UX Research Department IC Gearing

This issue captures the IC gearing needs for the UX Research Department.

As there is currently no job description for Distinguished and Fellow roles in the UX Research Department (or the larger UX department), this issue will focus on the Staff role for now.

UX Research work is integral to the entire GitLab product. Currently, the 6 UX researchers, (1 Staff, 2 Senior, 3 mid-level) are leveraged across all product sections. Currently the product consists of 41 groups in 13 stages and 6 sections.

Ideally there would be a gearing ratio of 1 UX researcher to 5 Product Managers, however with the current UX Researcher headcount of 6, we can't cover this mapping as that brings us to an average ratio of 1:6.8 . Currently, there is 1 Staff UXR, however that person is also currently covering their prior role's responsibilities at a ratio of 1:7.

With the expectations for a Staff UX Researcher :

  • Lead strategic user research initiatives that span multiple stage groups (and possibly the entire product)
  • Maintain a thorough knowledge of the direction and vision for immediate and adjacent stage groups. Consistently consider the holistic user experience and how your research can support the goals of immediate and adjacent stage groups, the broader product vision, and company objectives.
  • Demonstrate and articulate understanding of the technology and features of immediate and adjacent stage groups, and have a working knowledge of the end-to-end GitLab product)

We assume that one Staff UX Researcher should be focused on identifying business needs more broadly within a stage and across related stages. This work is supported by Senior and Mid-level UX researcher assigned, based on the 1:5 gearing ratio, to those specific groups. Based on this, the UX Research team would need 4 Staff UX Researchers to support strategic work across the company.

  • 13 stages = 42 PM
  • Gearing ratio for Staff UXR 1:10
  • 42/10 = 4.2

This gearing ratio can only be supported if the Senior/Mid-Level researchers can work at a 1:5 ratio.

Some examples of what a Staff UX Researcher cohort could be leveraged for:

  • Conduct research to identify ways to increase adoption for each specific stage, in both core and adjacent journeys.
  • Work as a Tiger Team to identify ways to increase adoption of the entire product.
  • Work closely with the CAB to identify areas of opportunity for specific stages and the entire product.
  • Serve as a resource for sales to help understand the needs of potential customers
  • Serve as a resource for support/TAMs to help understand the needs of current customers
Edited by Lorie Whitaker