In just 10 years, ResearchOps has transformed from an obscure Silicon Valley speciality into a vibrant global profession. Despite economic headwinds, ResearchOps roles are emerging across industries far beyond tech, and the field is evolving at breathtaking speed. But where has it come from, and where is it going?

In this five-part audio documentary series, Kate Towsey of Cha Cha Club explores the past, present, and, most important of all, the future of ResearchOps. Each episode features the voices of Cha Cha Club members, senior research leaders, and the smart minds behind User Interviews. This episode features insights from User Interviews Co-Founders Basel Fakhoury and Dennis Meng, as well as CMO Erin May.

Credits
Production, narration, and audio engineering by Kate Towsey. Co-produced with Cha Cha Club manager, Glenn Familton, and ResearchOps experts, Jenna Lombardo and Renato Venter. Aria, the robotic voice, was generated by Soundly. Music and (most) sound effects featured in this episode were sourced from Epidemic Sound. Explore music and sounds via this playlist.

Welcome to our final Summer Throwback. We're revisiting some of our favorite conversations and insights.

We're closing with a topic that technology like AI—and shrinking attention space—is affecting: reporting results. Our guest, Caitria O'Neill, had a sense that stakeholders weren't really engaging with her results (or their implications) as she'd like them to. During her time on teams at Meta, AirBnB, and Google, she'd iterated and evolved how she packaged, presented, and stored research readouts.

It's a great listen for anyone who has felt a nagging suspicion that partners just aren't connecting with research.

Resources on Reporting

• Rethinking our Approach to Research Reports
• A Framework for Simple, Repeatable Reporting
• 30+ Free Report Templates and Examples

Welcome to Summer Throwbacks, where we revisit some of our favorite episodes. This week's guest is Kate Towsey, who helped spotlight the relevance, urgency, and importance of Research Operations (ReOps) to business. This conversation is from her time leading ReOps at Atlassian. She breaks down the rationale for ReOps and the steps folks can take to start a practice of their own.

These days, Kate's investing in Cha Cha Club, a space for ResearchOps pros to connect and learn.

Stay tuned for an exclusive podcast series with Kate and Cha Cha Club...coming soon.

More ReOps Resources

• What is Research Operations and Why Does it Matter
• The State of Research For Non-Researchers
• Building an Accessibility Research Panel

Welcome to Summer Throwbacks, where we revisit some of Awkward Silences' most memorable episodes.

This week, Andrea Amoros, a Senior Principal Researcher at Ingram Micro talks strategic research (which is different from a research strategy). Andrea shares her definition of strategic research, its value for a company, and showcasing that value for stakeholders and partners.

Strategic Research Resources

• What is a UX Research Strategy?
• Creating ROI from User Research
• Strategic vs Tactical Research Projects

Welcome to Summer Throwbacks, were we revisit some of Awkward Silences' most memorable episodes.

This week, Eniola Abioye, UX Researcher at Meta, discusses what it takes to break into the user research industry. Her advice on creating application materials, searching for roles, and preparing for the interview process offer evergreen insight for any job seeker.

UX Career Resources

• Free on-demand course with Eniola: User Research 101
• The Ultimate UX Research Job Board
• Getting started with freelance UX research

Welcome to Summer Throwbacks, where we revisit some of Awkward Silences' most memorable episodes.

This week features Amy Chess (then at Amazon) unpacking arguably the most important research skill: asking questions. She shares what makes a "good" question, how questions should connect to insights and impact, and how you can improve your question-creation ability.

Research Question Resources

• A Guide to User Research Questions
• 70+ User Testing Question Examples
• Writing Better User Interview Questions

Welcome to Summer Throwbacks, where we revisit some of Awkward Silences' most memorable episodes.

This week brings back an evergreen conversation with Product Talk's Teresa Torres on continuous discovery methods. Since this episode first aired, more companies have brought non-researchers (such as Product Managers, Designers, and Developers) into the process. Continuous Discovery is a practical, repeatable, and accessible way to expose your team to the value of user insights and design research more broadly.

Continuous Discovery Resources

• A Launch Kit for Using Continuous Interviews
• A Practical Application of Continuous Methods
• A Framework for Using Continuous Discovery

Welcome to Summer Throwbacks, where we revisit some of Awkward Silences' most memorable episodes.

This week features a conversation with Erika Hall on the misuses of surveys. They're overused, often shoddily designed, and can get in the way of a better approach for the question (which might include not doing research at all). This topic has only grown in importance as development and decision cycles shorten, putting pressure on researchers to get insights to stakeholders faster.

Erika also recently updated her landmark book, Just Enough Research, to take into account these and other changes in the UX landscape.

Research Survey Resources

• A Complete Guide to Survey Research
• Creating Surveys to Identify User Problems
• Use This Checklist for Better Survey Design

Embedded research teams—where UXRs are dedicated to a single product area—are popular. The proximity to design, product, and engineering stakeholders increases subject-matter expertise and user insight integration. But how can those working in this structure balance deep diving product-specific work with longer-term strategic opportunities?

Hannah Ghidey, Senior Research Manager at Etsy has successfully navigated this balance, finding big, strategy-setting questions while maintaining product-specific influence and know-how. It’s a great conversation for anyone working as a UXR on a product team or searching for a scaleable way to build a responsive team that’s also strategically-oriented.

Highlights

• 03:09 Strategic Research in Business Innovation
• 07:30 Effective Collaborative Research Planning
• 11:03 Harnessing Team Insights for Innovation
• 15:01 Building Trust in Research Collaboration
• 20:15 Sustaining Research Relevance
• 29:53 Integrating Research into Business Strategy

About Hannah
Hannah Ghidey is a UX leader, currently at Etsy. She is a creative, strategist, and researcher, helping teams shape experiences at the intersection of user needs, business goals, and data.

Resources

• Ultimate Guide to Research Strategy
• Research x Product Collaboration Report
• Build a UX Research Team From Scratch

Much of the conversation around AI in UX involves how it will shape and change researchers' work. Today's guest, Jess Holbrook, who leads UX research for Microsoft AI, has been thinking a lot about how this technology can be improved with design and UX best practices. Jess has spent over a decade working on the UX of AI at companies like Meta and Google. He's also helped develop foundational principles for the ethical use of LLMs.

Jess joins Erin and Ben to reframe the AI conversation, focusing on how UXRs can and should adapt, what working on these systems has taught him about the UX discipline, and his philosophy for building teams that are ready to take on the innovative challenges of tomorrow.

Jess's recommendations: Matt Webb, Maggie Appleton, and the Pessimists Archive Newsletter.

Highlights

• 07:15 Human-Centered AI Evolution
• 17:53 Evolving AI Forecast Strategies
• 24:04 Diverse AI Team Building
• 33:27 Navigating Responsible AI Challenges
• 37:01 Qualitative Analysis with AI Tools
• 40:15 Optimism and Concerns About AI

About Jess
Senior Director of Research specializing in human-centered AI. Early stage investor in AI, AI hardware ecosystems, climate, and anything that seems like the world would be better with it in it. Currently leading UX research for Microsoft AI. Previously led the Generative AI team and supported all UX functions for the Responsible AI and data transparency teams at Meta. I also served on the Board of Forging Youth Resilience, a nonprofit that empowers young people to build physical and mental strength for life by providing access to a national network of community-based fitness programs and mentorship.

Resources

• The AI in UX Research Report
• 20+ Tools for Every Research Phase
• Using AI in UX: A Day-in-the-Life