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
"Insights virtually don’t exist if you aren’t able to make them stick by putting them to work."
Robin Beers Sonja Bobrowska Mujtaba Hameed Josh MoralesHow to create actionable insight in the face of politics and silos [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
October 12, 2023
"People said graphical user interfaces are bad for accessibility and that blind people would have to stick to command lines forever."
Sam ProulxTo Boldly Go: The New Frontiers of Accessibility
September 9, 2022
"Grain generates transcripts, allows collaborative note-taking, and makes sharing research clips easy."
JP Allen Carrie Boyd Malcolm EvansNavigating the UX Tool Landscape
March 11, 2021
"Urban design competitions are declared public, but only expert architects or designers can participate."
Onur Kocan Ayhan EnsiciUnderstanding the Strategy for Civic Design in a Complex City: Istanbul
November 16, 2022
"Contributors to insight summaries should get more value out of it than they put into it."
Jake BurghardtStop wasting research: Create new value with insight summaries
July 9, 2025
"You have to go from being able to deliver a message in three bullets and then turn around in the next moment and deliver a massive service blueprint or customer journey."
John CutlerOxbows, Rivers, and Estuaries: How to navigate the currents of change (without burning out)
December 3, 2024
"Accessibility requires flexible designs, not limited designs."
Sam ProulxAccessibility: An Opportunity to Innovate
March 9, 2022
"You don’t need an MD or PhD to be effective in healthcare UX; humility, curiosity, and preparation are essential."
Theresa NeilDesigning for Wellness: Specializing in Healthcare
May 22, 2024
"Research for AI must go beyond single agency frameworks to consider complex ecosystems and multi-modal environments."
Ovetta SampsonResearch in the Automated Future
March 11, 2022