Senior UX Researcher, Google
Kimberly Dowd ’13, MSHFID ’16 is surrounded by user experience (UX) professionals at Google, where she is a UX research lead focused on Kids & Families and realizes just how much that education has paid off. But it’s not just about technical skills. “Bentley education helps prepare you for the way that a company functions: understanding what the needs are and assessing what the stakeholders are looking for,” Dowd says. 

Senior Principal Systems and Human Systems Engineer, Northrop Grumman 
Astronauts headed to NASA’s Artemis Gateway, a space station set to orbit the Moon in 2024, will be living tiny in their new quarters: the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO). Northrop Grumman human factors expert Shawnette Adams, MSHFID ’14 , and fellow engineers have been tasked with designing HALO to be intuitive — and safe. If all goes to plan, HALO will take the astronauts — including the next man, first woman and first person of color — one step closer to Mars.

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Director of Online User Experience, Research, Content Strategy & Design Operations at The Home Depot
Kristina is the kind of person friends come to when they need to talk through a problem; and she is naturally inclined to help. That carries over to her career in online user experience (UX) as she strives to understand the how and why of customer interactions — and creates ways to make them better: "When I stumbled across human factors, I thought it seemed cool to get paid to design things and think about how to make it easier for people to use them. It sounded like a natural progression for me, so I enrolled in the HFID master’s program at Bentley.”

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Founder/CEO of MōDERN GENTLEMAN
Ryan Day, ’15, discovered user experience when he was an analyst at LinkedIn. While attending a hackathon, he met a designer and the two clicked. This mentor thought he’d be a good match for UX and eventually encouraged him that the best way to be successful in the field was to pursue a master’s degree.  “Bentley approaches design-learning differently. The HFID program is for those interested in digging deep into Human Factors science, not merely visual design. This is not an art program; it’s a science-centric education. I respond well to challenges, and Bentley truly showed me I was capable of more than I ever thought possible. I was exposed to subjects and concepts I would never have found on my own.” 

Senior User Experience Researcher at Salesforce
Renee Keith ’17, was working in health care and witnessing first-hand the overall patient frustration that runs through the industry. A friend studying at Bentley suggested she look into a degree in UX, kicking off a journey that eventually led to a successful career at Uber and then at Salesforce. "Collaborating with my fellow classmates and working with real clients from some of the largest Fortune 500 companies was my favorite part of the program. Nearly every class offered this real-world experience, which truly prepares you for the UX field after grad school."

Cofounder & Chief Experience Officer at anywell
Tomer Sharon, ’08, saw himself as bringing "truth to the table" in the new product development cycle - ideally in time to make a difference in the outcome. He pursued the Bentley HFID program to learn from people who pioneered the profession and work hands-on in state-of-the-art learning labs: "At Bentley, we consulted with actual clients on real-world problems and learned to understand their business goals. That experience has been invaluable."

Senior Product Designer, Upwork
As an undergraduate, Latoya Hall, ’16, studied Design and Visual Communication at San Francisco State. While spending part of her senior year abroad at Brunel University of West London, she learned the value of incorporating ergonomics and human factors into the design process: "The program is so flexible, which is another reason why I chose Bentley. I’ve taken classes in Boston, San Francisco, and online — all while working a full-time job. This hybrid approach is perfect for those who want or need to work while they’re in the program."

Head of Design, Humu
With a background in psychology and media studies, Ben Huggins, ’13, considered Bentley's MSHFID program ideal preparation for the emerging field of user experience design, "Bentley’s HFID program was so intriguing to me because it grounds design in the context of real-world business. Taking classes taught by industry leaders and working closely with companies on their design challenges was a great way to learn. Bentley also has an energy about it. From the virtual class options to the rapidly expanding west coast campus, it’s a program that’s constantly innovating on its own model -- not unlike the UX field itself."

Senior Director of Experience Design, Manulife/John Hancock
For Neeta Goplani, ’08 experience design is a puzzle combining creativity and business. Goplani credits Bentley’s master’s program in Human Factors in Information Design as giving her the well-rounded skill set to succeed. Bentley’s integrated curriculum, state-of-the-art learning labs, and world-class faculty put her in a position to become a leader in her field: "The Experience Design lab at Bentley was instrumental in my career. It gave me client-management, project management, and research skills that have helped me immensely."