penguin riding a horse

Mike Gudenau

Education-rooted Product Designer & entrepreneur. Challenging the status-quo through the discipline of developing solutions in the service of people.

Mike Gudenau

Education-rooted Product Designer & entrepreneur. Challenging the status-quo through the discipline of developing solutions in the service of people.

Mike Gudenau

Education-rooted Product Designer & entrepreneur. Challenging the status-quo through the discipline of developing solutions in the service of people.

CASE STUDIES

CASE STUDIES

Work that I'm proud of

Mela Mela

PRODUCT DESIGN

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PRODUCT STRATEGY

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B2B EDTECH

Reimagining Special Education Workflows

As co-founder, I led product strategy, management, and design efforts. Since March 2024, 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

PRODUCT DESIGN

/

PRODUCT STRATEGY

/

B2B EDTECH

Reimagining Special Education Workflows

As co-founder, I led product strategy, management, and design efforts. Since March 2024, 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

PRODUCT DESIGN

/

PRODUCT STRATEGY

/

B2B EDTECH

Reimagining Special Education Workflows

As co-founder, I led product strategy, management, and design efforts. Since March 2024, 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

Product Design

/

STRATEGY

/

B2B ED TEch startup

Reimagining Special Education Workflows

As co-founder, I led product strategy, management, and design efforts. Since March 2024, 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

Product Design

/

STRATEGY

/

B2B ED TEch startup

Reimagining Special Education Workflows

As co-founder, I led product strategy, management, and design efforts. Since March 2024, 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

PRODUCT DESIGN

/

PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

/

B2B EDTECH

Standardizing Data Collecton for Special Eduction Teams

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

PRODUCT DESIGN

/

PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

/

B2B EDTECH

Standardizing Data Collecton for Special Eduction Teams

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

PRODUCT DESIGN

/

PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

/

B2B EDTECH

Standardizing Data Collecton for Special Eduction Teams

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

Product Design

/

Product MGMT

/

B2B ED TEch startup

Standardizing Data Collection in Special Education Classrooms

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

Product Design

/

Product MGMT

/

B2B ED TEch startup

Standardizing Data Collection in Special Education Classrooms

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.

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 human behavior, obsessed with clarity, and always learning.

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

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

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