MAYARA ALMEIDA • SENIOR PRODUCT DESIGNER
Mayara Almeida - Senior product designer
About me
About me
About me
I’m Mayara, a Senior Product Designer building trust-first experiences for regulated, high-risk products. I translate privacy, security, and compliance constraints into clear journeys that reduce cognitive load and help users act with confidence.
I’ve applied this across banking, fintech, crypto, and other products involving identity, sensitive data, and secure transactions.
I partner cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, and Legal/Compliance to shape UX strategy, prototype and validate early, and deliver measurable improvements backed by user research and product metrics.
I’m Mayara, a Senior Product Designer building trust-first experiences for regulated, high-risk products. I translate privacy, security, and compliance constraints into clear journeys that reduce cognitive load and help users act with confidence.
I’ve applied this across banking, fintech, crypto, and other products involving identity, sensitive data, and secure transactions.
I partner cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, and Legal/Compliance to shape UX strategy, prototype and validate early, and deliver measurable improvements backed by user research and product metrics.
I’m Mayara, a Senior Product Designer building trust-first experiences for regulated, high-risk products. I translate privacy, security, and compliance constraints into clear journeys that reduce cognitive load and help users act with confidence.
I’ve applied this across banking, fintech, crypto, and other products involving identity, sensitive data, and secure transactions.
I partner cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, and Legal/Compliance to shape UX strategy, prototype and validate early, and deliver measurable improvements backed by user research and product metrics.
Read more
Read more
Impact Highlights
5 years designing complex digital products across regulated finance and B2B platforms
+600.000 users impacted by Super App redesign in Uruguay
+100 stakeholders involved in a 5-step discovery I led to redesign an investment portability journey for regulatory compliance
8 weeks to take the channel from #3 to #1, delivering +827% monthly subscription growth (48 → 445) through a funnel optimization sprint I led
5 years designing complex digital products across regulated finance and B2B platforms
+600.000 users impacted by Super App redesign in Uruguay
+100 stakeholders involved in a 5-step discovery I led to redesign an investment portability journey for regulatory compliance
8 weeks to take the channel from #3 to #1, delivering +827% monthly subscription growth (48 → 445) through a funnel optimization sprint I led
Explore my projects
Explore my projects
My work is a blend of innovative thinking and practical solutions, ensuring they are both unique and effective.
My work is a blend of innovative thinking and practical solutions, ensuring they are both unique and effective.
My work is a blend of innovative thinking and practical solutions, ensuring they are both unique and effective.
Explore my projects
Building a Crypto Wallet for beginner investors in Uruguay
4.8/5 usability
100% task completion
58 interviews
Designed for 350K+ banking clients
4.8/5 usability
100% task completion
58 interviews
Designed for 350K+ banking clients
An empathetic AI co-pilot that transforms investment anxiety into confident decision-making
From hidden gem to market leader: strategic UX transformation of an Investment Product
From SaaS dependency to strategic design: replacing Monday.com with a custom workflow solution
Crafting a High-Converting, On-Brand Landing Page for Espécies Cosmetics
Building a Crypto Wallet for beginner investors in Uruguay
An empathetic AI co-pilot that transforms investment anxiety into confident decision-making
From hidden gem to market leader: strategic UX transformation of an Investment Product
From SaaS dependency to strategic design: replacing Monday.com with a custom workflow solution
Crafting a High-Converting, On-Brand Landing Page for Espécies Cosmetics
Building a Crypto Wallet for beginner investors in Uruguay
Design process
Design process
Design process
Design isn’t linear, and neither is my process.
This section breaks down how I move from research to delivery and iteration in real projects. Iris, a character I co-created with generative AI, is an experimental exercise in visual storytelling that I use here to illustrate each stage of my design process.
Design isn’t linear, and neither is my process.
This section breaks down how I move from research to delivery and iteration in real projects. Iris, a character I co-created with generative AI, is an experimental exercise in visual storytelling that I use here to illustrate each stage of my design process.
Design isn’t linear, and neither is my process.
This section breaks down how I move from research to delivery and iteration in real projects. Iris, a character I co-created with generative AI, is an experimental exercise in visual storytelling that I use here to illustrate each stage of my design process.
