Summary
In this Q&A session, we'll hear how Liza Pemstein, Research Operations Manager at Clever, built a robust research practice at one of the fastest-growing EdTech companies. Identifying the friction in the process experienced by design, product, engineering, and marketing, Liza has streamlined and scaled research. She'll share how she got started, what she's learned and what she's excited about in 2023!
Key Insights
-
•
Clever operates a research operations first model with no dedicated UX researchers, relying on designers and PMs to conduct research.
-
•
Liza Pennstein’s path to research operations included customer solutions roles emphasizing empathy, listening, and problem-solving.
-
•
Centralizing participant incentives through a shared credit card and Jira ticket system eliminated confusion and improved process efficiency.
-
•
Recruiting and scheduling user research participants was a major barrier that was addressed by creating shared participant databases.
-
•
The ROCKS program at Clever (Research Ops Knowledge Share) facilitates cross-team learning and un-silos research knowledge.
-
•
Initial focus was on increasing research confidence and comfort among practitioners before emphasizing quality and best practices.
-
•
Balancing standardization with flexibility is critical; intervention happens when research quality or participant screening falters.
-
•
Without dedicated UX researchers, Clever prioritizes enabling non-experts with training, templates, and external expert speakers.
-
•
Building a lightweight repository with Great Question software supports storing and sharing research insights effectively.
-
•
Future plans include broadening methods like unmoderated research, increasing visibility, and maintaining momentum through speaker series and workshops.
Notable Quotes
"Research is a sales role at its heart, delivering value to people to drive sustainable growth."
"I had a hunger for process and efficiency once I built a feedback bot to share customer insights."
"We don’t have dedicated user researchers, but designers and PMs conduct most research here."
"People were doing incentives in different ways, using their own cards, which was confusing, so I centralized it."
"The biggest struggle was recruiting and scheduling participants, so we started a shared Google sheet."
"Research is a group project and learning is a group project—you don’t have to be an expert but find those who are."
"I want to encourage excitement about research and gradually mold people into better researchers."
"Sometimes you have to make it messy before it can be clean again — disrupt to improve."
"We have the quantity of research work; now we’re focused on building up the quality."
"Unmoderated research is exciting because it lets us gather insights while freeing people up to be in two places at once."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"We have over 140,000 IBMers who’ve completed design thinking online training."
Doug PowellClosing Keynote: Design at Scale
November 8, 2018
"If a group session with middle schoolers goes off the rails, one-on-one sessions can save the research."
Mila Kuznetsova Lucy DentonHow Lessons Learned from Our Youngest Users Can Help Us Evolve our Practices
March 9, 2022
"Every parent we talked to had some variation of the question: this exists, can I use it right now? Where was this when I needed to apply?"
Sarah GallimoreInspire Progress with Artifacts from the Future
November 18, 2022
"We never compromise on the business goals, but how we achieve them can be flexible and pragmatic."
Lada Gorlenko Sharbani Dhar Sébastien Malo Rob Mitzel Ivana Ng Michal Anne RogondinoTheme 1: Discussion
January 8, 2024
"The hackathon is a low-commitment way to get people creatively engaged and having fun."
Alnie FigueroaThe Future of Design Operations: Transforming Our Craft
September 10, 2025
"When executives start questioning your research details, that’s a good sign they’re engaged and trusting the process."
Landon BarnesAre My Research Findings Actually Meaningful?
March 10, 2022
"I thrive on learning about how people overcome obstacles."
Emily EagleCan't Rewind: Radio and Retail
June 3, 2019
"The curse of hyper-focus means you lose peripheral vision and miss the larger context and customer needs."
Malini RaoLessons Learned from a 4-year Product Re-platforming Journey
June 9, 2021
"Assume positive intent, practice a service mindset, and curiosity over ego — remember we’re all in this together."
Asia HoePartnering with Product: A Journey from Junior to Senior Design
November 29, 2023
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
How should service designers adapt their approach when working in different cultural and market contexts, like the US versus Europe?
How do AI-powered experiences complicate predicting and optimizing customer behavior?
What role does co-creation play in uncovering gaps and opportunities between collaborating organizations?