About Bentley UXC

Chris Hass is the Executive Director of the User Experience Center. Chris brings more than 20 years of experience in UX research, design, strategy, and business development to his role leading the center. Chris has garnered global renown for his contributions to the UX research, accessibility, service design, and healthcare innovation fields. Prior to joining Bentley, Chris was the Director of Health & Life Sciences at Kanda Software, President of Create Logic LLC, and Sr. VP of Experience Design at Mad*Pow Media Solutions LLC.

Chris has published and presented his research at more than 100 national and international conferences, including AMIA, ACM SIGCHI, Big Design, CDC PHIN, CSUN, UXPA International, and UXPA Boston. He is an adjunct professor at Bentley University and Northeastern University. He co-authored (with Margo Edmunds and Erin Holve) the Springer textbook: Consumer Informatics and Digital Health: Solutions for Health and Health Care. He is the past president of both UXPA International and UXPA Boston, where he serves as an advisory board member.

Lena Dmitrieva is a Senior UX Consultant at the User Experience Center. Lena brings more than two decades of experience in UX consulting to her work.

A seasoned UX researcher, Lena possesses a diverse and comprehensive skill set that enables her to deeply understand user needs and behaviors and translate those insights into actionable design recommendations. She has extensive experience in various qualitative and quantitative research methods, including interviews, surveys, usability testing, information architecture, ethnographic studies, and diary studies.

Lena enjoys the challenge of identifying appropriate UX methodologies and has extensive experience conducting user experience projects as well as training others in UX consulting. 

Lena is a generalist and has worked with clients across industries and product platforms. Her partial client list includes Boston Scientific, Ginko Bioworks, Alteryx, Lumary, Motivate Design, ETS, Autodesk, Boden USA, Hearst media, T. J. Maxx, Sperry Top-Sider, Fidelity Investments, Citizens Bank, Banknorth, Staples, Volkswagen, MIT Alumni Association, Planned Parenthood of America, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Lionbridge.

Lena’s consulting interests include ecommerce, behavioral design, mindfulness and technology, and AI in UX research.

Lena holds a Master of Science with Distinction in Human Factors from Bentley University.

Peter McNally is a Senior Consultant at the User Experience Center. Pete has more than 25 years’ experience in usability, information architecture, accessibility, and software engineering. His current areas of interests include the intersection of user experience (UX), customer experience (CX), artificial intelligence (AI), universal design, voice UX, and internet of things (IoT).

Regardless of the area or technology, Pete always focuses on the human at the end of the product, so they can have the most seamless and engaging experience. He has worked with users and designed digital experiences in the financial services, healthcare, government, education, energy, manufacturing, defense, and electronics industries.  Some of his recent clients include: Philips Healthcare, Fidelity Investments, Intel, Southern New Hampshire University, Analog Devices, EBSCO, and BNY Mellon Eagle Investments.

Prior to joining the center, Pete was a Principal Consultant in the CSC User Experience Practice, Senior User Experience Architect at HP Enterprise Services, Research Officer at University of Hertfordshire in the UK, and Senior Software Engineer at 3M Health Information Systems.

Pete holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Northeastern University and a Master of Science in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). He holds a CPACC (Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies) certification from the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP). He is a member of the International User Experience Professionals' Association (UXPA), Boston UXPA, Boston CHI, and IAAP.

Jason Reynolds is a Senior Usability Consultant at the User Experience Center and teaches in the graduate Human Factors program at Bentley University. Jason has over 25 years of experience in UX design and related fields with particular experience in information architecture, strategy, and accessibility.

Jason first took a job with the title of Information Architect in 1999. In the years since, he has worked to solve business problems and create delightful online experiences for large and small business, government, and non-profit organizations. Before relocating to Boston, Jason lived in Austin, TX where he was the Director of User Experience for TradeMark Media. He also maintained his own consulting practice for several years. 

Before joining Bentley, Jason spent more than 6 years teaching the User Experience Design Immersive (UXDI) program for General Assembly both on campus in Austin, TX and Boston, MA, and online. In recognition of his exemplary service in the classroom, Jason was selected as a member of General Assembly's Distinguished Faculty program.

Jason has an MBA from the University of Texas McCombs School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business, Computer Science, and International Studies from Austin College. He is a Certified Professional for Usability and User Experience. 

