Hey there! I’m Mel Rainsberger and I have been a UX Designer for 10+ years across many industries: insurance, college fundraising, healthcare, and the pharmacuetical industry. I’ve got a torrid love affair with user-centric design thinking and deep dives into problem statements. My guiding philosphy is:
Make the hard stuff easy.
I’ve done the most Pecha Kucha’s in a single year, won over a dozen video competitions, and consult on accessibility. I also volunteer for the PVD 48 Hour Film Project where I’ve raised over $30,000 for local filmmaking.
Designed for
regulation
Designing for regulated industries such as insurance and pharmaceuticals requires balancing user experience with strict compliance, security, and accountability. Unlike consumer products, these industries operate within complex legal and regulatory frameworks, where seemingly small design decisions can have significant consequences.
High fidelity
interactions
The Rhode Island Statewide Scavenger Hunt focused on turning exploration into an immersive, interactive adventure. Needing to feel intuitive while encouraging curiosity and movement, the challenge was blending playful visual language, interactive storytelling, and clear navigation.
Stakeholder
management
Designing an insurance experience for agents, customers, parents, roommates, investors, and administrators required understanding a wide range of goals, responsibilities, and levels of expertise. By connecting these perspectives, the product created a flexible experience that supported collaboration while keeping each user focused on what mattered most.
Workshop
facilitation
Rather than pretending that complexity doesn’t exist, I approach the complexity head on.
Discover why financial-services experiences don’t necessarily benefit from simply making everything faster or simpler.
Strategic
thinking
With experience with product strategy, roadmapping, fundraising/pitching, and vision, I go beyond production design.
I’m the designer that can go between:
- Who’s looking at this screen?
- What do they expect?
- Why are they here?
Accessibility and
scalability
Accessibility isn’t just a compliance checkbox. It’s a recurring part of my work. My experience includes accessibility guidelines, audits, WCAG compliance, and designing for users across complex digital products.
My combination of UX+ accessibility + systems thinking is particularly valuable in enterprise and regulated products.
Illustration and
motion design
Medical illustrations communicate complex ideas quickly, create emotional connections, and strengthen a brand’s visual identity. Motion design guides users through interfaces by providing feedback and making interactions feel natural. Together, they improve usability while adding personality to digital products.
How I think
Answers to
a student
A local high schooler interviewed me about being a graphic designer and animator. We conducted the interview via email and I’ve republished my answers here to help other students interested in pursuing the arts. Read more >
What can sketching teach us?
Over the years, I’ve reviewed high school portfolios for my alma mater, the Rhode Island School of Design. I’ve seen over 300 portfolios. Read more >
For Nerds,
By Nerds
With its 30th anniversary approaching, let’s talk about After Effects.
I’ve been using After Effects for about twenty years, and it all started with one, single moment in college. Read more >
But what have others said?
“Mel was a great person to work alongside because she brings so much experience across the board in design, a passion for continuous optimization of user experience, and drive to be always learning.”
Kortney McPherson,
VP Engagement Strategy
Designed for
regulation
“She always brought something extra to the table, and when revisions were required, [she] always came back with more than was expected. I’d work with her again in a second.”
Jason Pamental,
Web Typography & Design Systems Expert
“Knows just enough about everything to be dangerous.”
Anthony Dihle,
former president of the AIGA DC
Portfolio highlights
Surround Insurance
At Surround Insurance, I built a scalable UI and brand system for Surround Insurance that strengthened brand consistency, elevated the customer experience, and streamlined development across digital products. More >
Auvi-Q
The AUVI-Q Alexa skill provides accessible, voice-guided instructions for proper device use, anaphylaxis symptoms, and important safety information, along with an interactive trivia experience that helps users distinguish food allergy myths from facts. More >
RI Statewide Scavenger Hunt
Branding, print, social media, and mobile app experience for an innovative competition that uses augmented reality to engage teams in exploring Rhode Island’s rich history, culture, arts, and distinctive locations. More >
Surround Insurance
Datarista is a delivery platform for the 3rd Party Sales & Marketing data industry. Datarista transforms data products from static data delivery to a high velocity dynamic integration, extending the use cases and value proposition for the provider. More >
Contact me!
