about
Based in Madrid, born and raised in Queens, NYC. I'm a visual anthropologist and currently leading product design at Drivepoint.
I spent an unreasonable amount of my childhood on the computer. Thankfully, it turned into a career designing products people genuinely enjoy using.
Studying visual anthropology gave me a new lens for the thing I'd already loved for years, technology. It taught me to think not just about how things work, but how people experience them. Today I design AI products that make complex systems understandable and worthy of people's trust.
Outside of work, I'm usually traveling, taking pictures, reading, or djing around Madrid. It turns out designing products and reading a dance floor have more in common than you'd think.
what I love
I carry my camera everywhere I go. My love of photography started when I was in high school. I tried to photograph everything I could. My work has been featured in New York Magazine, Brooklyn Vegan, The Village Voice, etc.
I think the years I've collectively spent in the darkroom have given me night vision. It's also given me a keen eye for composition, color, and light. These skills I've taken with me into the world of product design. My love of people, culture, and problem-solving have given me the necessary skills to tackle any project that gets thrown at me.
Work and what I love have become so intertwined, that it just doesn't feel like work anymore. I feel really lucky.
video work
© 2025 melissa neira