Top Talent like Rhea 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.

Rhea Acharya

UX Designer
Product Designer
User Researcher
SF, CA, US
Writing
Participatory design
UX research
Design Systems
User-Centered Design
UX Writing
User Flows
UX Strategy
Design
UI/UX Design
Figma
Available for hire fromNegotiable
Contracts
UX and Product Designer with 3+ years experience building digital products across finTech, media, and SaaS companies, from startups to enterprises.
I’m Rhea, a Product Designer with an engineering background, three years of experience crafting digital products, and a master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction. I design thoughtful, user-centered solutions that balance technical feasibility, business goals, and real user needs. I’ve created 0-to-1 MVPs for startups, scaled design systems for large organizations, and tackled complex design challenges across a variety of industries. My work combines strong UX research with seamless collaboration across teams to deliver intuitive, impactful, and scalable designs. I excel at bridging the gap between design and development, streamlining workflows, and driving projects forward with clarity and purpose. I’m passionate about turning complex problems into elegant solutions and thrive in environments prioritizing creativity and collaboration.

Projects

Newron

The Newron Blockchain Lending App project involved creating an intuitive interface for a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform aimed at making blockchain-based lending and borrowing accessible to a wide range of users. The goal was to simplify the complex workflows of tokenized asset management, lending, and borrowing, catering to both novice users unfamiliar with DeFi and experienced blockchain enthusiasts. As the sole product designer, I led the project end-to-end, from understanding user requirements and conducting research to creating wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity designs. The app prioritized usability and transparency, ensuring a seamless user experience while adhering to blockchain’s technical constraints. Collaboration with cross-functional teams, including engineers and strategists, was key to delivering a product that broke down barriers to entry in the decentralized finance space. This project showcased a balance of technical understanding, user-centered design, and the ability to simplify intricate systems into engaging, user-friendly digital products.See More

Work History

U

UX Design and Research Consultant - Program Manager

University of Michigan - School of Information- Directed 9 successful user research projects for clients such as the VA Hospital and the City of Detroit. - Recruited and mentored 30+ students in conducting user research to meet client needs. - Planned and facilitated 50+ user testing sessions, leading post-testing debriefs to analyze results and derive actionable design recommendations. - Established a framework to understand requirements, goals, and scope, delivering a streamlined project experience to clients and students.
U

Graduate Research Assistant

University of Michigan - School of InformationFeb 2023 - Dec 2024 • 1 yr 11 mos- Conducted in-depth research to understand the needs of medical staff and identify key pain points and areas for improvement. - Developed user scenarios and dialogues that addressed user needs and goals and provided a seamless user experience.
G

Product Designer, Design Systems

Greenstand- Accelerated product development by 23% and reduced design-to-development handoff times by 20% by streamlining workflows, fostering better communication between designers and developers, ensuring faster and higher-quality deliverables. - Scaled and maintained a 500+ component design system, ensuring consistency, accessibility, and usability across GreenStand’s products, while enabling faster iterations for all teams. - Streamlined onboarding for new designers by creating clear documentation, guidelines, and workflows, enabling high-turnover teams to integrate and contribute effectively and quickly. - Fostered a strong design culture by sharing best practices, facilitating discussions on usability and accessibility, and ensuring design stayed central to organizational decisions.
G

UX Design Consultant

General MotorsJan 2024 - Apr 2024 • 4 mosSpearheaded the design and prototyping of a cross-channel (In-vehicle to Mobile App) experience for General Motors, focusing on the integration of a Track Mode feature for performance cars. Led background research and collaborated with cross-functional teams including engineers, designers, and product managers to inform feature design.