Meet Iris, my ethereal guide
Meet Iris, my ethereal guide
Discovery
When Iris awakens, ethereal and expansive
Iris is the way I externalize my thinking companion throughout the whole design process. In this first, most diffused state, she represents discovery: curious, expansive and unbound, when everything is still vapor and possibility. At this stage I widen the lens: using tools like the CSD Matrix, desk research, surveys and interviews with customers and stakeholders to map the problem end-to-end. The goal is to turn scattered signals into clear hypotheses, identifying risks, constraints and opportunities early enough to guide confident product decisions.
Discovery
When Iris awakens, ethereal and expansive
Iris is the way I externalize my thinking companion throughout the whole design process. In this first, most diffused state, she represents discovery: curious, expansive and unbound, when everything is still vapor and possibility. At this stage I widen the lens: using tools like the CSD Matrix, desk research, surveys and interviews with customers and stakeholders to map the problem end-to-end. The goal is to turn scattered signals into clear hypotheses, identifying risks, constraints and opportunities early enough to guide confident product decisions.
Discovery
When Iris awakens, ethereal and expansive
Iris is the way I externalize my thinking companion throughout the whole design process. In this first, most diffused state, she represents discovery: curious, expansive and unbound, when everything is still vapor and possibility. At this stage I widen the lens: using tools like the CSD Matrix, desk research, surveys and interviews with customers and stakeholders to map the problem end-to-end. The goal is to turn scattered signals into clear hypotheses, identifying risks, constraints and opportunities early enough to guide confident product decisions.
I can help with
Product Design
Product Design
Designing end-to-end product experiences (flows, IA, interaction and UI) that align user needs with business goals.
Designing end-to-end product experiences (flows, IA, interaction and UI) that align user needs with business goals.
UX Strategy
UX Strategy
Framing problems, defining outcomes and turning insights into a shared roadmap for product, design and engineering.
Framing problems, defining outcomes and turning insights into a shared roadmap for product, design and engineering.
Design system
Design system
Designing and maintaining scalable design systems (tokens, components and patterns) for complex digital products.
Designing and maintaining scalable design systems (tokens, components and patterns) for complex digital products.
Research
Research
Planning and running interviews, usability tests and surveys to uncover insights that guide product decisions.
Planning and running interviews, usability tests and surveys to uncover insights that guide product decisions.
What people say about me
What people say about me
Over the past few years, I’ve had the chance to collaborate with amazing professionals across product, tech, and business teams. Here are a few words shared by managers, peers, and partners about our time working together.
These testimonials highlight my commitment to collaboration, autonomy, and building great product experiences, with curiosity, consistency, and care.
Over the past few years, I’ve had the chance to collaborate with amazing professionals across product, tech, and business teams. Here are a few words shared by managers, peers, and partners about our time working together.
These testimonials highlight my commitment to collaboration, autonomy, and building great product experiences, with curiosity, consistency, and care.
Over the past few years, I’ve had the chance to collaborate with amazing professionals across product, tech, and business teams. Here are a few words shared by managers, peers, and partners about our time working together.
These testimonials highlight my commitment to collaboration, autonomy, and building great product experiences, with curiosity, consistency, and care.
May is incredibly committed to everything she sets out to do. She had a huge learning curve in the investment domain, but quickly stood out by bringing sharp questions, aligning expectations, and offering both technical and strategic input. She leads initiatives like the investment PIX almost entirely on her own and handles everything with great time management. Her combination of soft skills and autonomy make her one of the most well-rounded designers I’ve worked with.
Leonardo B. - Team member from Itaú’s investment community
May had an outstanding performance during this cycle at OCA. She solidified her role as a design reference for the entire unit, supporting local schedule management and team integration. She embraced the challenge of structuring the brand’s Design System in a highly efficient and organized way — delivering the entire Style Guide, implementing necessary adjustments, and creating a component library to support designers’ daily tasks and streamline the design process. She also led experience agendas that needed improvement, maintained a strong delivery pace, and was fully responsible for complex discoveries related to new functionalities — all with great autonomy.
Gustavo N. - Manager at LatAm Unit, Itaú Unibanco
“May is a reference when it comes to customer experience. Always open to new ideas, she has a 360-degree vision of the problem that needs solving in each project. On top of that, she’s someone who genuinely cares about the team’s success and ownership. She transmits trust in the work she does and always delivers in the most complete and thoughtful way possible.”
