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
"Sponsor sessions are not sales pitches; they are content-rich and free to anyone who wants to attend."
Bria AlexanderOpening Remarks
September 9, 2022
"About 70 sites have been removed from the Low Carbon Showcase after regressing in sustainability."
Nick LewisDesigning and building low-carbon websites independently
November 18, 2025
"MBA programs teach a lot of networking and collaboration but not always the realities of day-to-day decisions."
Ryan RumseyBusiness Influence Without Losing Your Soul
January 14, 2021
"eBay cut the time it took to get answers from weeks to one day by integrating design with data analysis workflows."
Chris ChapoData Science and Design: A Tale of Two Tribes
May 13, 2015
"Key results must be measures of human behavior and outcomes, not output metrics like 'launch this service'."
Jeff GothelfWho does what by how much?
November 20, 2025
"We got the board to write a check bigger than they’d ever spent because we had clarity on priorities and investment needs."
Harry MaxPriority Zero: Some Things are More Equal than Others
June 9, 2016
"There’s no half-assing it. If you want to be involved in developing solutions, you better have significant client exposure."
Jesse ZolnaInviting the Whole Org to Come See For Yourself
March 30, 2020
"Don't think constraints are real. Executives see them as excuses for not delivering."
Jess GrecoClaiming your power: Practical tools for amplifying your unique voice
March 13, 2025
"When we start being intentional about inclusion, we gain clarity in Design Ops."
Saara Kamppari-MillerTheme Three Intro
September 9, 2022
