Introducing Ops Talks
We’re excited to launch Ops Talks, a webinar series sharing insights, strategies, and tools that help teams work smarter and scale their impact across Research Ops, Design Ops, Product Ops, and more.
Tune in for everything operations, including:
Strategies from Ops leaders to streamline workflows, drive cross-functional collaboration, and shift from putting out fires to influencing company direction.
Frameworks powered by modern tools that simplify Ops at every stage— without reinventing the wheel (we promise).
Takeaways and cross-disciplinary approaches for building Ops practices that grow with your team’s needs, anticipate stakeholder demands, improve adoption, and reduce friction.
Transferable best practices across domains (think DesignOps’ component guidelines or ProductOps’ feature rollout governance) that can inform ResearchOps through tagging conventions, recruitment guidelines, or reusable study templates.
📅 Marking the official launch of Ops Talks, our first webinar kicks off on November 12 at 10 AM PST / 1 PM EST with our inaugural guest:
Who is Kate Stern, Head of Design Operations at Meta & Instagram?
At Meta, Design Operations is accountable for the operational success of product teams and design programs.
I clear the way for design leaders to design by taking the operations off their plate and serving as their strategic partner.As the Head of Design Operations, focusing on areas such as culture, tools, career growth and recruiting, Kate partner with leadership team to ensure Meta is a great place to work as a Design Program Manager or Producer. She also directly support the Instagram Design Operations team, which partners with the team that is responsible for the design of Instagram, ensuring it lives up to its values of People First, Simplicity and Craft.
Leveraging technical design expertise, program management acumen and strategic efforts to drive efficiency, frameworks, ensure effective communication and foster collaboration across cross-functional teams.
RSVP below to learn how leaders like Kate create simple, scalable, and streamlined operations that help teams build, design, and ship amazing programs and technologies:
ReOps,Design Ops vs, UX Ops, Product Ops, and more
Ops disciplines are all about process, scalability, and efficiency, making it easier for teams to focus on their core mission—whether building products, designing experiences, or conducting research.
Understanding exactly where Ops came from is key. Fun fact - did you know DevOps was one of the first areas to approach this way of thinking? Focusing on a set of practices and a culture that delivers high-quality software on a consistent basis.
Because despite functional differences, the underlying challenges—scaling, standardizing, and enabling teams—are largely universal.
In this continuing series, we spotlight voices of those who operationalize their disciplines at scale, sharing strategies that help accelerate impact without reinventing the wheel.
ReOps scales insights, Design Ops scales design, and UX Ops scales user experience. Together, they keep research, design, and UX functions streamlined to deliver maximum impact.
What makes ops functions successful?
While these roles overlap, the distinction is in the function being optimized. Here’s how…
It’s a solid mix of best practices that keep things running smoothly and driving results. Here are the must-haves:
Clear frameworks and processes: Think of these as the instruction manual for success. Standardized workflows cut down on confusion and create the consistency teams can count on.
Strategic alignment: When ops goals sync perfectly with organizational priorities, magic happens. Everything from workflows to research studies fits into the bigger picture, and leadership can’t help but take notice.
Data-driven focus: Metrics are your BFF here. Showing the ROI of your efforts (in plain numbers, not jargon) builds trust and credibility.
Cross-functional collaboration: Strong partnerships make all the difference. When teams connect and collaborate, innovation flows, and everyone works together toward a shared vision.
Shared challenges across ops disciplines
No matter the ops function, some challenges feel universal. ReOps is no different, facing hurdles that its peers in Design Ops, Product Ops, and Sales Ops know all too well.
Tackling these challenges head-on can elevate ReOps into a powerhouse function that drives impact and growth.
Scalability
Let’s talk growth — specifically, the kind that doesn’t come with an expanded team budget. Managing increasing demands without piling more work on your already-busy crew calls for smarter processes, not just more hands.
Automating tasks like participant management and recruitment can lighten the load. Tools like Ethnio are lifesavers here, streamlining workflows so teams can handle more without feeling overwhelmed.
Securing buy-in
Winning over leadership and stakeholders is less about shouting into the void and more about showing clear, undeniable value. The secret? Tangible metrics that connect research to business impact. Whether it’s faster recruitment or research directly shaping product success, data builds trust and credibility faster than words ever could.
Operational inefficiencies
Nothing drags a team down like outdated manual processes. Automating repetitive tasks saves time and keeps the team grounded. With the right tools, your team can focus on what really matters — uncovering insights and driving strategy — instead of wrestling with spreadsheets.
Measuring and demonstrating value
When you can point to clear wins, everyone takes notice. Use metrics to validate the impact of ReOps, such as:
Time saved with automated scheduling and participant management
Fewer drop-offs thanks to improved recruitment processes
More completed studies due to smoother workflows
Cost savings from streamlined operations
When your results are impossible to ignore, buy-in and budget follow.
Building a scalable practice
Building a solid Research Ops practice is about creating systems that grow with your team’s needs. Continuous discovery is leading the charge, transforming research into a steady stream of insights that support every stage of the product lifecycle. This keeps research deeply connected to strategy and decisions.
Tools like Ethnio simplify managing study participants, scheduling, and communication across different locations. This flexibility let's ReOps teams handle more projects while keeping workflows smooth and efficient.
ReOps can take from other ops functions
ReOps pros don’t have to figure it all out on their own. There are plenty of playbooks out there from other ops disciplines. Here are some strategies worth borrowing:
Show your value with clear metrics: Data speaks louder than words. Track improvements in recruitment, participant satisfaction, and the role of research in shaping decisions. Use tools like Ethnio to share these insights through easy-to-read dashboards.
Collaborate to build strong partnerships: Work with product teams to align research studies with their schedules. Partner with design teams to incorporate research findings into workflows. Create shared dashboards with Rev Ops to connect research data to business goals for the ultimate collaboration.
Help teams see research as a superpower: ReOps isn’t just about doing the work. It’s about showing others how to use research to make better decisions. Host workshops, share quick tips, or create resources that make research approachable for everyone.
From tools like Ethnio makes it easy to connect with participants, schedule studies, and manage projects no matter where your team is, to Highlight key wins, like reduced participant drop-offs or faster recruitment times. Create dashboards that make these insights easy to understand and share them regularly and ops a strategic role that shapes decisions and improves outcomes. Use clear language to connect ops to business success.
Join the conversation
We kicked things off in Seattle with an IRL happy hour meetup for ops experts. Operations leaders from research ops, design ops, and UX ops come together to share ideas (like enhancing efficiency to catalyzing strategic change), learn from each other (all that cross-collaboration fun stuff), and have a good time. And it’s safe to say we had a blast.
Now, we’re bringing the conversation online with Ops Talks webinars.
Save your spot for our first webinar with Kate Stern to learn practical ways to scale impact across research, design, and UX—powered by modern tools that simplify Ops at every stage.
