Scaling Research Via an Ops First Model at Clever
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
"Caring for people emotionally during insight sessions directly impacts their productivity and willingness to engage."
Jerome “Axle” BrownHow to Use Self-Directed Learning to Ensure Your Research Insights are Heard and Acted Upon
March 11, 2021
"We could create a sustainable culture of design and use it as our leading edge weapon of transformation."
Phil GilbertA Consistent Culture of Design
May 14, 2015
"Research is democratized: if you’re not democratizing, you probably don’t even realize everyone in your company is talking to users in different ways."
Kate Towsey Basel Fakhoury Oren Friedman Graham GardnerParticipant Recruitment and Management Tools
March 12, 2026
"We showed that a skip is not a skip — it varies based on listener goals and trust in the playlist."
Sohit KarolDesigning Delightful Listening Experiences: Mixed Methods Research in the Age of Machine Learning
March 31, 2020
"Designing as a team means centering all the humans involved, not just the users."
Christopher Taylor Edwards Valerie RoskeDesign as a Team Practice, A Practical Guide to Cross-functional Collaboration
September 30, 2021
"We have to be deliberate about the long-term change we are creating and consider unintended consequences more explicitly."
Sheryl CababaExpanding Your Design Lens with Systems Thinking
February 23, 2023
"Use your powers of empathy to see things from your functional partners’ point of view."
Francesca Barrientos, PhDYou Need Your Own Definition of Design Maturity
June 8, 2022
"My manager says never ask me to take a day off, just tell me — it’s a huge cultural shift."
Allison SandersOperating with Purpose
January 8, 2024
"That's not a prototype."
Saara Kamppari-Miller"Prototype" vs "Prototype"--Breaking Down and Rebuilding Our Understanding of What We Do
October 24, 2019
