Education entrepreneur.
Curious collaborator.
Product person.
Meaning maker.

Education entrepreneur.
Curious collaborator.
Product person.
Meaning maker.

Education entrepreneur.
Curious collaborator.
Product person.
Meaning maker.

Education entrepreneur.
Curious collaborator.
Product person.
Meaning maker.

Selected Case Studies

Selected Case Studies

Mela Mela

Reimagining Special Education Workflows

As co-founder, I led product strategy, management, and design efforts. Since March ’24, I’ve helped turn Mela Mela from an idea into a scalable product for classroom teams, driven by a mission to support the hardest-working people in education.

Mela Mela

Reimagining Special Education Workflows

As co-founder, I led product strategy, management, and design efforts. Since March ’24, I’ve helped turn Mela Mela from an idea into a scalable product for classroom teams, driven by a mission to support the hardest-working people in education.

Mela Mela

Standardizing Data Collection

Data collection in special education is essential—but rarely easy.

This case study explores why consistent, data-driven decisions are so hard to achieve in real classrooms, and how thoughtful design can help close the gap between compliance and daily practice.

Mela Mela

Standardizing Data Collection

Data collection in special education is essential—but rarely easy.

This case study explores why consistent, data-driven decisions are so hard to achieve in real classrooms, and how thoughtful design can help close the gap between compliance and daily practice.

Mela Mela

Standardizing Data Collection

Data collection in special education is essential—but rarely easy. This case study explores why consistent, data-driven decisions are so hard to achieve in real classrooms, and how thoughtful design can help close the gap between compliance and daily practice.

Mela Mela

Standardizing Data Collection

Data collection in special education is essential—but rarely easy.

This case study explores why consistent, data-driven decisions are so hard to achieve in real classrooms, and how thoughtful design can help close the gap between compliance and daily practice.

Mela Mela

Reimagining Special Education Workflows

As co-founder, I led product strategy, management, and design efforts. Since March ’24, I’ve helped turn Mela Mela from an idea into a scalable product for classroom teams, driven by a mission to support the hardest-working people in education.

Mela Mela

Reimagining Special Education Workflows

As co-founder, I led product strategy, management, and design efforts. Since March ’24, I’ve helped turn Mela Mela from an idea into a scalable product for classroom teams, driven by a mission to support the hardest-working people in education.

Mela Mela

Reimagining Special Education Workflows

As co-founder, I led product strategy, management, and design efforts. Since March ’24, I’ve helped turn Mela Mela from an idea into a scalable product for classroom teams, driven by a mission to support the hardest-working people in education.

Mela Mela

Reimagining Special Education Workflows

As co-founder, I led product strategy, management, and design efforts. Since March ’24, I’ve helped turn Mela Mela from an idea into a scalable product for classroom teams, driven by a mission to support the hardest-working people in education.

FEEDBACK ABOUT MY WORK

FEEDBACK ABOUT MY WORK

People who like working with me

"Mike consistently demonstrates the ability to conduct thorough research and analysis, execute usability testing, and craft designs that put users at the center of the experience. His dedication to understanding user needs, motivations, and translating them into impactful solutions that our team understands is impressive.”

- Vince Vo, Product Designer

"Mike consistently demonstrates the ability to conduct thorough research and analysis, execute usability testing, and craft designs that put users at the center of the experience. His dedication to understanding user needs, motivations, and translating them into impactful solutions that our team understands is impressive.”

- Vince Vo, Product Designer

“Mike is one of those rare people who just gets it done. He’s reliable, on time, and pays attention to the little things that make a big difference. He puts real thought into every problem, combining creativity and logic. You can tell he genuinely cares about making things the best they can be. Always a pleasure to work with.”

- Sam Ezadmanesh, Business Operations

“Mike is one of those rare people who just gets it done. He’s reliable, on time, and pays attention to the little things that make a big difference. He puts real thought into every problem, combining creativity and logic. You can tell he genuinely cares about making things the best they can be. Always a pleasure to work with.”

- Sam Ezadmanesh, Business Operations

“Mike’s leadership brings clarity, direction, and genuine collaboration to every initiative. He holds a lot of passion for learning and high standards for his craft which makes my job easier as an engineer.”

- Ludie Lambright, Engineer

“Mike’s leadership brings clarity, direction, and genuine collaboration to every initiative. He holds a lot of passion for learning and high standards for his craft which makes my job easier as an engineer.”

- Ludie Lambright, Engineer

Mike Gudenau is a product designer who believes education deserves better tools. He’s curious about people, obsessed with clarity, and always learning.