About Me

  • Full Name:Hana A Tadesse
  • Email:hanat18@gmail.com

Hi there šŸ‘‹šŸ¾

Welcome to the Wayback Machine of Hana! 😊

A little about me: I'm a product-minded technologist and strategist based in San Francisco. I studied Computer Science (HCI) and Communication (Media Studies) at Stanford, where I also earned a master's in Management Science & Engineering. I'm passionate about building thoughtful, user-centered products and crafting the narratives that bring them to life.

My background spans software engineering at Meta, product strategy through patent work with AI startups, UX design, research, and digital storytelling. I'm drawn to roles where product, strategy, and communication intersect—whether that's identifying what users need, building solutions that matter, or telling compelling stories about why they should care. Throughout my work, I focus on bringing clarity, empathy, and intentionality to ensure the why behind what I'm building is just as strong as the how.

You can find some of my favorite projects below.

Outside of work, I enjoy talking to my dog (she’s a great listener), cooking up a spicy storm in the kitchen, throwing it down at F45, DJing for friends, smelling the redwoods at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, attending live music, and passionately debating Survivor strategy with my roommates.

If I haven’t scared you away, I’d love to get to know you too—let’s connect! šŸ™ŒšŸ¾

My Resume

  • Work Experience

  • Patent Engineer
    Schox Patent Group

    San Francisco | Sep 2024 - May 2025

    Led product strategy for 10+ AI innovations, working with technical teams to identify market fit, competitive advantages, and go-to-market positioning for emerging technologies. Designed 30+ detailed mockups and prototypes which translated complex technical & design concepts into patentable IP.

  • Founding Product Manager
    Omega VR

    Remote | Nov 2022 - Sep 2023

    Led a cross-functional team of 3 engineers developing a Brain-Computer Interface VR system for accessibility; spearheading NSF grant application. Designed and ran A/B tests to achieve 1.5x higher user engagement rates and 30% longer session durations among accessibility users.

  • Teaching Assistant
    Multiple Courses

    Stanford University | Sep 2022 - Jun 2024

    Courses:

    • COMM 184/284: Race & Media (Spring 2024)
    • COMM 1B: Media, Culture, & Society (Winter 2024)
    • MS&E 280: Organizational Behavior (Fall 2023)
    • COMM 103S: Digital Media & Personalization (Summer 2023)
    • COMM 1B: Media, Culture, & Society (Fall 2022)

    Collaborated with the instructor to design & adapt course content based on students’ needs (COMM 103S). Independently led two one-hour sections each week for a course with 80+ students (COMM 1B).

  • Research Assistant

    Stanford University | Feb 2023 - Apr 2023

    Designed, developed, and launched a streamlined program to enhance website scraping efficiency, reducing data processing time for 200+ archived websites from 1-3 months to 15-20 minutes.

  • Residential Assistant

    Stanford University | Aug 2021 - Apr 2023

    Manage a dorm of 60+ residents; overlook quarterly budget of approximately $8,000. Pan, organize, and execute weekly events for 100+ residents.

  • Stanford Seed Communications Intern

    Stanford University | Jun 2022 - Sep 2022

    Seed is a Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) program that partners with entrepreneurs in emerging markets to build thriving enterprises. Served as a liaison between 70+ Stanford Seed interns working across 18 countries and the communications & media team at Stanford Campus. Curated weekly social media and marketing content to showcase the stories of 70+ interns worldwide, and analyzed engagement data across Seed’s digital platforms to enhance brand presence.

  • Meta SWE Intern

    Meta | Jun 2020 - Sep 2020

    Designed, developed, and launched a redesign of Meta's history page UI for cluster management used by 10,000+ SWEs to schedule and deploy code. Collaborated with engineering and design teams to solicit input and incorporate feedback, aligning product functionality with internal user needs.

  • Facebook University Scholar

    Meta | Jun 2019 - Aug 2019

    Designed and launched an Android app to promote community-based philanthropy by incentivizing peer donations. Led end-to-end design and development of primary donation flow and main UI, incorporating user feedback from 10+ interviews.

  • Google CSSI Scholar

    Google | Jul 2018 - Aug 2018

    Worked with 2 engineers to conduct UX research and develop a web application that promoted and improved responsible waste disposal practices.


  • Education

  • Masters Degree

    Stanford University - 2022 - 2024

    I earned my masters in Management, Science, and Engineering (MS&E), with a focus on Technical and Engineering Management.

  • Bachelors Degree

    Stanford University - 2018 - 2022

    During my undergrad, I studied Computer Science (Human-Computer Interaction) and Communications (Media Studies).

  • Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO)

    University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) - 2016 - 2018

    I spent the last two years of high school doing Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) where I took classes at the UMN full time.

  • Diploma

    Blaine High School - 2014 - 2018

    Participated in the rigirous Center for Engineering, Mathematics, and Sciences (CEMS) program at Blaine High School. Graduated with honors and in top 5% of my class.

Featured Work

Below are a select few technical projects that I would like to highlight. Take a look!

Dec. 11th 2021

The Evolution of Music

Created an engaging data visualization view of the lifecycle of musical trends on Spotify, showing the evolution of music over time.

Jun. 1st 2021

Of Sound Mind: An Audio-Based Narrative Puzzle Game

An audio-based narrative game built in Unity. Play the game!

Mar. 20th 2021

Memo

Designed and wireframed a memory journal and digital assistant app for dementia patients and caregivers.

Fed. 23th 2025

A Fresh Rotten Tomatoes

Conducted user research and iterative prototyping to redesign Rotten Tomatoes’ movie page for better clarity and user engagement.

Mar. 23th 2024

Grabber-Holder Model with Pinterest

Applied the Grabber-Holder behavioral model to redesign Pinterest's user engagement and retention strategies.

Dec. 8th 2022

Reimagining Fastfood Options

Designed a fresh approach to fast food ordering with focus on healthy options and user experience.

Skills

Figma97%
OmniGraffle89%
Sketch78%
Adobe Photoshop72%

Python94%
React90%
HTML/CSS87%
Unity68%

Figma97%

OmniGraffle89%

Sketch78%

Adobe Photoshop72%

Python94%

React90%

HTML/CSS87%

Unity68%