Jessica Monteiro ready for dev
UI/UX Designer e-commerce · mobile · web systems · fintech

Interfaces you don't have to think about.

Thoughtful design with aesthetic clarity to create functional, intuitive and visually engaging experiences, from research to handoff.

View work Design guidelines

01 How I work

Discover

Align on the problem, the people, the constraints and what "success" will be measured by.

  • Stakeholder interviews
  • Brief & KPIs
  • Scope & risks

02 How I work

Research

Learn from real users and the market before drawing a single screen.

  • User interviews
  • Surveys & analytics
  • Competitive audit

03 How I work

Define

Turn findings into structure: who we're designing for and how the product is organised.

  • Personas / JTBD
  • Journey maps
  • IA & user flows

04 How I work

Design

From low-fidelity sketches to a high-fidelity UI backed by a component system.

  • Wireframes
  • UI & design system
  • Interactive prototype

05 How I work

Validate

Test with users, measure, and fix what matters most before anything gets built.

  • Usability testing
  • SUS · SEQ · task success
  • Prioritised iteration

06 How I work

Deliver

Hand off with specs, tokens and annotations, then follow the numbers after launch.

  • Dev handoff & QA
  • Design tokens
  • HEART metrics

Every step,
out in the open.

Communication and close collaboration run through the whole process, so you always know what I'm designing, why, and what I need from you next. Here's how that plays out in real projects.

See the work Hire me on Upwork
01

Selected work

Page 01 · 3 frames
Case 01 Marketplace app redesign Mobile · 390
CUSTOMER APP · REVAMP

Marketplace App Redesign

Muvr is an existing app going through a complete revamp. This is my contribution on the customer app redesign while on the team.

UI/UXMobile AppMarketplace
View case
UI/UX designerIn progress
Case 02 Crypto payments iOS · 390

Paying with crypto, as easily as Pix

A 0 → 1 app that lets people in Brazil pay a Pix straight from their crypto balance. Solo UX/UI, from blank file to dev-ready in about six weeks.

UI/UXMobile AppFintech0 → 1
View case
Sole designer2024Design complete
Case 00 This portfolio, as a design system Web · 1440
TOKENS · DTCG · v2.2

This portfolio, built as a design system

I treated my own site like a client project: a token system of paper, ink and six sticky colours, four type families with a job each, accessible components, a 3D story of how I work, and guidelines that explain every decision.

Design systemTokens · DTCGWCAG 2.2 AAProcess
Read the guidelines
Design & build2026Live
02

Ways to work together

Page 02 · 4 services
01

UX audit & research

Heuristic review, analytics read-out and user interviews to find what's actually blocking your users.

Output → findings report · prioritised fixes
02

End-to-end product design

From discovery to handoff for a new product or a major feature: flows, wireframes, UI, prototype, testing.

Output → Figma file · prototype · specs
03

Design systems & UI kits

Tokens, components with every state, usage docs and a governance model your team can keep alive.

Output → library · tokens · guidelines
04

Prototyping & usability testing

Interactive prototypes tested with real users, with clear metrics and a plan for the next iteration.

Output → test report · SUS / SEQ · iteration plan

How we start

  1. 1
    A short call

    Thirty minutes about your product, the people using it and the deadline. No prep needed.

  2. 2
    A clear proposal

    Scope, deliverables and timeline in writing, so we agree on what "done" means before any work starts.

  3. 3
    Weekly check-ins

    Progress in Figma every week, with each decision explained in a short note.

Tools

  • FigmaUI · prototyping · Dev Mode
  • FigJamworkshops · flows
  • Adobe Illustratorillustration · icons
  • Procreateillustration

Methods

  • User interviews & surveysdiscovery
  • Card sorting & tree testingIA
  • Moderated usability testsvalidation
  • Heuristic evaluationaudit

Deliverables

  • Personas · journey mapsdefine
  • User flows · wireframesdesign
  • Design system · tokenssystem
  • Annotated handoffdeliver
03

About

Frame 03 · Auto layout · Vertical
Illustration of Jess sitting on the floor, wearing yellow flower sunglasses

nice to meet you

I design products end to end, from the first research question to files developers can build from without guessing.

I test before I polish and write every decision down, so the thinking survives the handoff and the next person on the file never starts from zero.

the one rule I design by“Good design stands on your side,
never in your way.”

Two paths taught me what that means.

The eye

Shaped by creativity

My path began with colours and lines, in illustration, long before I opened Figma. That trained my eye for balance, rhythm and the small details people feel before they notice. That eye is what I bring to every interface: a hierarchy that guides attention, consistency across every state and screen, and the finish that makes a product feel trustworthy. When a brand calls for a visual language of its own and the scope allows it, I carry that craft into custom illustration and iconography.

In practice Visual hierarchy UI consistency Illustration, when in scope

The mindset

Guided by freedom

Freelancing turned the world into my office. Every new team brought a new rhythm and every culture a new way of seeing, so I learned to adapt fast, stay curious and design with empathy. It's why I get up to speed quickly in a new domain, from fintech rules to hospitality, and fit into the way a team already works instead of asking it to fit mine.

In practice Fast ramp-up Cross-cultural teams Async-friendly

At a glance

Works withFounders, product teams and developers
Based inBrazil, UTC−3 · overlaps US and European hours
EducationUX Design, ESPM · UX Design Institute
LanguagesPortuguese (native) · English (professional)

Shall we?

Let's transform ideas into functional and engaging designs.
Have a product, a feature or a messy flow?
Tell me about it.

Open to new projects

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