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This video is featured in the DesignOps amazing talks playlist and 1 more.
Summary
Kate Towsey is an independent strategist, coach, advisor, and author of the acclaimed book Research That Scales. For more than a decade, she has been at the forefront of ResearchOps. And now, you can learn directly from her during this upcoming Ask Me Anything (AMA), hosted by Rosenfeld Media. Watch Kate Towsey answer questions about research operations, user research, and how to build scalable research practices.
Key Insights
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Research ops existed for decades in large tech companies before the term was coined.
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Research is about creating and sharing knowledge, which cannot be owned but should flow smoothly within organizations.
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Culture and trust in the source of knowledge are essential for research adoption and impact.
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Research ops should build infrastructure and systems that enable diverse teams to create and consume knowledge effectively.
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Transitioning from reactive processes to strategic systems requires intentional time to slow down and prioritize.
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Operations work always includes 'keeping the lights on' tasks alongside strategic initiatives.
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In legacy or traditional organizations, collaboration with departments like legal, procurement, and HR is crucial to build research ops infrastructure.
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For solo or small research teams, dedicating time to create knowledge assets and community visibility scales individual impact.
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Research ops challenges vary by sector mainly due to culture and bureaucratic procurement, not due to fundamentally different practices.
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People transition into full-time research ops roles by gradually adding operational responsibilities and reframing their skills while seeking supportive environments.
Notable Quotes
"Some people have been doing research ops a lot longer than the term has existed."
"Knowledge belongs with everyone — you can own the infrastructure but not the knowledge itself."
"People don’t learn when they’re rushed, stressed, or don’t trust the source of knowledge."
"You have to slow down to go fast."
"You can’t do everything on your own — build bridges with legal, procurement, HR, and stakeholders."
"Strategy should be a living thing that you water at least once a quarter."
"Keeping the lights on work is never exciting, but it’s essential to prevent complaints and keep systems running."
"Scaling research impact is not just about systems but also about scaling the value of your work across the organization."
"Research ops is the most punk thing you can do in the experience design space."
"Adoption is crucial — it’s a social system, so start by building community around the problem."
Dig deeper—ask the Rosenbot:
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