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🗞 Rethinking Webflow's Research Team Structure

Jan Ahrend
Jan Ahrend
2 min read
💡 This week's issue features Webflow's transformation of their research team from reactive to strategic by implementing DIY research programs and smart team structures. I've included practical frameworks like Crabtree's method for evaluating qualitative research and Trevor Calabro's approach to task analysis that grounds UX work in actual user behavior. Don't miss Javier Bargas from Google breaking down strategic vs tactical research impact, plus Brad Orego's podcast on how his team supports executive decisions and long-term strategy.

🏡 On a personal note, we arrived in Lisbon during our 2+ months trip through southern Europe in our camper van. We were hit by the European power outage - no electricity or cell reception for several hours, which was a strange feeling being completely disconnected with no access to news. I brought a Meshtastic device with me - a small radio transceiver that creates mesh networks without cellular infrastructure. There was a public channel where people shared updates about the situation. That was incredibly helpful during the blackout when traditional communication methods failed (and the first useful application of it since I bought it a couple months ago).

Happy Researching, Jan 🙌

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📚 Articles of the Week.

Rethinking Webflow's research team structure
Webflow shifted its UX Research team from reactive support to strategic influence by launching a DIY Research program and redefining team structures. Build proactive research functions by enabling self-serve studies, triaging requests by risk and complexity, and hiring strategically. Brad Orego 04/16

Beyond numbers: how to properly evaluate qualitative UX research
Crabtree's Framework for Evaluating Human-Centered Research. Dr Maria Panagiotidi 04/18

Ways to f*k up user research
Common mistakes when conducting discovery and how to avoid them. Michael J. Lever 04/16

UX research starts with task
Learn a practical, research-backed method for creating a Top Task List that anchors your UX work in real user behavior. This simplified approach to task analysis helps teams focus their research, streamline usability testing, and design with confidence, even when working under tight deadlines. Trevor Calabro 04/18

A practical rubric template for reviewing UX Research portfolios
Assessing and improving UXR case studies across five key dimensions. Lawton Pybus 04/13

6 dimensions for assessing usability data in analysis
Analyze usability findings for authenticity, consistency, repetition, spontaneity, appropriateness, and confounding factors to separate surface impressions from real insights. Maria Rosala & Feifei Liu 04/11

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🎥 Video of the Week.

Strategic vs Tactical Research Impact | Javier Bargas (Google)
Javier Bargas breaks down the often-misunderstood relationship between strategic and tactical research, challenging common assumptions and offering a practical approach to creating meaningful impact. YouTube 04/17

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🔉 Audio of the Week.

Redefining the Research Role with Brad Orego
Brad shares how their team is expanding the scope of research—supporting executive decision-making, exploring multi-year strategy, and operating more like an insights function than a traditional UX team. Spotify Apple 04/16

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