The rise of self-serve research — what does it mean for Research Ops?

With the rise of self-serve research and democratization, everyone from product managers to designers is starting to understand something the Research community has known for decades — customer insights are invaluable. And now they want a piece of it.

As self-serve research opens doors across the organization, teams can connect with users more directly, meeting growing research needs without piling more onto Research teams’ plates. Self-serve research is changing the game by empowering non-researchers to get involved — without sacrificing quality, of course.

But with great power comes great responsibility (thanks, Spidey). As self-serve research becomes more popular, having the right guardrails in place is essential to everything running smoothly. Enter Research Ops, the behind-the-scenes superheroes making sure democratization doesn’t turn into a free-for-all. Let’s dive into how this all works — and why it's the future of User Research.

What is self-serve research? What is democratization?

Self-serve research and democratization are shaking things up in the world of User Research. 

But everyone has a different idea of what democratization really means. At Rally, it’s all about giving non-researchers — think product managers, designers, and other team members — the power to run research independently, freeing up time for the UX research team to focus on higher-value, more strategic research goals. The goal? To spread the research love across the company and get everyone more involved in connecting with users.

Self-serve research is how this plays out in real life. It means cross-functional teams can run their own research projects — with all the right permissions and guardrails in place — within a framework that Research Ops (ReOps) sets up to keep things smooth and compliant. The big win here? More teams can get those golden insights straight from users, and these insights can have a make-or-break impact on the success of your company.

Why is self-serve research catching on?

Let’s face it — product development moves fast these days, and small UX teams can only handle so much. That’s where democratization and self-serve research come to the rescue. By spreading the research workload, teams can jump on those quick-hit projects, like usability testing, without adding to the UX team’s plate.

Self-serve research lets product managers and designers get their questions answered fast, and it encourages everyone to think more about the customer. It’s a win-win: UX teams get to focus on the big, juicy strategic projects, and the rest of the team gets the quick answers they need via more tactical research projects. With ReOps guiding the way, this setup lets companies scale their research efforts without breaking a sweat.

Why are some people nervous about self-serve research?

While self-serve research has plenty of perks, it’s not without its share of drama. The research community has some valid concerns, especially when it comes to maintaining research quality, job security, and making sure everything stays ethical.

• Concerns about research quality: Non-researchers diving into research without the right training could result in shaky studies. Bad data = bad decisions, and no one wants that.
• Fear of UX Researchers losing their jobs: Some people worry that democratization means UX Researchers will be left out. We believe that self-serve research done right frees them up to focus on high-impact projects while non-researchers handle the tactical stuff.
• Unregulated access to participants: Without proper guidelines, user permissions, and access controls, non-researchers could over-contact participants or mishandle sensitive data. With the right tools in place, ReOps can set up permissions and governance rules to protect participants.

How democratization supercharges the role of research

Democratization weaves research right into the heart of product development, where it belongs. Now, more teams can gather insights, driving decisions that are customer-centric across the organization. And guess what? This doesn’t diminish UX Researchers’ roles — it enhances them. UX Researchers can dive into high-impact projects while ReOps ensures non-researchers handle tasks like usability testing with care and best practices.

Research Ops is the secret sauce behind making democratization work. They create frameworks that empower non-researchers to do their thing, while maintaining compliance and ethical standards and keeping the research ship sailing smoothly.

What is ReOps' role in self-serve research?

ReOps is like the behind-the-scenes superhero of self-serve research. They set up all the processes, tools, and guardrails that let non-researchers conduct research safely and confidently, without messing up the quality.

They’re the ones drawing the lines — defining what types of research non-researchers can handle, putting guardrails in place to ensure that the right participants get contacted by the right researchers, offering training to make sure non-researchers know what they’re doing, and reviewing key elements to ensure consistency and excellence.

Best practices for managing self-serve research

Want to nail self-serve research? Here are some best practices that ReOps teams should keep in their toolkit:

• Set clear swim lanes: Let non-researchers handle tasks like usability testing, but keep the deep-dive strategic stuff in the hands of the pros.
• Provide training: Non-researchers need a playbook. Offer templates, guides, workshops, and feedback to get them up to speed.
• Document everything: Clear documentation and data-sharing strategies keep the team transparent and avoids any “oops, we did that study already” moments.
• Governance is key: Tools like Rally help you manage participant recruitment, set default or custom governance rules to ensure participants aren’t over-contacted, and protect participant data.

