Kean UX Design Graduate Uses Creativity to Make Technology More User-Friendly

Frank Mellana credits an “aha” moment at Kean University for inspiring his career in UX design.

Originally a business major, Mellana took a design class with Associate Professor Edward S. Johnston, who asked him to create a mobile app prototype. Thrilled with the creativity the project required, he switched his major to UX design to focus on building positive user experiences for people interacting with digital interfaces.

The New Jersey native went on to earn his Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design/interactive print and screen in 2019 from Kean’s Robert Busch School of Design, graduating cum laude with high honors.

“The beauty of UX design is that you're taking extremely complex problems and deconstructing them to be as user-friendly as possible,” Mellana said.

After building his career at Hertz and Booz Allen Hamilton, Mellana was excited to climb the ladder by recently becoming a senior UX designer at Siemens in Florida, where he is creating technology and software for the next generation of railroad users.

Johnston remembers Mellana for his “magnetic personality, positive energy and dedication.”

“Whether it was crafting high-fidelity interface experiences or fabricating his own custom shoes,” Johnston said, “Frank always brought enthusiasm to his design projects.”

Mellana has also worked at rocket company Blue Origin, founded by entrepreneur Jeff Bezos with the goal of protecting the Earth by making it possible to harness energy and materials from space. He contributed to projects including New Glenn, the company’s heavy-lift orbital rocket designed for reusable spaceflight.

“For the launch of the New Glenn,” Mellana said, “I was delighted to do all the UX for the rocket tracking and telemetry graphics overlaid on screens during a live webcast.”

Blue Origin’s creative director, Joel Eby, appreciated Mellana’s passion and ability to integrate his experience from various industries into his projects.

“Frank goes beyond problem solving, and his love of his craft comes out in all his work,” Eby said. “It's rare to find a designer with that unique blend of inspiration and craftsmanship.”

Mellana recalls Kean’s design studio as the hub for a tight-knit community of professors and students that gave him a strong foundation – and connected him with his wife, Ashley (Diaz) Mellana, who also graduated in 2019 and is now art director for Staples promotional products. The two have a 5-month-old daughter.

“Kean is the sole reason I am where I am today,” he said.

Mellana particularly prized his independent study with Assistant Professor Henry Stankiewicz, which generated an app that took second place in Kean’s Business Plan Competition. Called Trauma, the app was designed to connect users with professional guides so they could treat their own injuries while awaiting an ambulance.

Stankiewicz praised Mellana’s authenticity.

“Whether in class, in volunteer settings or working on the myriad side hustles he was always coming up with,” Stankiewicz said, “everyone understood that Frank wanted to make things better for others.”