Research That Scales–Episode 2: Jen Cardello

Research That Scales is a nine-part podcast series inspired by my book of the same name, Research That Scales: A Research Operations Handbook (Rosenfeld, 2024). In each thirty-minute episode, I speak with a brilliant research mind, weaving in voice notes and sound design to bring their stories to life. Together, we explore what scaling research means, beyond the platitudes and jargon, and what it takes to turn the vision of scalable, impactful research into a robust reality.

“Instead of thinking in terms of just bespoke discrete research studies that kind of litter the space, it’s how do these things click together.”—Jen Cardello

In this episode of Research That Scales, I speak with Jen Cardello, MVP of Design Research and Operations at Capital One. We discuss why scaling research is not necessarily about growing headcount, but about building systems that scale value across the organisation. Jen shares how a systems mindset, rather than a service mindset, is essential for scaling research, and we explore why getting the fundamentals right—asking the right research questions, establishing sound operational frameworks, and focusing on business value—is critical before scaling.

We cover the importance of research leaders evolving into business leaders to drive real impact, and strategies for creating research systems that support cumulative insights, foster stronger cross-disciplinary collaboration, and encourage organisations to think beyond individual research studies towards broader, lasting knowledge.

This episode is literally packed with practical wisdom and strategic insight.

Things Mentioned

• Research That Scales: A Research Operations Handbook (Rosenfeld, 2024)

• Capital One Careers

• Inspired, Empowered, and Transformed: Marty Cagan's books about product management

• Just Enough Research: A Seminal Book by Erika Hall

• Eight Pillars of User Research by Emma Boulton

Scaling & Systematising Research–a One-Day Masterclass

This year, I’m running in-person masterclasses for research, product, design, operations, and marketing leaders in Europe, the UK, and Australia. If you want to transform research into a scalable insights-generating engine, this masterclass is for you.

Thanks

Thanks, Glenn Familton, for being a reviewer and co-producer, and Avec Audio Visual for audio engineering.