three-part product design journey through acquisition, activation, and engagement.
Capabilities
A wide toolkit, built over time.
About
I've had the kind of career that gives you range — and I've leaned into it. I started as an analyst in the Investment Research division at Goldman Sachs in London — a serious apprenticeship in research, analysis, and producing high-stakes work for institutional clients. I came home to Cape Town and co-founded Fineday Design Studio, where I spent seven years building food brands and packaging — including two licensed international pattern collaborations (Studio E Fabrics and Nested Bean, both in the US).
I then spent a year contracting with Dataloop — working across dashboards, internal tools, and design — which gave me practical grounding in data-led design.
Today I co-run iNGENiO Education — a digital art learning platform for children — where I own the product design end-to-end. UX, AI, visual design, brand, and platform implementation.
What all of that adds up to is an unusual combination: 20+ years of design depth, founder-level product ownership, and a modern AI-augmented workflow. I design product UX in Figma and use Claude Code to ship working products — the kind of speed and scope that used to require a small team. It's the kind of toolkit that suits small and mid-sized businesses and startups that need senior design + execution from one trusted contractor.
Contact
Currently designing in Figma, building with Claude Code, and shipping real products on WordPress, WooCommerce, and LearnDash. Available for remote contract work globally.
For project enquiries and bookings, send an email to:
melanie.rowlands@gmail.com