RESEARCH OPERATIONS · 7NOW
RESEARCH OPERATIONS · 7NOW
Research Impact Through Cross-Functional Collaboration
Research Impact Through Cross-Functional Collaboration
Research Impact Through Cross-Functional Collaboration
When research stays confined to one function, teams praise the findings but fail to act. I designed a collaborative research model that brings product, engineering, data, marketing, and leadership into planning, data collection, analysis, and next steps—turning passive consumers into invested advocates.
When research stays confined to one function, teams praise the findings but fail to act. I designed a collaborative research model that brings product, engineering, data, marketing, and leadership into planning, data collection, analysis, and next steps—turning passive consumers into invested advocates.
Work For
7-Eleven
FOCUS
FOCUS
Research operations · Service design
Research operations · Service design
FRAMEWORK
FRAMEWORK
4 phases · 11 collaborative practices
4 phases · 11 collaborative practices
OUTCOME
OUTCOME
From research handoff to shared ownership
From research handoff to shared ownership
05
05
05
Cross-functional partner groups
Cross-functional partner groups
04
04
04
Research collaboration phases
Research collaboration phases
11
11
11
Repeatable collaboration practices
Repeatable collaboration practices
10
10
10
Prototype test participants
Prototype test participants
01 · Background
01 · Background
Research was being delivered—but not adopted
Research was being delivered—but not adopted
Research was being delivered—but not adopted
A familiar pattern kept repeating: partners requested a study, the researcher worked in isolation, a polished findings deck was presented, and implementation stalled. I reframed this not as a communication problem, but as a service design challenge inside the organization.
A familiar pattern kept repeating: partners requested a study, the researcher worked in isolation, a polished findings deck was presented, and implementation stalled. I reframed this not as a communication problem, but as a service design challenge inside the organization.
START
START
Stakeholders
Stakeholders
Stakeholders
Request an investigation, then wait outside the research process.
Request an investigation, then wait outside the research process.
→
→
ISOLATED EXECUTION
ISOLATED EXECUTION
Researcher
Researcher
Researcher
Collects, analyzes, and synthesizes the evidence alone.
Collects, analyzes, and synthesizes the evidence alone.
→
→
HANDOFF
HANDOFF
Findings deck
Findings deck
Findings deck
Receives polite agreement, but little firsthand conviction or ownership.
Receives polite agreement, but little firsthand conviction or ownership.
HOW MIGHT WE
HOW MIGHT WE
Activate research findings so cross-functional teams build enough firsthand understanding to lead implementation themselves?
Activate research findings so cross-functional teams build enough firsthand understanding to lead implementation themselves?
Activate research findings so cross-functional teams build enough firsthand understanding to lead implementation themselves?
02 · Service ecosystem
02 · Service ecosystem
Five groups shape whether research changes decisions
Five groups shape whether research changes decisions
Five groups shape whether research changes decisions
The model is designed around the people who interpret, fund, build, communicate, and operationalize research, not only the research team.
01
01
Product & Design
Product & Design
Product & Design
Define requirements, shape interfaces, and prioritize the roadmap.
Define requirements, shape interfaces, and prioritize the roadmap.
02
02
Engineering
Engineering
Engineering
Turn insight into technical decisions and novel implementation paths.
Turn insight into technical decisions and novel implementation paths.
03
03
Marketing & Success
Marketing & Success
Marketing & Success
Translate fast operational wins into customer messaging and support.
Translate fast operational wins into customer messaging and support.
04
04
Data & Leadership
Data & Leadership
Data & Leadership
Connect qualitative context to metrics, strategy, and resource allocation.
Connect qualitative context to metrics, strategy, and resource allocation.
03 · Framework
03 · Framework
Collaboration is designed across four research phases
Collaboration is designed across four research phases
Collaboration is designed across four research phases
Situated learning, experiential learning, and the generation effect informed a model where partners learn through legitimate participation, reflection, sense-making, and action.
Situated learning, experiential learning, and the generation effect informed a model where partners learn through legitimate participation, reflection, sense-making, and action.
01
01
Planning
Planning
Planning
Question jam · Concept development · Protocol testing
Question jam · Concept development · Protocol testing
02
02
Data collection
Data collection
Data collection
Observer chatroom · Structured notes · Rapid debriefs
Observer chatroom · Structured notes · Rapid debriefs
03
03
Data analysis
Data analysis
Data analysis
Team coding · Collaborative affinity mapping
Team coding · Collaborative affinity mapping
04
04
Next steps
Next steps
Next steps
Opportunity brainstorming · Co-authored deliverables · Retrospectives
Opportunity brainstorming · Co-authored deliverables · Retrospectives
When calendars break the ideal flow
When calendars break the ideal flow
When calendars break the ideal flow
Slack interview summaries · Mid-project emerging themes · 15–20 minute highlight-reel viewing sessions
Slack interview summaries · Mid-project emerging themes · 15–20 minute highlight-reel viewing sessions
04 · Practice in action
04 · Practice in action
Participation replaces passive consumption
Participation replaces passive consumption
Participation replaces passive consumption
The researcher remains the methodological guide, but partners engage at specific intervention points, without being asked to become full-time researchers.
PLANNING
PLANNING
Research question jam
Research question jam
Research question jam
Map assumptions by certainty and risk, then turn shared priorities into the formal research plan.
