By Kelly Rader
5 min read
Research scaling isn’t about doing more research—it’s about doing more impactful research strategically. Research scaling is a critical evolution for organizations seeking to transform user insights into strategic advantages. Unlike common misconceptions, scaling research isn’t about conducting more studies, but about creating a more impactful, systematic approach to understanding user needs.
The journey begins with recognizing a need for scalable research. There are telltale signs when an organization’s current research approach is insufficient. Product decisions may increasingly feel disconnected from user realities. Teams might be struggling with limited insights, leading to higher product failure rates and decreased user satisfaction. Customer churn may become a persistent challenge, and product roadmaps may look increasingly misaligned with market expectations. Here are some signs that a team needs to scale its research.
Watch for these Operational Red Flags
- Product decisions are consistently made without user insights
- Research requests consistently backlogged
- Teams duplicating research efforts
- No centralized research repository
- Limited research budget utilization
Look for these Business Performance Indicators
- High product failure rates
- Decreasing user satisfaction scores
- Increasing customer churn
- Slow feature adoption
- Misaligned product roadmaps
Technological enablement plays a crucial role in research scaling. Modern research platforms offer unprecedented capabilities for automating repetitive tasks, managing participant pools, and creating centralized insight repositories. However, technology alone is not a silver bullet. Organizations must simultaneously invest in building a research-aware culture.
This cultural transformation involves developing research literacy across teams. Product managers, designers, and engineers need to understand the value of user research beyond simple usability testing. Cross-training becomes essential, creating research champions who can advocate for user-centered approaches throughout the organization.
Strategic Scaling Approaches
- Incremental Scaling
- Start with pilot research programs
- Focus on high-impact product areas
- Build internal research advocacy
- Demonstrate clear ROI
- Technological Enablement
- Invest in research management platforms
- Automate repetitive research tasks
- Implement insight-sharing tools
- Create self-service research capabilities
- Skill Development
- Cross-train product managers in research methods
- Develop research literacy across teams
- Create research champions
- Offer ongoing research training
Resource Allocation Strategies
- Start with around 1-2 dedicated research professionals
- Prioritize flexible, generalist researchers with strong mixed methods experience
- Build hybrid research/product roles
- Consider Research as a Service and StudyOps services for turnkey scalability
Budget allocation is another critical consideration. While traditional models might recommend a fixed percentage of product development budgets, a more nuanced approach is necessary. Research investment should be viewed as a strategic opportunity rather than a cost center. Organizations should create flexible funding models to allow for adaptable research approaches, potentially leveraging Research as a Service and/or StudyOps for specialized or scalable research needs.
Budget Considerations
- Allocate 5-10% of product development budget
- Prioritize research tools and platforms
- Create flexible research funding models
- Track research investment ROI
Measuring research impact becomes increasingly sophisticated as research scales. Beyond simple metrics like a number of studies conducted, organizations must develop more nuanced key performance indicators. These might include research utilization rates, time to insight, direct correlation between research findings and product success, and the tangible business outcomes resulting from user insights.
Measuring Research Impact (KPIs)
- Research utilization rate
- Time to insight
- Product success metrics
- User satisfaction improvements
- Research cost per insight or per study
Common Scaling Challenges
- Organizational Resistance
- Address through education
- Show concrete research benefits
- Create small, visible wins
- Build cross-functional research support
- Research Quality Control
- Develop standardized research protocols
- Create research review processes
- Implement continuous learning mechanisms
- Establish research governance frameworks
The implementation of scaled research is not a linear process but more of an iterative journey. Organizations should adopt a phased approach, starting with pilot initiatives that demonstrate clear value. These initial efforts should focus on high-impact areas, building internal advocacy through highly visible successes.
Organizational resistance is perhaps the most significant common challenge in research scaling. Overcoming this requires a combination of education, demonstrable results, and continuous communication about the strategic value. Research leaders must become skilled storytellers, translating complex user insights into compelling narratives that resonate with business stakeholders.
Looking forward, successful research scaling requires ongoing adaptability. Technological innovations, changing user behaviors, and evolving market dynamics demand a research approach that is both rigorous and flexible. Organizations must commit to continuous learning, regularly reassessing their research capabilities and being willing to evolve their approach.
The end goal of research scaling is not to create research bureaucracy, but to embed user understanding deeply into the organization’s DNA. When done effectively, scaled research becomes more than a function—it becomes a strategic capability that drives innovation, reduces risk, and creates meaningful connections between products and the people who use them.
Implementation Roadmap
Phase 1 “Assessment”
– Current research maturity evaluation
– Identify research gaps
– Define scaling objectives
– Create baseline metrics
Phase 2 “Infrastructure”
– Select research platforms
– Develop research templates
– Create insight sharing systems
– Design research training programs
Phase 3 “Execution”
– Pilot research initiatives
– Monitor and adjust approaches
– Build research capabilities
– Expand research coverage
Phase 4 “Optimization”
– Continuous improvement
– Regular capability assessments
– Evolve research strategies
– Stay adaptable
Phase 5 “Future-Proofing Research Scaling”
– Embrace technological innovations
– Remain user-focused
– Maintain research flexibility
– Continuously learn and adapt
Successful research scaling requires strategic planning, technological enablement, and organizational commitment. It is not always about doing more research but doing more meaningful research that drives product success.
If you want help scaling UX Research in your organization reach out to Kelly Rader, Practice Director at Akraya, who is helping SMB to Enterprise Fortune 100 clients scale research successfully.