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
"Information experience needs wayfinding so people can find and use data easily."
Sarah CoyleDesign and Analytics with Sarah Coyle
July 30, 2020
"You can't just expect insights to solve themselves if people don't know about them."
Jake BurghardtFinding More Inroads into Research Impact
February 20, 2026
"If you are questioning your path, that’s data. It’s a sign something needs to evolve and that’s okay."
Ashley SewallExit Interview #5: Designing My Life After Tech
February 19, 2026
"Employees creating content improved rapidly when centralized guidelines and editing were applied."
Irina Tikhonova Kari DietrichSmall Wins, Big Impact: Leveraging and Elevating User Engagement
December 9, 2021
"The code of conduct is on every page of our site; it includes procedures for getting assistance."
Bria AlexanderOpening Remarks
October 3, 2023
"Miles Davis gave the musicians the music as they entered the studio, and most first takes were the final ones."
Jim KalbachJazz Improvisation as a Model for Team Collaboration
November 6, 2017
"If we make creating inclusive experiences our goal, legal compliance will naturally follow."
Samuel ProulxFrom Standards to Innovation: Why Inclusive Design Wins
November 19, 2025
"Self-report is not the end all; people often don’t know why they behave certain ways, especially regarding automatic motivations like deeply ingrained mental models."
Amy BucherHarnessing behavioral science to uncover deeper truths
March 12, 2025
"Using your own product frequently through dogfooding creates empathy about ease or difficulty of use."
Ross SmithBreaking Barriers with Empathy
June 9, 2017
