Case study

Bringing data-driven operations to a growing UX division

At Zendesk, operational decisions for research were often based on gut feel or scattered anecdotal feedback. To better support scaling teams, data-driven practices were introduced across research operations. This included forecasting tools, live dashboards, SQL-based recruitment analytics, and systems to track team health and project velocity. The result was a more measurable, proactive, and strategic approach to enabling research.
Outcome
Created visibility into research operations at scale
Improved strategic planning for headcount and project support
Reduced recruiting friction and improved coordination with vendors
Supported data-driven conversations with product and leadership
Increased confidence in operational maturity across the org
Challenge
The UX research team had recently expanded, but lacked visibility into how work was being distributed, where time was going, or what constraints were slowing momentum. Without clear metrics, operational improvements were reactive and hard to scale.
The opportunity
To shift from reactive problem-solving to informed decision-making, new data systems were built to help the team understand capacity, optimize recruiting, and track operational health. These systems also provided senior leadership with greater insight into how research work was supporting product priorities.
Solution overview
01
Operational dashboards

Built live dashboards tracking project load, team bandwidth, turnaround time, and research activity by product area. These views helped the team spot bottlenecks early and supported weekly planning conversations.

02
Forecasting & resource planning tools

Created headcount and project forecasting models to support planning cycles and hiring decisions. These tools helped clarify what level of research support different product teams needed over time.

03
Recruitment & participant analytics

Used SQL and tagging systems to analyze participant sourcing trends, lead times, and recruiter load. This informed process changes and improved coordination with vendor and internal recruiting teams.

04
Metrics-based reporting

Established monthly operational reporting that rolled up key metrics and trends for leadership. These reports helped connect day-to-day research activity to broader team and company goals.