I’m currently the Sr. Director, UX Foundations & Enablement at 1Password.

I’m a builder. I build, scale and mature UX practices.

I help organizations develop, train and grow their customer empathy muscles so they can build human-centric products.

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I started my career as a research analyst on the BASES team at Nielsen (now NielsenIQ). This role was invaluable as it laid the foundation for my research skills. The relentless environment on the agency side greatly shaped my work ethic and style. However, it also made me realize that even the best research partners were often left out when the real decisions were made. We were consultants at the end of the day, and I wanted a seat at the table.

In 2013, I made the switch to client side, joining one of the best CPGs in the country at the time: General Mills Canada. I led insights development efforts on a wide portfolio of products for some of the biggest household brands in the world — Nature Valley, Fibre 1, Pizza Pops, Yoplait, and Liberté. As much as I love what I currently do working on digital products, it was a unique experience helping buid some of the most iconic household brands that people can touch, feel and see in stores. At General Mills, I also learned to manage large research budgets, partner with research vendors, and experience mixed methods of research around the world. I became a more well-rounded researcher, but I wanted more. I wanted to lead and build with the knowledge I had gained.

In 2017, I answered a call from Flipp, a leader in the North American AdTech space, to help them build a research practice from the ground up. During my nearly five-year tenure there, in true start-up fashion, I led multiple teams, including building and leading the research team, but also CX, Growth Marketing, Analytics, and eventually Product Management.

In May 2022, I joined 1Password as the Senior Director of Research and Insights, where I built and lead a research team of UXRs and ReOps, driving customer empathy-building efforts across the organization.

In late 2023, I expanded my scope and transitioned into my current role as the Senior Director of UX Foundations & Enablement, leading a multidisciplinary team of UX Research, Design Operations, Research Operations, Design System and Design Language professionals. 

Outside of work, you can often find me chilling with my girls, writing, lifting weights, 3D printing and collecting MTG cards.

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Why bydavechen?

“By” is a reference to my authorship of this site, but it is also the initials of my Chinese name “Beiyang”.

Pretty clever, I know.