Dave Chen — CEO
Head of UX Research, Design Systems & Operations at 1Password. I lead three interconnected disciplines at 1Password — UX Research, Design Systems, and Design & Research Operations — building the infrastructure that product teams need to move faster and make better decisions. Over the past decade, I’ve focused on a question most orgs eventually hit: how do you scale design quality and customer insight without slowing down? My answer has been to treat research, systems, and operations not as support functions, but as strategic leverage. At 1Password, that means my teams own the design system that unifies how we build, the research practice that keeps us grounded in real user behavior, and the operational frameworks that keep cross-functional teams aligned as we grow. Before this role, I built my foundation in research and product management — work that shaped how I think about leadership. Every system I build, every team I scale, starts with the same principle: understand the problem deeply before you optimize for speed. I also co-write Dear Danielle & Dave, a newsletter and podcast with my colleague and friend Danielle Klein, where we share letters on UX research, design leadership, team dynamics, and navigating AI’s impact on our profession. If any of that resonates, pull up a chair and grab a coffee ➡️ deardanielleanddave.substack.com
Stackforce AI infers this person is a UX Research and Design Operations leader in the SaaS industry.
Location: Greater Toronto Area, Canada
Experience: 13 yrs 1 mo
Skills
- Ux Research
- Design Systems
- Market Research
Career Highlights
- Expert in scaling design quality and customer insights.
- Leads interconnected UX research and design systems.
- Co-writes influential UX research newsletter and podcast.
Work Experience
1Password
Head of UX Research, Design System & UX Operations (2 yrs 7 mos)
Senior Director, Research & Insights (1 yr 6 mos)
Flipp
Director, Product Management - Shopper Product, Growth and Analytics (4 mos)
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Director, Consumer Insights (2 yrs 7 mos)
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NEXT Canada
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General Mills
Manager, Global Consumer Insights - One Yogurt (Yoplait + Liberté) (2 yrs)
Senior Associate, Global Consumer Insights - One Yogurt (Yoplait + Liberté) (1 yr 1 mo)
Associate, Global Consumer Insights - Snacks & New Ventures (11 mos)
Nielsen
Senior Research Analyst, BASES Innovation Analytics (1 yr 7 mos)
Research Analyst, BASES Innovation Analytics (1 yr)
Miele
Customer Relationship Management Specialist (4 mos)
STAPLES Canada
Market Research Analyst (3 mos)
Ipsos Reid
Junior Business Analyst (5 mos)
Education
Bachelors of Mathematics at University of Waterloo
Masters of Business Administration (MBA) at Wilfrid Laurier University