UX Research at GitLab

We drive competitive advantage by delivering high-impact insights grounded in user needs to guide data-driven decision making, differentiate our product, and directly influence business outcomes.

The UX Research team at GitLab has three functions: User Experience (UX) Research, Research Operations (ReOps), and Service Design.

Our Strategic Principles

Principle 1: Strategic Focus Over Broad Coverage

We allocate 100% of our research capacity to strategic business areas that drive differentiation, growth and retention, meaning we will only be supporting a selection of initiatives or product teams from the product verticals below:

Core DevOps Workflow
Monetization and Analytics
Infrastructure Platforms
AI
Secure
Docs Sites

Principle 2: Innovative Insights Over Confirmation Studies

We prioritize research that could reveal game-changing opportunities over studies that confirm what we already suspect with high confidence.

Our research will be hypotheses led, and we prioritize:

High-Risk, Low-Confidence Hypotheses: Questions where being wrong could cost us significantly, but being right could unlock major opportunities
Differentiation Gaps: Understanding where users struggle in ways our competitors haven’t solved
Unmet User Needs: Discovering problems users can’t articulate but would pay to solve

How we work:

We partner with Product, Engineering, Design, Data, Customer Success and Marketing teams to identify knowledge gaps, and validate them
We observe and focus on real user behaviors and needs, and opportunities in core journeys, not edge cases

Principle 3: Sustainable Intelligence Over One-Off Studies

We build instrumentation that provides continuous insights with minimal ongoing effort, enabling faster decision-making.

Our instrumentation strategy:

We work with cross functional partners to identify critical user experiences to track
We identify and report openly and frequently on core UX quality metrics and deep-dives for strategic insights intervention
We work with our counterparts to prioritize improvements when metrics drop below defined thresholds

How We Say No

We decline research that:

Doesn’t connect to strategic business areas
Seeks to confirm high-confidence, low-risk assumptions and table-stakes
Can be answered through existing data or quick usability tests
Addresses edge cases affecting a small percentage of users

Instead we offer:

Guidance on self-service research methods, see [this section](### How to Work with UX Research) for more information.
Data analysis support from our analytics partners
Inclusion in future strategic research cycles

Success Metrics

We know our strategy is working when:

Business Stakeholders proactively seek our input on strategic decisions
Our insights directly contribute to measurable improvements in core KPIs and UX Metrics
We can point to specific competitive advantages discovered through our research

We Iterate Quarterly

Every quarter, we assess:

Resource Allocation: Are we truly focusing our effort on strategic areas?
Impact Measurement: Which studies led to the biggest business impact?
Principle Refinement: Do these principles need updating based on business changes?

We Do Research, So Can You

Who we research

The UX Research team researches customers, end users, potential users, stakeholders, competitor users, and specialized user groups to ensure the product meets diverse needs and expectations.

How we research

Using a range of research methodologies (including user interviews, surveys, usability testing, diary studies, and card sorting) we collect raw data on user behaviors, needs, and preferences.

We then apply rigorous data analysis and synthesis to transform this data into valuable insights that inform and shape the design and development of our products.

How we help other GitLab team members do research

Note that UX Researchers are one of the many GitLab Team Members who conduct user research. Other roles, such as Product Managers and Product Designers, frequently conduct research with guidance from the UX Research team. All Research DRIs are supported by our UX Research Operations Coordination team to conduct efficient and high-quality research.

If you are planning to lead a research project, you can get started here.

How to Work with UX Research

As a GitLab Customer

Customers: we welcome you to sign up as a research participant or research panelist! We are always looking for a range of professionals to take part in our studies, and would love to have you sign-up. You can read more about what to expect as a research participant, and register your interest in taking part in future research.

What you get in return:

Influence Over Design and Product Decisions: Your feedback will be heard and considered in future design and product decisions directing anything from feature improvements to product strategy.
Smoother Experience and Better Product: Your insights will help us shape a product that better fits your day-to-day needs, improving your overall experience and productivity.

As a GitLab internal team

We’d love to collaborate with you, gather your perspective, and partner with you to engage our customers. If your team interacts with customers and users as part of your daily role or make decisions that influence the customer/user experience of GitLab products, we’d love to hear from you!. Here’s how you can partner with us:

Ensure Your Customers Are Represented in UX Research: You can nominate customers as research participants by sharing their details in the #ux_reops channel or direct your customers to the UX Research Panel to register their interest.
Share what you know through GitLab User Insight Repository: Share what you learn about your customers in the #ux_research channel, or connect with a designated UX researcher for specific stages or themes.
Identify Areas for Improvement That Need Further Research (unknown): If you notice areas that could benefit from deeper exploration, feel free to mention it in the #ux_research channel or contact the UX researcher for the relevant stage or theme. Providing a related issue for reference would be a bonus!
Leverage UX Research Insights to Guide Your Work: Stay updated by checking out the #ux_research_reports channel for the latest insights. You can also explore Dovetail, our research insights management tool, to search by keywords or watch interview session recordings. You can also consult with the UX researcher for the relevant stage or theme, to be more informed when making design, product or customer engagement decisions.

What you get in return:

Informed Decision-Making: The UX research team provides valuable insights based on user behavior and feedback, helping internal teams make informed, data-driven decisions throughout the product development process.
Risk Mitigation: UX research helps identify potential issues early in the development process, allowing internal teams to address these challenges before they escalate, thereby reducing the risk of costly mistakes or misaligned products.

Do you have questions about UX Research?

The UX Research team is here for you! Reach out in the #ux_research Slack channel to engage with the team on any research-related topic.

Have questions about logistics around recruiting, scheduling participants, accessing research tools or anything else related to Research Operations? The #ux_research_operations channel is the channel for these types of inquiries.

Below is a full list of our UX Research team handbook content:

Conducting UX Research at GitLab

Research methods we use at GitLab

Finding participants

Data and research insights

Templates

Checklists

UX Research training

Resources for UX Researchers

Resources for UX Research Operations Coordinators

Measures and processes the UX Research team is responsible for

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