UX Research Geeks Olivia Ponedel | Using user insights to bring teams together | #61
Aug 21, 2025
Olivia Ponedel, a meticulous product designer at Meta with a rich background in startups, discusses the art of bridging gaps between product, sales, and engineering teams. She shares insights on flexible research methods tailored for startups and how aligning user feedback with business goals can influence product decisions. Olivia emphasizes the importance of collaboration and regular communication between teams to drive effective design choices and enhance user experiences. Her journey highlights how effective UX research can catalyze growth and innovation.
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Startup Designer Journey
- Olivia described working across three startups: Step, Flexport, and Finix (Phoenix) Payments and how each had different team sizes and research maturity.
- She explained that at Finix she used the sales team as a research access point because end users often don't make purchase decisions.
Host Weekly Syncs With Sales
- Set a regular cadence with sales and host weekly meetings to exchange insights and clarify needs from prospects.
- Share prototypes and target shipping dates so sales can accurately communicate upcoming features without overselling.
Tie Research To Business Goals
- Connect research goals directly to business outcomes to persuade stakeholders and focus limited resources.
- Use competitive analysis plus hypotheses to choose the right method and scope based on time and impact.