Anonymous review - Team member at OCA Uruguay
“A large part of OCA’s digital evolution this year has May’s fingerprints on it. She was involved in the most critical projects, always contributing collaboratively, efficiently, and with complete focus on the customer. Her attention to detail and organization are true differentiators. She consistently gives her best and is always thinking about the sustainability of both the business and the design discipline.
Renata T. - Community Leader, Customer Onboarding at OCA Uruguay
I worked with Mayara on a Venture initiative that was both challenging and full of learning opportunities. With her knowledge and expertise, she supported the engineering team by proposing solutions to enhance the user experience and encouraging discussions to build a customer-centric product. She stood out for her strong performance in agile teams and active participation in ceremonies and collaborative sessions.
Waleska L. - Subject Matter Expert (SME) at Infosys
Mayara was a key reference during the period we worked together on the OCA team at Itaú. Her knowledge of the design system was crucial to her significant contribution to the development, improvement, and maintenance of OCA’s design system. Mayara has a solid understanding of UX best practices, from discovery through to validation.
She also contributed to the maturity of the UX discipline within the bank, leading meetings and bringing important topics to the table to help us drive the evolution of the discipline in Uruguay.
Her indirect leadership was a source of inspiration for me, providing valuable support by following my projects closely and offering guidance that was essential to their success.
Tony G. - Team member at OCA Uruguay
May is incredibly committed to everything she sets out to do. She had a huge learning curve in the investment domain, but quickly stood out by bringing sharp questions, aligning expectations, and offering both technical and strategic input. She leads initiatives like the investment PIX almost entirely on her own and handles everything with great time management. Her combination of soft skills and autonomy make her one of the most well-rounded designers I’ve worked with.
Leonardo B. - Team member from Itaú’s investment community
May had an outstanding performance during this cycle at OCA. She solidified her role as a design reference for the entire unit, supporting local schedule management and team integration. She embraced the challenge of structuring the brand’s Design System in a highly efficient and organized way — delivering the entire Style Guide, implementing necessary adjustments, and creating a component library to support designers’ daily tasks and streamline the design process. She also led experience agendas that needed improvement, maintained a strong delivery pace, and was fully responsible for complex discoveries related to new functionalities — all with great autonomy.
Gustavo N. - Manager at LatAm Unit, Itaú Unibanco
“May is a reference when it comes to customer experience. Always open to new ideas, she has a 360-degree vision of the problem that needs solving in each project. On top of that, she’s someone who genuinely cares about the team’s success and ownership. She transmits trust in the work she does and always delivers in the most complete and thoughtful way possible.”
Anonymous review - Team member at OCA Uruguay
“A large part of OCA’s digital evolution this year has May’s fingerprints on it. She was involved in the most critical projects, always contributing collaboratively, efficiently, and with complete focus on the customer. Her attention to detail and organization are true differentiators. She consistently gives her best and is always thinking about the sustainability of both the business and the design discipline.
Renata T. - Community Leader, Customer Onboarding at OCA Uruguay
I worked with Mayara on a Venture initiative that was both challenging and full of learning opportunities. With her knowledge and expertise, she supported the engineering team by proposing solutions to enhance the user experience and encouraging discussions to build a customer-centric product. She stood out for her strong performance in agile teams and active participation in ceremonies and collaborative sessions.
Waleska L. - Subject Matter Expert (SME) at Infosys
Mayara was a key reference during the period we worked together on the OCA team at Itaú. Her knowledge of the design system was crucial to her significant contribution to the development, improvement, and maintenance of OCA’s design system. Mayara has a solid understanding of UX best practices, from discovery through to validation.
She also contributed to the maturity of the UX discipline within the bank, leading meetings and bringing important topics to the table to help us drive the evolution of the discipline in Uruguay.
Her indirect leadership was a source of inspiration for me, providing valuable support by following my projects closely and offering guidance that was essential to their success.
Tony G. - Team member at OCA Uruguay
Let's work together
I'm currently open to remote design opportunities, whether freelance, contract, or full-time. I help teams build high-impact digital products through a mix of strategy, design, and user research, with a strong focus on usability, clarity, and business alignment.
Ready to explore a project together?
Let's work together
I'm currently open to remote design opportunities, whether freelance, contract, or full-time. I help teams build high-impact digital products through a mix of strategy, design, and user research, with a strong focus on usability, clarity, and business alignment.
Ready to explore a project together?