Why Research Operations is your strategic superpower
Now that I’m in my third ops role since pivoting to UX, I’m realizing something. Research Ops is incredibly strategic — especially if your company is large enough to have work silos. Here’s why:
- Ops has a bird’s eye view of what research teams across a company are working on. In my experience, Ops may be the *only* folks who have this crucial perspective.
Because Ops works across research teams in a systematic way, they can easily spot inefficiencies. Or identify which teams need upskilling or support in particular areas.
****
2. Setting up systems like repositories or participant panels requires a skilled and critical eye. It frequently reveals shortcomings in the research process — or in research quality. This is actually a perfect time to align teams in these two areas! Ops can support this alignment by leading open discussions and fostering growth.
*****
3. To ensure success of the processes they create or the tools they procure, ops teams have to align stakeholders. This might be tactical — for example, choosing a tool that all teams agree on — but aligning stakeholders can also be strategic. When Ops reaches out cross-functionally to set up a process or system, they are essentially advocating for UX research. I’ve often created a “seat at the table” for research teams, in the process of setting up a research repository or a participant recruitment system.
****
The bottom line is this: invest in your ops team! Skilled ops folks not only take on inefficiencies in the research process — they can also be powerful people connectors, drivers of initiatives, and advocates for UX research.
