Megan Blocker: "A Selectively Scrappy Approach to ResearchOps" DesignOps Summit 2018 • November 7-8, 2018 • New York, NY http://www.designopssummit.com

1. A Selectively Scrappy Approach to ResearchOps
Megan Blocker
DesignOps Summit, November 2018

2. Hi, I’m Meg.
Recruiter Outsourcing manager Product manager Design researcher

3. This is our team.

4. We had to figure out how to scale...
…without a lot of money or people.

5. Four key factors to consider…
Skill Scale Buy-inCulture

6. …that can help you figure out where to put your operational energy
Philosophy &
practice
Insights &
strategy
Tools &
infrastructure
Advocacy &
outreach
Participant
management
User
engagement

7. First, you have the “what.” On which tools and activities will you focus?
The research skill level and
design maturity present in
your talent (including
designers with strong
research skills) and product
teams
Scale
The scale of your
organization – not its size,
but the ratio of research
talent to product teams
Skill

8. HIGH SKILL
LOW SKILL
INTIMATE SCALE
High researcher : team ratio
BROAD SCALE
Low researcher: team ratio
Establish an
apprenticeship
model
Enable
consistently high-
quality, team-
based research
Explore new
methods and
venues
Focus on
education at
scale and
repeatable
practices
Mapping the “What”

9. Next, you have the “how.” How will you build and maintain support?
The general culture of your
organization – is it more
hierarchical, or entrepreneurial?
Buy-in
The state of leadership buy-in
for research as a scaled practice
as it stands today
Culture

10. ENTREPRENEURIAL CULTURE
HIERARCHICAL CULTURE
STRONG LEADERSHIP
BUY-IN
NO LEADERSHIP
BUY-IN
Maintain and
deepen trust
through rigorous
transparency and
regular
checkpoints
Harness resources
to experiment in
areas with high
potential for
transformation
Build excitement
and momentum by
doing & sharing
Build trust before
investing broadly
Mapping the “How”

11. What did this mean for us back in 2015?
ENTREPRENEURIAL CULTURE
HIERARCHICAL CULTURE
STRONG
LEADERSHIP
BUY-IN
NO
LEADERSHIP
BUY-IN
HIGH SKILL
LOW SKILL
INTIMATE
SCALE
BROAD
SCALE
What How

12. Our initial focus was on educating product managers, developing best
practices, staffing researchers properly, & building a user test bed.
Focused on product
managers and went
where they were

13. Our initial focus was on educating product managers, developing best
practices, staffing researchers properly, & building a user test bed.
Focused on product
managers and went
where they were
Offered training in
basic research
methods, including
synthesis

14. Our initial focus was on educating product managers, developing best
practices, staffing researchers properly, & building a user test bed.
Focused on product
managers and went
where they were
Offered training in
basic research
methods, including
synthesis
Developed a library of
best practices, tools,
and templates

15. Our initial focus was on educating product managers, developing best
practices, staffing researchers properly, & building a user test bed.
Focused on product
managers and went
where they were
Offered training in
basic research
methods, including
synthesis
Staffed research talent
for highest impact
and best visibility
Developed a library of
best practices, tools,
and templates

16. Our initial focus was on educating product managers, developing best
practices, staffing researchers properly, & building a user test bed.
Focused on product
managers and went
where they were
Offered training in
basic research
methods, including
synthesis
Staffed research talent
for highest impact and
best visibility
Developed a library of
best practices, tools,
and templates
Created a global test
bed of users willing to
participate in research

17. That was more than three years ago, and things have changed.
ENTREPRENEURIAL CULTURE
HIERARCHICAL CULTURE
STRONG
LEADERSHIP
BUY-IN
NO
LEADERSHIP
BUY-IN
HIGH SKILL
LOW SKILL
INTIMATE
SCALE
BROAD
SCALE
What How

18. Measuring the impact of your work.
ScaleSkill Buy-in

19. As a result, we’ve gotten more formal and a little less scrappy.
Hired 8 more
dedicated researchers
researchers

20. As a result, a few of the things we do have become more formal and
less scrappy.
Hired 8 more
dedicated researchers
Evolved education
program into
immersive
workshops for the
product organization

21. As a result, a few of the things we do have become more formal and
less scrappy.
Hired 8 more
dedicated researchers
Evolved education
program into
immersive workshops
for the product
organization
Evolved best
practices into a
detailed playbook

22. As a result, a few of the things we do have become more formal and
less scrappy.
Hired 8 more
dedicated researchers
Evolved education
program into
immersive workshops
for the product
organization
Began work on an
insights repository to
to amplify the impact
of our research
Evolved best
practices into a
detailed playbook

23. As a result, a few of the things we do have become more formal and
less scrappy.
Hired 8 more
dedicated researchers
Evolved education
program into
immersive workshops
for the product
organization
Began work on an
insights repository to
to amplify the impact
of our research
Evolved best
practices into a
detailed playbook
More than doubled
our test bed from
1,000 to 2,500
members

24. And now, the cycle starts over again.
Experimenting with
ideation campaigns

25. And now, the cycle starts over again.
Mining new sources of
user data
Experimenting with
ideation campaigns

26. And now, the cycle starts over again.
Experimenting with
hackathons
Mining new sources of
user data
Experimenting with
ideation campaigns

27. Planning and
facilitating design
sprints
And now, the cycle starts over again.
Experimenting with
hackathons
Mining new sources of
user data
Experimenting with
ideation campaigns

28. Where will you get scrappy today?

29. Thank you!