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
"Eye tracking first fixation shows what’s salient, but repeated fixation and revisit counts tell you what truly interests users."
Michael WeirMixed Methods and Behavioural Science
May 26, 2023
"Allocating a DPM to a team that didn’t want one caused more confusion and extra headcount."
Brennan HartichCommunicating and Establishing DesignOps as a New Function
November 7, 2018
"I don’t care about what’s actionable for a company. I care about what’s actionable for my client’s career and influence."
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
"Novice users can try things out thanks to automation, but experts can focus on the challenging and creative pieces."
Clara Kliman-SilverUX Futures: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Design
June 7, 2023
"Ownership means anticipating, observing, orienting, deciding, acting, and monitoring – there has to be a clear owner for these phases."
John Cutler Harry MaxPrioritization for designers and product managers (1st of 3 seminars)
June 13, 2024
"Semiotics isn’t just words and pictures; it includes every stimulus in your waking and even perhaps sleeping life."
Soma Ghosh Savina Hawkins Dave Hoffer Rob Thomas Victor UdoewaWhat emerging methods are advancing UX research [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
September 28, 2023
"I am an individual contributor living and breathing inside the organizational environment, not a manager who can move things around."
Peter LevinSolve a Problem Here, Transform a Strategy There: Research as an Occasion for Expanding Organizational Possibility
March 25, 2024
"Facilitating better conversations cross-functionally is a superpower that leads to better outcomes."
Christian Crumlish Aditi Ruiz Johanna Kollmann Catt SmallMorning Insights Panel
December 6, 2022
"We had to start small and that’s okay, especially when starting with a team of one."
Laura SchaeferDesignOps: A Conduit for Inclusion
September 9, 2022
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
What principles from multiplayer game communities can be used to foster positive social interactions in products?
What is the Cynefin framework and how does it guide design approaches in different complexity domains?
How does testing accessibility at the component level improve overall product accessibility?