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
"The traditional user-centered design process doesn't work well for AI problems."
Dan SafferWhy AI projects fail (and what we can do about it)
May 14, 2025
"There were things I controlled and things I didn’t, and I needed to plan for both."
Dantley DavisLeadership & Diversity—A Fireside Chat with Dantley Davis
September 17, 2020
"I prefer techniques where individuals generate ideas quietly first, so their train of thought isn’t lost in group dynamics."
Steve Baty Richard Dalton Maria Giudice Harry MaxDiscussion
June 9, 2016
"Team members told me they felt really seen for the first time during these discussions."
Francesca Barrientos, PhDYou Need Your Own Definition of Design Maturity
June 8, 2022
"Surgeons say during difficult operations the whole team feels like a single organism moved by the same purpose."
Ruzanna RozmanGetting in Flow with Your Team
January 8, 2024
"It’s too infrequent researchers ask what metrics PMs are being held to or follow up months later on project outcomes."
Chris GeisonWhat is Research Strategy?
March 11, 2021
"Designers embedded in teams often feel lonely and their work leads to fractured user experiences."
Peter MerholzCustomer-Centered Design Organizations
June 8, 2017
"People think automation will replace authenticity, but right now, human intervention is still required to ensure quality."
Todd Healy Jess GrecoDriving Change with CX Metrics
June 7, 2023
"With QFI, we go upstream: simulate, model, predict user behavior before shipping, not just react after."
David SternbergUncovering the hidden forces shaping user behavior
July 17, 2025