Jason is an active member of the Boston UX community, serving as an organizer of World IA Day, and a volunteer for UXPA Boston and other UX events and organizations. He is excited to share his knowledge and experiences with others - especially those new to the field of UX.

Skylar is a UX Research Associate at Bentley’s User Experience Center. She previously worked as a Postgraduate Research Associate at Yale University, most recently with XR Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics. There, she contributed to projects leveraging immersive technologies, such as XR, to support the health and well-being of youth and young adults, with a particular focus on public health and education-related topics.

She has also been part of UX research teams at mexb.ai, an AI mental health companion application, and InReach, a platform connecting LGBTQ+ individuals to affirming resources

Skylar graduated Summa Cum Laude from Western Connecticut State University where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, a minor in Mathematics, and is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Human Factors in Information Design at Bentley. 

Skylar is excited to draw on her psychology background to understand what users really need and help shape designs that are accessible, practical, and meaningful for client projects. She also hopes to refine her areas of interest through this work as she prepares for a career in UX.

Olivia is a UX Research Associate at Bentley’s User Experience Center. Prior to joining the team, Olivia worked as a Marketing Intern for Workiva, a financial reporting SaaS company. In this role she conducted market research and managed marketing campaigns. She also created a UX research project to redesign and improve their website.  

At the University of Vermont, she was a Research Assistant for the Family Development Lab, where she measured physiological responses to social media. She also was a TA for Research Methods and enjoyed helping students create their own psychological research projects.

Olivia graduated from the University of Vermont with a major in Psychology and a minor in Economics, and she is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Human Factors in Information Design at Bentley University. 

Danielle is a UX Research Associate at Bentley’s User Experience Center. Before joining the team, she worked as a Consultant at Project Farma, a biopharmaceutical consulting firm, where she led client-facing initiatives to support the commercial readiness of advanced cell and gene therapy manufacturing. In this role, she served as both a project manager and validation engineer, guiding clients through complex regulatory landscapes and helping them achieve FDA compliance.

Danielle earned her Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering from Lehigh University, with a concentration in biomechanics and biomaterials. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Human Factors in Information Design at Bentley University. She is particularly passionate about applying her engineering expertise to design intuitive, user-centered solutions in the medical device and healthcare sectors, especially those that contribute to improving quality of life and patient outcomes.

Atharv is a UX associate at Bentley’s User Experience Center. Before joining the team, he worked for nearly three years as a UX Specialist at a healthcare technology company, where he focused on designing and evaluating digital solutions to improve provider and clinician workflows and patient experiences. In that role, he contributed to and led projects spanning usability testing, information architecture, interface and interaction design, helping ensure complex healthcare systems were more intuitive and efficient for users.

Atharv holds a bachelor’s degree in User Experience Design from the University of Washington in Seattle and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Human Factors in Information Design at Bentley University. He is interested in advancing the integration of research insights into design strategy, particularly within complex domains like healthcare, where thoughtful user experience can drive both intuitive products and meaningful improvements in efficiency and quality of care.

Peter is a UX research associate at Bentley’s User Experience Center. Before joining the team, he worked as a product designer at an AI SaaS company in the San Francisco Bay Area, primarily focusing on improving the user experience & efficiency of internal developer tooling and enterprise-scale data science processes. Besides internal projects, he has also worked on external-facing platforms, and improved customer retention & increased adoption of key features through an information architecture redesign of the product, informed by research insights.   

Peter holds a bachelor’s degree in cognitive science from the University of California, San Diego, and a master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction from Georgia Institute of Technology. He’s currently pursuing a master’s degree in Human Factors in Information Design at Bentley University to enhance the research aspect of his skill set as a designer, and develop more business acumen to increase his future career impact.

Daisy is a UX Research and Design Associate at Bentley's User Experience Center. Before joining the team, she worked as an Industrial Designer at a California-based design and engineering consultancy specializing in medical technology and consumer goods. Additionally, her past internship experience at a femtech company bolstered her passion for designing and advocating for women's health and wellness.

Daisy graduated from Georgia Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Human Factors in Information Design at Bentley University. She hopes to integrate usability and research practices with her design background to create thoughtful and accessible experiences for individuals and communities alike.