Summary
Imagine a future where UX Research Operations (ReOps) is not just part of research execution, but a pivotal force driving business performance and competitive edge. In this session, we will explore the hidden and often untapped superpowers of Strategic Programs already available in your team. Discover how ReOps can evolve from a supportive function for research alone to a strategic linchpin that fuels your business competitive position, at scale. Through engaging case studies, actionable program plans, and measures, this session will equip you with a practical roadmap to assess the current research lifecycle, effectively advocate for resource gaps with research intelligence, and creative approaches to your research hiring & people strategy. Don't miss the opportunity to transform your approach to Research Ops into a strategic pillar of business strategy. This evolution will lead to a significant shift in research perceptions, excellence, and maturity.
Key Insights
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Research operations should evolve from a process support role to a strategic partner with a reflexive perspective on research practice.
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Current research ops often lacks visibility into operational metrics that connect research insights to corporate strategy.
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Researchers are facing morale challenges due to ongoing debates about their role and the strategic value of research.
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A programmatic approach in research ops can improve integration, activation, and storytelling of research impact across organizations.
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Research ops teams can help identify cross-functional opportunities to maximize the influence of research insights.
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Tracking organizational response to research presentations enables better understanding of stakeholder engagement and impact.
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Shared ownership of research strategy between research leaders and corporate leaders is critical to success.
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Research ops professionals often have hidden superpowers, including management consulting skills and therapeutic backgrounds, useful for strategic influence.
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Reflexive practice led by research ops can reveal power dynamics and inclusion barriers within organizations impacting product outcomes.
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Career growth and role expansion within research ops need more intentional design to support evolving research strategy demands.
Notable Quotes
"Research operations is the people, mechanisms and strategies that set user research in motion."
"I want to imagine research ops as a strategic partner helping us reflect critically on our work, decisions, and stakeholder interactions."
"Who’s gonna actually measure how AI impacts our research workflows?"
"Design leaders are reporting to folks who don’t understand them outside of design."
"User-centered strategies shouldn’t be viewed as a design problem; it’s a company-wide strategy."
"Research ops can help find more impact opportunities, it doesn’t always have to be the researcher’s job."
"Imagine a research ops program tracking organizational response to research presentations—what happened, where, and what decisions were made."
"Research ops professionals have a bird’s eye view across projects and can influence mature decision-making."
"Strategic researchers constantly need healing because they face many ups and downs and repeated questioning of their role."
"We need a growth mindset in evolving research ops—fail fast, iterate, and learn just like in design."
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