How can you make sure your company’s research practice is evolving with the times? In particular, the importance of advocating for your research and re-tooling team structure have emerged as important players in strategic research practices.

Fatimah Richmond and Julie Norvaisas met in 2014 when Fatimah joined Julie’s LinkedIn User Experience Research team. After establishing herself as a key partner and elevating the UER team’s reputation, Fatimah moved to Google, where she transitioned to Research Program Management—then returned to LinkedIn to lead Research Operations, before ultimately returning to Google to focus on strategic research programs.

The two have kept up with each other’s careers and always cheered each other on. Fatimah recently presented her perspective on the future of strategic research programs, at Advancing Research 2024.

Fatimah and Julie discuss what will be expected of user research practice in the next five years, redefining team structure and roles, and the shift from doing research to advocating for research.

Opinions expressed are solely Fatimah Richmond’s own, and do not express the views or opinions of her current or former employers.

Julie: We’ve had a lot of discussion about the shift from doing research to advocating for research. Can you tell us about your experience in that realm?

Fatimah: I’ve shifted my UXR focus slightly, from traditional research where I support design projects, to supporting strategic UXR initiatives—like research activation. This was inspired by my journey from Engineering Operations (EngOps) to UX, and the (re)emergence of research operations (ReOps).

I reset my destination. My goal is to help reimagine the UX research role to maximize research output. I’ve learned so much by stepping outside the UX research organization via a pivot in ReOps, and looking back at the structural opportunities and gaps that extend beyond the design research project. There’s still room to improve how we support research leadership, cross functional collaboration, and decision making after the research is complete—across the company, beyond just design.

This shift has also allowed me to return to my academic roots in Applied Anthropology. I refined my approach to UXR advocacy by sharpening tools from Critical HCI, Autoethnography, and Critical Reflexivity,* and added tools from mature business ops which helped me understand the nuanced research roles needed to inform decision-making.

Aha moment: Future UXR will need to experiment with new roles to operationalize “strategic output”. For now, I’ll call that role “UXR Strategist”, but I’d love to hear from the community what the most accurate title could be. This opens up a lot of healthy debate on leadership teams, senior horizontal roles, and a non-UXR role altogether.

“There’s still room to improve how we support research leadership, cross functional collaboration, and decision making after the research is complete—across the company, beyond just design.”

Fatimah Richmond
UXR Strategist, Google, Strategic Research Programs

Tell us more about your role as a “UXR Strategist.” What does that encompass?

I use the term loosely—and broadly—which is intentional because company structures can vary greatly. Essentially, it describes the pivotal role former UXRs play in advancing the UXR discipline during its current inflection point.

Dave Hora mentioned a necessary “(re)scaffolding” of the UXR organization. Former UXRs play a role, beyond the current scope of primary research execution. As a UXR Strategist, I distinguish between research programs for design process, and research programs for research integration and activation. Topics like:

• Informing research practice baselines.
• Enhancing cross functional research tracking initiatives.
• Driving user access, empathy, and insight initiatives.
• User advocacy for specialized user groups (ex: enterprise and expert users).

Aha moment: The journey of “strategic insights” extends beyond design projects. What if there’s multiple seats at various decision-making tables, and insights travel complex business operations? How does culture impact research execution and operations? For UXRs who study enterprise user experiences, this should sound especially familiar!

For UXRs looking to move into a “strategic research program” role, could you share some advice on how they can get started and get buy-in for this type of work?

I think we can agree our most valuable currency is our insights—but do we know the road insights travel within a company? Start by mapping the journey of insights within your team, and use that to reflect on critical questions with research and operations leaders. I discuss this in more detail on the AnthroToUX Podcast and specific programs in my AR2024 talk on "Strategic Research Programs".

Consider turning the research toolkit inward:

• Get inspired by established business operations.
• Examine the decision-making process.
• Expand the research programs support from projects to company-wide practice.
• Reimagine the organizational structure. Get creative and don’t dwell on, “What has been done before?” Keep calm and iterate on!

