#179 - The Future of Research Operations with Kate Towsey LIVE
Awkward Silences22 Des 2025

#179 - The Future of Research Operations with Kate Towsey LIVE

Erin May sits down with Kate Towsey, founder of Cha Cha Club and author of Research That Scales, for Research Ops Appreciation Week. Kate shares insights from producing an audio documentary series on the future of research ops, including her fascinating experience co-creating content with AI. She reveals how research ops teams are increasingly surviving layoffs while research teams are cut, explaining that ops professionals focus on unblocking systems and delivering measurable business value rather than gatekeeping processes.

Kate emphasizes the critical shift happening in research ops from administrative firefighting to strategic systems design. She discusses the importance of discovery over knee-jerk solutions when building research ops from scratch, advocating for focused problem-solving rather than generic panel and library building. The conversation covers the newly released research ops career ladder, the growing need for strategy skills in the field, and how to effectively communicate value to executives by aligning with existing business priorities and measuring concrete outcomes.

Highlights

  • 03:54 Bringing past skills to research ops
  • 17:45 AI context and memory limitations
  • 26:37 Future vision for strategic research positioning
  • 36:28 Quality governance in AI era
  • 44:21 Strategy skills gap in research teams
  • 50:27 Translating research value to executives

Resources

Episoder(191)

#185 -  How to Use AI Without Losing Your Research Soul with Nikki Anderson of Drop in Research

#185 - How to Use AI Without Losing Your Research Soul with Nikki Anderson of Drop in Research

Ben Wiedmaier sits down with user research consultant Nikki Anderson to explore how researchers can stay relevant when budgets are tight and stakeholders are stressed. Nikki runs Drop in Research wher...

17 Mar 52min

#184 - Use Context For More Influence with Kristen DeLap of Econify

#184 - Use Context For More Influence with Kristen DeLap of Econify

Ben talks with Kristen DeLap, fractional COO at Econify, to explore how UX'ers can build influence without formal authority. Kristen brings a unique perspective, having evolved from interior design to...

3 Mar 39min

#183 - The Best Ways to Use AI in UX Research with Laura Klein of NN/g

#183 - The Best Ways to Use AI in UX Research with Laura Klein of NN/g

Erin and Ben chat with Laura Klein, Principal Experience Specialist at Nielsen Norman Group, about the practical realities of AI in user research. Laura teaches a class on AI for researchers and bring...

17 Feb 48min

#182 - The Future of Research (In a Moment of Change)

#182 - The Future of Research (In a Moment of Change)

Ben sits down with Basel Fakhoury, CEO and Co-founder of User Interviews, and Baran Erkel, Chief Strategy Officer at UserTesting, for a conversation about the research industry's evolution. With AI re...

3 Feb 40min

#181 - Why We Need Design Now More Than Ever with Karl Randay of 383

#181 - Why We Need Design Now More Than Ever with Karl Randay of 383

Ben Wiedmaier sits with Karl Randay, Experience Director at 383, to explore how designers can stay relevant in an increasingly automated world. Karl shares insights from working with major brands like...

20 Jan 51min

#180 - What to Fix in '26 with Maria Rosala of NN/g & John Whalen of Brilliant Experience

#180 - What to Fix in '26 with Maria Rosala of NN/g & John Whalen of Brilliant Experience

Ben is joined by Maria Rosala from Nielsen Norman Group and John Whalen from Brilliant Experience to wrap up 2025 and make some predictions for 2026. Maria and John share practical insights on everyth...

6 Jan 55min

#178 - How to Measure What Matters with Lyndsi Lee of Turnitin

#178 - How to Measure What Matters with Lyndsi Lee of Turnitin

Ben talks with Lyndsi Lee, UX Manager at Turnitin, about moving beyond traditional metrics like NPS and CSAT to measure user experiences more effectively. The conversation centers on outcome-based ass...

9 Des 202547min

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