Building an Ops-First Research Practice
Scaling research velocity, cross-functional leadership, and increasing the number of completed studies per quarter without compromising quality at Auth0.
The Challenge
At Auth0, the research team faced a significant bottleneck: traditional research processes were too slow to meet the demands of a rapidly scaling product organization. We needed a way to conduct more rigorous research in less time, without sacrificing the depth or quality of our insights.
The Approach
We implemented an “Ops-First” methodology. This meant prioritizing foundational infrastructure over ad-hoc research requests.
- Streamlined Participant Recruitment: We built automated pipelines to source, screen, and schedule participants within hours instead of weeks.
- Standardized Tooling: We centralized our research tools to ensure consistency and speed across different teams.
- Cross-Functional Enablement: We trained designers and product managers to conduct their own evaluative research using our standardized templates and rubrics.
The Impact
By shifting to an Ops-First model, we achieved a 9x increase in the number of completed research studies per quarter. Furthermore, we saw a 7x increase in the number of individuals engaging with our research platform. By empowering the broader organization to conduct evaluative testing, the core research team was freed up to focus on deep, foundational, and strategic generative research that shaped the broader product roadmap.