Map assumptions by certainty and risk, then turn shared priorities into the formal research plan.
COLLECTION
COLLECTION
Observer chatrooms
Observer chatrooms
Observer chatrooms
Partners listen live, share observations, and suggest follow-up questions without interrupting the moderator.
Partners listen live, share observations, and suggest follow-up questions without interrupting the moderator.
ANALYSIS
ANALYSIS
Affinity mapping
Affinity mapping
Affinity mapping
Teams cluster raw quotes and behaviors, resolve interpretation gaps, and generate themes through effort.
Teams cluster raw quotes and behaviors, resolve interpretation gaps, and generate themes through effort.
NEXT STEPS
NEXT STEPS
Co-authored outputs
Co-authored outputs
Co-authored outputs
Partners translate findings into product features and non-product opportunities, then own the next action.
Partners translate findings into product features and non-product opportunities, then own the next action.
05 · Applied to 7NOW
05 · Applied to 7NOW
From static personas to Slurpee Spark
From static personas to Slurpee Spark
From static personas to Slurpee Spark
7NOW had five official personas built from 20+ user interviews, but teams struggled to apply them to initiative decisions. The collaboration framework became a product opportunity: a lightweight, real-time evaluation tool that gives teams shared criteria and creates structured conversation.
7NOW had five official personas built from 20+ user interviews, but teams struggled to apply them to initiative decisions. The collaboration framework became a product opportunity: a lightweight, real-time evaluation tool that gives teams shared criteria and creates structured conversation.
Welcome and session framing
Welcome and session framing
Select the relevant personas
Select the relevant personas
Evaluate five shared factors
Evaluate five shared factors
Surface agreement and gaps
Surface agreement and gaps
06 · Evidence
06 · Evidence
What changed when partners participated
What changed when partners participated
What changed when partners participated
Across pilots, direct engagement altered conviction and ownership more reliably than post-hoc summaries. The value came from the cognitive work of observing, comparing, clustering, and translating, not from receiving a finished answer.
OBSERVATION
OBSERVATION
Firsthand evidence sticks
Firsthand evidence sticks
Firsthand evidence sticks
Partners retained user needs more clearly when they heard customers directly.
Partners retained user needs more clearly when they heard customers directly.
SYNTHESIS
SYNTHESIS
Effort creates ownership
Effort creates ownership
Effort creates ownership
Partners who clustered evidence defended the resulting priorities during roadmapping.
Partners who clustered evidence defended the resulting priorities during roadmapping.
AI BOUNDARY
AI BOUNDARY
Automation can restore passivity
Automation can restore passivity
Automation can restore passivity
AI summaries helped only when grounded in structured scores and shared session context.
AI summaries helped only when grounded in structured scores and shared session context.
07 · Outcomes
07 · Outcomes
Research becomes infrastructure for decisions
Research becomes infrastructure for decisions
Research becomes infrastructure for decisions
The initiative shifted research from a one-way delivery service toward a repeatable operating model. Slurpee Spark demonstrated how that model could be embedded in everyday initiative evaluation.
The initiative shifted research from a one-way delivery service toward a repeatable operating model. Slurpee Spark demonstrated how that model could be embedded in everyday initiative evaluation.
01
01
Repeatable process
Repeatable process
Repeatable process
Replaced ad-hoc workshop debate with factor-by-factor evaluation.
Replaced ad-hoc workshop debate with factor-by-factor evaluation.
02
02
Shared language
Shared language
Shared language
Connected research, design, product, and engineering around common criteria.
Connected research, design, product, and engineering around common criteria.
03
03
Visible alignment
Visible alignment
Visible alignment
Surfaced where teams agreed and disagreed before commitment.
Surfaced where teams agreed and disagreed before commitment.
04
04
Reusable evidence
Reusable evidence
Reusable evidence
Preserved scores, notes, and discussion prompts for documentation and retrospectives.
Preserved scores, notes, and discussion prompts for documentation and retrospectives.
08 · Learnings
08 · Learnings
Research impact depends on how knowledge is acquired
Research impact depends on how knowledge is acquired
Research impact depends on how knowledge is acquired
The framework works best when collaboration is selective and facilitated, not when every activity is forced into every study.
What worked
What worked
What worked
Direct observation built conviction. Structured reflection created comparable evidence. Co-authored deliverables gave partners a concrete role in implementation.
Direct observation built conviction. Structured reflection created comparable evidence. Co-authored deliverables gave partners a concrete role in implementation.
Operational boundaries
Operational boundaries
Operational boundaries
Collaborative coding requires calendar time. Applying all eleven activities overwhelms teams. The model must be matched to project ambiguity, risk, and partner maturity.
Collaborative coding requires calendar time. Applying all eleven activities overwhelms teams. The model must be matched to project ambiguity, risk, and partner maturity.
Next validation
Next validation
Next validation
Track recommendation adoption, contribution rates, and time from research delivery to engineering execution across multiple quarters.
Track recommendation adoption, contribution rates, and time from research delivery to engineering execution across multiple quarters.
Research impact is designed, not delivered.
Research impact is designed, not delivered.
Research impact is designed, not delivered.
The strongest outcome was not a better findings deck. It was a system that helped teams build understanding together, and act on it.