Alex has experience designing white-label SaaS applications for over 400 banks and credit unions, using native iOS, Material UI, and custom components. She has led design initiatives and managed a small group of UX designers to build a design ecosystem for loan origination software used by various financial roles in banks and credit unions.
Alex is originally from the US and has a bachelors’ degree from the University of Central Florida. She moved to Amsterdam in 2021 and has fallen in love with the city and is even learning Dutch and commuting to work by bike.
“I’m a firm believer that a great user experience doesn’t happen by accident. You have to know why people behave as they do — and design around their flaws and limitations.”
So why Govin?
“The challenge! Coming from a FinTech background, I’m used to turning complex problems into intuitive solutions. But corporate governance is completely new to me. That really made it intriguing for me. As a UX team of one, I get to build the foundations and processes and set Govin up for success from a design and research point of view.
What I’m most excited about is helping Govin become a leader in the corporate governance sector. The opportunity to contribute to realizing Govin’s goal of setting the path for what good governance should be and how to make the process of maintaining good governance effortlessly.”
What are your top priorities for your first few months on the job?
“Understanding the product by speaking to subject matter experts and soaking up the valuable information they provide. Interviewing our Beta users of our product to learn how they’re using our product and what areas we can improve on. And then using this information as input for building our design system to speed up design and development and to create a phenomenal user experience.”
What are your favorite tools and resources for conducting user research and testing?
“I enjoy sitting down with users and observing how they interact with our product in their natural environment. I always encourage users to “think out loud” to really understand the steps they take along the way.”
What do you think is the most important factor in creating a successful UX design and to incorporate the goal of “governance made easy”?
“Understanding the users you are designing for. Design is not just about making products “pretty.” It’s about solving problems in the most intuitive way. By bringing a data-driven approach into how we design our products. I’m a firm believer that a great user experience doesn’t happen by accident. Understanding why people behave as they do and designing around their mental models will allow Govin to create a user-centered product.”
Is there anything else you’d like our followers to know about you or your work?
“Besides working at Govin, I mentor UX designers and share knowledge on Instagram (@alexbenton.ux). I personally believe that it’s not fair to keep all the knowledge I have learned throughout my career all to myself. I like to share my knowledge in hopes that it will benefit someone else.”