Education

U

University of Michigan

Master of Science - MS in Information, User Experience Design, User Experience Research, Human-Computer Interaction2022 - 2024
D

Designlab

UX Academy, UX Design2020 - 2021
S

SVKM's Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS)

Bachelor of Technology, Computer Engineering2016 - 2020
I

Institut Mines-Télécom Business School

Design thinking and Sustainable Innovation, Design thinking and Sustainable Innovation2018
H

Harkisan Mehta Institute of Media, Research and Analysis

Diploma in Photography2015 - 2016
D

Designlab

Design 101, Visual Design2020 - 2021

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
UX and Product Designer with 3+ years experience building digital products across finTech, media, and SaaS companies, from startups to enterprises.
I’m Rhea, a Product Designer with an engineering background, three years of experience crafting digital products, and a master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction. I design thoughtful, user-centered solutions that balance technical feasibility, business goals, and real user needs. I’ve created 0-to-1 MVPs for startups, scaled design systems for large organizations, and tackled complex design challenges across a variety of industries. My work combines strong UX research with seamless collaboration across teams to deliver intuitive, impactful, and scalable designs. I excel at bridging the gap between design and development, streamlining workflows, and driving projects forward with clarity and purpose. I’m passionate about turning complex problems into elegant solutions and thrive in environments prioritizing creativity and collaboration.

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 Rhea 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.

Rhea Acharya

UX Designer
Product Designer
User Researcher
SF, CA, US
Writing
Participatory design
UX research
Design Systems
User-Centered Design
UX Writing
User Flows
UX Strategy
Design
UI/UX Design
Figma
Available for hire fromNegotiable
Contracts

Projects

Newron

The Newron Blockchain Lending App project involved creating an intuitive interface for a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform aimed at making blockchain-based lending and borrowing accessible to a wide range of users. The goal was to simplify the complex workflows of tokenized asset management, lending, and borrowing, catering to both novice users unfamiliar with DeFi and experienced blockchain enthusiasts. As the sole product designer, I led the project end-to-end, from understanding user requirements and conducting research to creating wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity designs. The app prioritized usability and transparency, ensuring a seamless user experience while adhering to blockchain’s technical constraints. Collaboration with cross-functional teams, including engineers and strategists, was key to delivering a product that broke down barriers to entry in the decentralized finance space. This project showcased a balance of technical understanding, user-centered design, and the ability to simplify intricate systems into engaging, user-friendly digital products.

Work History

U

UX Design and Research Consultant - Program Manager

University of Michigan - School of Information- Directed 9 successful user research projects for clients such as the VA Hospital and the City of Detroit. - Recruited and mentored 30+ students in conducting user research to meet client needs. - Planned and facilitated 50+ user testing sessions, leading post-testing debriefs to analyze results and derive actionable design recommendations. - Established a framework to understand requirements, goals, and scope, delivering a streamlined project experience to clients and students.
U

Graduate Research Assistant

University of Michigan - School of InformationFeb 2023 - Dec 2024 • 1 yr 11 mos- Conducted in-depth research to understand the needs of medical staff and identify key pain points and areas for improvement. - Developed user scenarios and dialogues that addressed user needs and goals and provided a seamless user experience.
G

Product Designer, Design Systems

Greenstand- Accelerated product development by 23% and reduced design-to-development handoff times by 20% by streamlining workflows, fostering better communication between designers and developers, ensuring faster and higher-quality deliverables. - Scaled and maintained a 500+ component design system, ensuring consistency, accessibility, and usability across GreenStand’s products, while enabling faster iterations for all teams. - Streamlined onboarding for new designers by creating clear documentation, guidelines, and workflows, enabling high-turnover teams to integrate and contribute effectively and quickly. - Fostered a strong design culture by sharing best practices, facilitating discussions on usability and accessibility, and ensuring design stayed central to organizational decisions.
G

UX Design Consultant

General MotorsJan 2024 - Apr 2024 • 4 mosSpearheaded the design and prototyping of a cross-channel (In-vehicle to Mobile App) experience for General Motors, focusing on the integration of a Track Mode feature for performance cars. Led background research and collaborated with cross-functional teams including engineers, designers, and product managers to inform feature design.

Education

U

University of Michigan

Master of Science - MS in Information, User Experience Design, User Experience Research, Human-Computer Interaction2022 - 2024
D

Designlab

UX Academy, UX Design2020 - 2021
S

SVKM's Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS)

Bachelor of Technology, Computer Engineering2016 - 2020
I

Institut Mines-Télécom Business School

Design thinking and Sustainable Innovation, Design thinking and Sustainable Innovation2018
H

Harkisan Mehta Institute of Media, Research and Analysis

Diploma in Photography2015 - 2016
D

Designlab

Design 101, Visual Design2020 - 2021

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.