Blessing Mangwiro
Product Designer & Visual Systems Builder
I'm a product designer and visual systems builder working at the intersection of UX, AI, XR, and technical prototyping—capable of end-to-end product ownership with strong research, system architecture, and high-fidelity UI craft.
Currently pursuing my M.S. in Human-Computer Interaction at Iowa State University (graduating December 2025), I work as a Graduate Assistant in the 3D Visualization Lab and Innovation Center. There, I conduct XR training, maintain cutting-edge capture systems like the Insta360 Titan 11K camera, and facilitate interdisciplinary workshops bridging technology and research.
My background in Journalism and Media Production from the National University of Science and Technology in Zimbabwe gives me a unique perspective—I approach technology not just as a builder, but as a storyteller who understands how systems shape identity, behavior, and society.
Experience
Leading XR systems development and spatial computing research at Iowa State's flagship visualization facility.
- Train 20+ students, faculty, and researchers in 3D scanning workflows and Cave/VR Room configuration, achieving 95% success rate in independent project completion
- Implement Insta360 Titan 360° 11K camera system for spatial video production, establishing best practices for immersive content capture
- Maintain XR infrastructure with 99% uptime, ensuring reliable access for research simulations
- Create interactive XR applications using Unity and Meta Quest devices for cross-departmental research needs
- Facilitate interdisciplinary workshops helping diverse project groups incorporate MR, VR, and 3D visualization tools
Led UX research and multimedia design for an education-focused e-commerce platform.
- Facilitated a team of 5 creatives, increasing design consistency and productivity by 40%
- Redesigned flagship masterclass using data-driven UX research, increasing sales by 30%
- Managed complete content production for podcasts, courses, and Moodle-based platform
- Conducted user research and usability testing to inform product decisions
- Established design system standards improving cross-team collaboration
Developed corporate communication strategies and visual brand systems.
- Designed animation infographics and product activation graphics for corporate clients
- Contributed to end-to-end production workflows from concept to delivery
- Leveraged AI tools to amplify user interactions and streamline production
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams on brand identity development
Education
Skills
UX & Product Design
User Research • Usability Testing • Contextual Inquiry • Persona Development • Journey Mapping • Wireframing • Prototyping • Information Architecture • Interaction Design • Design Systems • Accessibility (WCAG)
Visual & Systems Design
High-Fidelity UI Design • Component Libraries • Design Tokens • Brand Systems • Motion Design • Typography • Color Systems • Responsive Design • Dark Mode Design • Visual Hierarchy
Research Methods
Qualitative Research • Quantitative Analysis • Contextual Inquiry • Diary Studies • A/B Testing • Survey Design • Thematic Analysis • Affinity Mapping • Competitive Analysis • Heuristic Evaluation • SUS Evaluation
Technical & Development
Unity 6 • C# • Python • OpenCV • JavaScript • HTML/CSS • Git • Figma • Adobe Creative Suite • Blender • After Effects • DaVinci Resolve
XR & Immersive Tech
AR Foundation • Meta Quest (Pro, Quest 3) • MRTK • XR Interaction Toolkit • Spatial Audio • Hand Tracking • Eye Tracking • 360° Video Production • 3D Scanning • Photogrammetry
AI & Computer Vision
YOLOv8 • TensorFlow • PyTorch • Barracuda Inference • MediaPipe • OpenCV • On-Device ML • Conversational AI • Prompt Engineering
Certifications
- User Experience & Interaction Design for AR/VR/MR/XR:University of Michigan | Coursera
- Figma/XD UI/UX Design Essentials for AR/VR Spatial Prototyping:Udemy
- Build Complete VR App in Unity with Eye Tracking & EEG:Udemy
- Introduction to C# Programming and Unity:University of Colorado Boulder | Coursera
- The Complete 2023 Web Development Bootcamp:Udemy
- Master Unity3D With Blender, Augmented Reality & AI Tools:Udemy
- Statistics for Data Science and Business Analysis:Udemy
- Complete Computer Vision Bootcamp With PyTorch & Tensorflow