How self-serve research speeds up and scales your efforts

Think of self-serve research as hitting the fast-forward button on research without needing to grow your team. By empowering non-researchers to handle tactical tasks — like usability testing — teams can move faster, make smart, data-driven decisions, and adjust quickly to what customers want. This creates a constant feedback loop that keeps product development in sync with user preferences.

More teams doing research means you get a fuller picture of the customer, creating a culture that’s all about keeping things customer-first.

Giving research teams the space to focus on what matters

When non-researchers take on tactical tasks, it frees up your research pros to focus on the bigger, game-changing projects. This means more time for foundational studies that shape business strategy and elevate the customer experience — making a much bigger splash across the organization.

Tackling the challenges of self-serve research with ReOps

Self-serve research has its hurdles. The biggest? Keeping research quality high. Non-researchers might not have the same expertise, which can lead to inconsistent outcomes. That’s where ReOps shines, offering just the right mix of autonomy and oversight.

Another tricky bit is managing participants. ReOps needs to make sure people aren’t over-contacted or exposed to subpar studies that could hurt relationships or stir up privacy concerns. No one wants to be that brand that fumbles the ball on participant management.

How to make self-serve research a success with ReOps

Pulling off self-serve research smoothly comes down to structure and these key steps:

• Set clear goals: What’s the purpose of democratization? Define what non-researchers can tackle and how they’ll be supported.
• Create guardrails: Think of these as bumpers in a bowling alley. Non-researchers get to experiment, but within safe limits.
• Provide training: Equip non-researchers with tools, resources, and ongoing support.
• Implement governance: Rally is your secret weapon for ensuring compliance, setting checkpoints, and keeping research quality high.

How Rally powers democratization and self-serve research

Rally makes democratizing research a breeze. With its intuitive interface, customizable templates, and governance features, it’s like having a personal research assistant keeping everything on track.

Study builders and templates: Rally’s step-by-step study builder takes the guesswork out of setting up research for non-researchers. Pre-built templates keep everything consistent and compliant, so even newbies can dive right in.

At Braze, non-researchers use Rally to run their own studies, freeing the core research team to tackle more strategic projects. Rally keeps things compliant with features like cool-down periods, participation limits, and opt-out links, ensuring non-researchers can keep the research going without overstepping.

Governance and security: Rally’s governance tools let teams set all the important rules, from contact frequency to privacy management. With GDPR compliance and single sign-on (SSO), Rally keeps sensitive user data locked down tight, even as more people jump into research.

Collaboration is a breeze: At Webflow, Rally is fully integrated into their product process, making research a team sport. Stakeholders and non-researchers can give feedback, join sessions, and even handle scheduling — all through Rally. This smooth collaboration makes research a regular part of decision-making and keeps everyone on the same page.

What does the future of Research Ops look like with self-serve research?

The future of Research Ops is all about building the systems that let research run like a well-oiled machine. As self-serve research becomes the norm, ReOps will shift from handling every little task to setting up frameworks that allow teams to conduct research at scale. Think governance, compliance, and participant management — all while keeping research quality top-notch.

ReOps will also be a driving force behind research intelligence, making sure insights get shared across the organization and put to good use in product decisions.

How can ReOps teams adapt and stay ahead?

To keep up with the self-serve research trend, here’s what ReOps should focus on:

• Build scalable systems: Design systems that can handle growing research demands without letting quality slip.
• Ongoing education: Keep the training going! Continuous resources ensure non-researchers stick to best practices.
• Automate the repetitive stuff: Automating tasks like participant recruitment frees up ReOps to focus on more strategic work.

The future is bright for ReOps pros

As self-serve research keeps gaining momentum, it opens up a world of opportunities for Research Ops professionals. You’re not just keeping the research engine running — you’re steering the ship toward strategic success. By enabling democratized research, you’ll help your organization scale its insights, foster customer-centric decision-making, and drive real business impact.

With Rally in your corner, you can create the perfect balance between autonomy and oversight, allowing cross-functional teams to dive into research while ensuring everything runs smoothly, securely, and ethically. 

Ready to take the next step? Explore how Rally enables self-serve research and discover how Webflow uses Rally to make research a core part of their product development process. It’s time to step up, scale up, and become the research rockstar your company needs.