Summary
Moving the research function out from UX can transform how insights influence product-making in an organization. In this talk, Nalini explains how and why she led this shift for her team at Salesforce, as well as the move’s effect on their work and impact. Nalini will also share lessons learned in the process - “the how to’s” and the “absolutely how not to’s” - that may inspire and guide leaders and individual contributors alike.
Key Insights
-
•
Decoupling research from UX can provide researchers with more agency to frame broader business problems beyond design.
-
•
Identity work is a fundamental challenge when moving research out of UX, requiring careful leadership attention.
-
•
Playing the long game through persistent business case building and internal socialization is essential for organizational change.
-
•
Research teams positioned alongside product management, engineering, and data science gain higher visibility and influence.
-
•
Measuring research impact becomes more complex but broader, shifting from simple metrics like study counts to influence and strategic involvement.
-
•
Research operations functions are crucial infrastructure that enable scalable, efficient research beyond UX.
-
•
Control over budget and headcount advocacy improves significantly when research reports outside UX.
-
•
COVID-19 amplified issues around identity and belonging for team members during organizational transitions.
-
•
In B2B companies like Salesforce, much product decision-making happens before UX, necessitating research involvement earlier in the lifecycle.
-
•
Providing reassurance and support for new research skills helps ease team anxieties during structural changes.
Notable Quotes
"What happens if research does not report into UX? What might happen if we uncouple research from UX?"
"We made this move in January 2020 — our research and insights team moved out of UX but stayed within product organizations."
"Conscious uncoupling is about identity — how one thinks of oneself defines oneself and how others define you."
"I believed we could do more — more for the company, customers, stakeholders, and ourselves if we had more agency."
"Our research practice was perceived largely as design testers, empathy vehicles, and policing functions — a narrow, reactive role."
"After the move, our work had more impact, more visibility, and we're present across the entire product life cycle."
"Research operations is the spine of any successful research and insights group."
"For the first time, I was able to advocate for funding directly for the research function at high executive levels."
"I underestimated how much identity our team tied to UX and how scary that loss felt to many of them."
"Our shift is structural, not because of personalities — it was needed to influence earlier, more business-centric decisions."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Never put numbers on qualitative research findings; qualitative insights are about richness and why, not how many."
Christian RohrerResearch Operations at Scale
November 7, 2017
"You want to assist people in framing the interaction and setting their expectations correctly so they know how to be successful."
Savannah CarlinDon't botch the bot: Designing interactions for AI
June 4, 2024
"Large companies demand certainty, but certainty is the opposite of innovation."
Laura KleinUnique challenges of innovation in enterprises
April 23, 2020
"Starting with one line of business and showing success creates a trickle effect for broader organizational adoption."
Amy EvansHow to Create Change
September 25, 2024
"The accessibility expert was simply lost into shouting, we must be accessible without creating a strategy."
Patrizia BertiniThe (r)evolution of designOps: It’s Time to Think (really) BIG
September 11, 2025
"I think we as UX researchers are uniquely positioned to forge bonds with data teams because of our storytelling and cross-functional work."
Marieke McCloskeyUser Science: Product Analytics & User Research
March 11, 2021
"Use custom systems for experts to quickly review and rate outputs, making feedback cycles much faster."
Peter Van DijckHands-on AI #2: Understanding evals: LLM as a Judge
October 15, 2025
"You can't just measure ethics like a scientific question; you have to reason differently."
Cennydd BowlesExit Interview #2: Rediscovering the ethical heart of design
November 6, 2025
"Previously, IBM designers were inventing their own buttons for every product, which exasperated chaos and inconsistency."
Mitchell BernsteinOrganizing Chaos: How IBM is Defining Design Systems with Sketch for an Ever-Changing AI Landscape
September 29, 2021