Find something enjoyable about the journey, like a “Research Explorer” embracing uncharted territory with an open mind. Your goal is to progress, not to perfect.

Aha moment: Values like courage and setting boundaries create a healthy partnership, especially when transitioning from a practitioner role. Be inspired by diverse perspectives on influence, operations and strategy—not just design. From military principles, new grads, and experienced leaders: every vantage point matters.

Here are a few book recommendations:

• Influence without Authority
• Growth Mindset
• Staring Down the Wolf: 7 Leadership Commitments That Forge Elite Teams

What do you foresee being expected of the user research practice in the next five years?

Along with other critical thinkers in the space, I agree there will need to be a reimagining of the research structure. While the UXR leader still drives strategy, I think we’ll need more formal and nuanced roles to support that drive.

I'm excited for Kate Towsey’s new book "Research That Scales”, that along with the Research Ops Community, both provide a great starting place for ReOps fundamentals. Melissa Perri and Denise Tilles offer an interesting Product perspective in Product Operations: The Fuel for Winning Product Strategies. Nalini Kotamraju, Andy Warr, and Robin Beers offer a strong perspective on the research executive experience in the driver's seat of research and insights strategy. With extensive knowledge in research process and practice, I think former UXRs can bring a more nuanced, critical reflexive lens as “insight” orchestrators of UXR strategy.

With the deep understanding of both business principles and strategic insight principles, I imagine the future of UXR advocacy will include more of the following roles:

• Research Chiefs of Staff & Architects
• Research Educators, Integrators & Translators
• Research Analytics & Intelligence
• GenAI recommends: “Head Honchos of Research Reconnaissance”, and my favorite: “Intergalactic Research Ambassadors”. Cue Beastie Boys :)

Titles aside, it should be expected that research functions not only measure down research rigor and design execution, but also measure “up”, and across a company to ensure insights are actually being transformed to action. Strengthening this shared accountability should be a necessity for any mature business committed to innovation over the next five years, why not?

Aha moment: UXRs know how critical “in-between” tasks are, like cross-functional collaboration and the decision-making table. We have stories of failure and “small wins”. There’s still room to understand the role of “organizational context” that Emma Boulton mentions*, in a formal and meaningful way, by continuing to challenge the status quo of traditional research roles.

Parting thoughts

The ultimate aha moment has been within myself and my research practice. This approach to UXR advocacy re-focuses the researcher’s gaze to an internal lens, starting with the researchers’ own position within their company and practice. This can be an opportunity for a healthy transformation of narrow assumptions and biases.

I had to adopt a practice of “Reflect and Restore” to ensure focus and organizational awareness. Personally I turn to mentors, meditation, and poetry for this clarity. In fact it has been quite poetic to view our practice from a critical lens, revealing humanity in every aspect of user research from the users, researchers, developers, and decision makers. This reflexive approach clears a path for research leaders to explore new ideas and new strategies to maximize their research impact for the entire company—not just the design team. Let's do this! 💪🏽

Find me elsewhere! LinkedIn | AR2023 Panelist | AR2024 Presentation | Poetry

*Bardzell S. & Bardzell J., 2012, Dourish. P, 2006, Ladner, S. (2015), Geertz, C.1973, Nader, L. 1972, Adler, P., Forbes, L., & Willmott, H. (2007) Boulton E. (2019)

Fatimah Richmond is a UX Researcher with over 15 years of experience, having shaped enterprise products at tech giants like Google, SAP, LinkedIn, and Microsoft. She has led impactful research strategies, programs, and operations, including clinician engagement strategies and revamping LinkedIn Recruiter and Jobs. With a background in Applied Anthropology, Human Factors/Ergonomics, and Computer Science, Fatimah combines anthropological insight, critical theory, and technical expertise. A forward thinker, she challenges assumptions and the status quo in research planning, communication, and measurement. Fatimah lives in San Jose, California, with her husband and son. When not writing about users and researchers, she enjoys being active in the community, family road trips, and writing poetry along the California central coast.