# Jan Benway

> UX Design Lead at biotech startup

Location: San Carlos, California, United States
Profile: https://flows.cv/janbenway

I think in design terms in everything I do -- how could this be easier to use, to understand, to help everyone achieve their goals? I think this way when brainstorming new product and feature concepts, thinking about design and engineering processes, and when designing tests and scenarios in user research.

## Work Experience
### UX Design Lead @ TLR Ventures
Jan 2022 – Present | Redwood City, California, United States

### Senior Product Designer @ Project Rōnin
Jan 2021 – Jan 2022

### Senior UX Designer @ percipient.ai
Jan 2020 – Jan 2021 | Santa Clara, California, United States

### Lead UX Designer @ Vium
Jan 2018 – Jan 2020 | San Mateo, CA
I led all design & user research for our scientific application to run & analyze pre-clinical studies.

### Principal UX Designer @ Roche
Jan 2016 – Jan 2018 | Belmont, CA
At Roche, I took the opportunity to be a design leader, working very closely with a team of designers on complex products. I really enjoyed working with other designers again, and discovering ways that our skills complement each other.

Our software works within a complex service involving physical lab protocols, and I learned a lot about laboratory practices and integrating with non-software teams. I also learned a lot about building products in a regulated healthcare environment.

### UX Designer @ Norse Corporation
Jan 2015 – Jan 2016 | Foster City, CA
At Norse I spent most of my time on concepts and data visualization in security threat assessment. The users I interviewed were fascinating -- very technical and in constrained environments. I also really enjoyed working in the startup environment.

### Interaction Designer @ Ingenuity Systems/QIAGEN
Jan 2010 – Jan 2015 | Redwood City, CA
Ingenuity’s users, microbiologists and geneticists, are experts in their field and have high expectations of their tools. I fell in love with the field of biology -- after coming to the job with virtually no background, I learned on the job from the expert product managers who patiently taught me enough so that I could interview users and design products and features. I supplemented my learning with online courses in the field and constant questioning and study. 

I worked on four different product as the sole designer in the company: from long-time legacy products to ground-breaking new products. My favorite product at Ingenuity we designed from the ground up to support new clinical genetics processes. I worked very closely with the product manager and a primary customer to co-design a product to help transition the customer from extensive manual processes into a more automated decision support tool. Since this product was first of its kind, we took a number of missteps and changes in direction over the years that I worked on it. I ultimately left Ingenuity as this product was starting to take off -- eager to work on other new products but also to get a chance to work with other designers.

### Lead User Interface Designer @ Qualys
Jan 2009 – Jan 2010 | Redwood City, CA
I designed IT security scanning and compliance software.

### Senior User Interface Designer @ Intuit
Jan 2005 – Jan 2009
I worked on Quickbooks Online, which was a niche product at the time, and Quicken Online, which was ultimately replaced by Mint. I learned a lot about design at Intuit, and I found the domain of personal and small-business finance fascinating. I designed the payroll direct deposit feature, for Quickbooks online. For Quicken, I worked on budgeting, visualizations, and onboarding. 

Working with user researchers at Intuit was extremely valuable. We did office visits with users of Quickbooks and got a really deep understanding of how the product fit into their businesses. With Quicken, we did one-day-per-iteration usability testing which was transformative for the team.

### Human Interface Engineer (UI Designer) @ Sun
Jan 1999 – Jan 2005 | Menlo Park, CA
Sun Microsystems was my first post-internship job. I started out as a researcher and planned and carried out studies for all of the product teams in my area. After the first year, I moved to the design side and developed my design skills by working with mentors, studying, and putting design into practice.

### Usability Intern @ SBC
Jan 1997 – Jan 1997 | Austin, TX
Usability testing and some design for Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems.


## Education
### Ph.D in Human Factors Psychology
Rice University
Jan 1994 – Jan 1999

### BA in Double Major: Math & Cognitive Science
Occidental College
Jan 1990 – Jan 1994


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jan-benway-2b60741
- Portfolio: http://practicalui.tumblr.com/
- Portfolio: http://janbenway.net/
- X: https://twitter.com/janbenway
- GitHub: https://github.com/practicalui

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Source: https://flows.cv/janbenway
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/janbenway/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-03-30