Jim Beno

Jim is a user experience lead with over 18 years of experience researching user behavior, innovating product ideas, and designing human-computer interfaces. He currently leads the UX team at Skyhigh Networks, helping security teams manage cloud services. He is also the co-founder of MyStatusPal, a start-up helping people track their US visa paperwork. Prior to this, Jim worked at Cisco, where he managed a global design team focused on the management of Cisco's communication and collaboration products. He was also the UX lead for WebEx Social, a human factors engineer for Cisco's next-generation phone and touch devices, and conducted research on TelePresence.

Jim has an M.S. in Human Factors & Ergonomics and is a certified Agile scrum master. Prior to Cisco, Jim drove the user experience for two successful start-ups: Opsware (formerly Loudcloud, acquired by Hewlett-Packard) and Oblix (acquired by Oracle). He has led a number of committees and received awards from the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society (HFES). With a background in journalism, Jim wrote a technical book for New Riders, and has published design case studies and research. He also has a number of patents related to social collaboration. Jim is a “hands-on” innovator, be it creating product prototypes, remodeling his house, or building interactive art for Burning Man. He lives in the Oakland hills, where he studies Aikido and enjoys mountain biking.