Innovation-ish: Practical tools for everyday innovators
Episode web page: https://bit.ly/49ucDxK
Episode summary:
In this episode of Insights Unlocked, UserTesting’s VP of Design Jason Giles sits down with Tessa Forshaw and Rich Braden—co-authors of Innovation-ish and longtime instructors of design thinking at Harvard and Stanford—to explore what truly drives innovation and why most people hesitate to participate in it. Tessa and Rich break down the science behind “innovation hesitation,” share tools for unlocking creativity, and explain how empathy, rapid prototyping, and metacognition can make innovation more human—and less intimidating. Whether you’re a product leader, designer, marketer, or team facilitator, this conversation provides practical strategies to build innovation habits, uncover deeper insights, and help teams think more creatively.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
Why so many people experience “innovation hesitation”—and how evolutionary wiring shapes our fear of ambiguity
A practical framework for understanding innovation across a spectrum—from jump shots to moonshots
How empathy physiologically changes the way our brains process information
What separates real insights from surface-level feedback
How to use rapid prototyping to gather evidence instead of relying on opinions
Why metacognition (thinking about how you think) dramatically increases creativity and idea quality
Tools and prompts to help teams collaborate, synthesize insights, and tell better innovation stories
About the guests:
Tessa Forshaw is a cognitive scientist and co-founder of Harvard’s Next Level Lab. She teaches design thinking, innovation, and creative problem solving at Harvard and previously at Stanford. Her research explores how empathy, cognition, and metacognition shape human-centered innovation.
Rich Braden is a design strategist with a background that spans software engineering, marketing, and more than a decade of improv teaching. He teaches innovation and design thinking at Stanford and Harvard, blending creative methodologies with practical business experience.
Together, Tessa and Rich are the authors of Innovation-ish: How Anyone Can Create Breakthrough Solutions to Real Problems in the Real World.
Resources & links:
Innovation-ish website – https://innovation-ish.com
Tessa Forshaw on LinkedIn –https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessaforshaw/
Rich Braden on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardcoxbraden/
Jason Giles on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaygiles/
Harvard Next Level Lab – https://nextlevellab.gse.harvard.edu
Nathan Isaacs on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanisaacs/
Learn more about Insights Unlocked – https://www.usertesting.com/podcast
About the show:
Insights Unlocked is the go-to podcast for marketing, UX, product, and CX leaders. Each week, we feature candid conversations with the builders and thinkers behind today’s most impactful customer experiences. Brought to you by UserTesting.
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51:51
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51:51
How customer-centric marketing fuels real growth
Episode web page: https://bit.ly/3XIsfGJ
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Episode summary:
In this episode of Insights Unlocked, Nathan Isaacs talks with marketing powerhouse Bill Macaitis—former CMO of Slack, Zendesk, and Salesforce—about how B2B companies can scale efficiently by prioritizing customer experience, building authentic brands, and embracing new go-to-market models. Bill shares lessons from his career and dives into the importance of customer-centric cultures, long-term thinking, and the strategic use of AI in modern marketing.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
Why capital-efficient growth beats “growth at all costs”—and how to build it
The playbook for operationalizing customer centricity in a B2B environment
How to align teams across marketing, product, and sales with shared metrics
What most companies get wrong about attribution models
How AI can empower marketers—without replacing them
The secret to building a B2B brand people actually love (and talk about)
Tips for individual contributors to challenge legacy playbooks and advocate for change
About the guest:
Bill Macaitis is an executive advisor and board member who has led marketing at some of the most iconic names in SaaS, including Slack, Zendesk, and Salesforce. Known for his customer-first approach and bold brand vision, Bill now advises AI startups on how to build scalable, loved companies from the ground up.
Resources & Links:
Bill Macaitis on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bmacaitis/)
SaaS CMO Pro website (https://www.saascmopro.com/)
SaaS CMO Pro newsletter (https://saascmopro.substack.com/)
Bill’s YouTube videos (https://www.youtube.com/@SaaSCMOPro/videos)
Nathan Isaacs on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanisaacs/)
Learn more about Insights Unlocked: https://www.usertesting.com/podcast
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39:32
What most marketers miss about marketing effectiveness with Sorin Patilinet
Episode web page: https://bit.ly/49xoJWL
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Episode summary:
What does it really mean for marketing to be "effective" in today’s complex, data-rich environment? In this episode of Insights Unlocked, Sorin Patilinet—PepsiCo’s Global Marketing Insights leader and author of Marketing Effectiveness—joins UserTesting CMO Johann Wrede for a deep dive into how marketers can shift from tactical fixes to strategic, system-wide thinking.
Sorin unpacks the concept of marketing as a system, not just a set of disconnected tactics, and explains how AI and automation can enhance—not replace—human decision-making. From defining what effectiveness actually means within your organization to embracing consistency and simplifying the martech stack, this conversation is full of actionable insights for marketing leaders navigating change.
Key themes and topics:
Why marketing effectiveness must go beyond ad performance metrics
Applying engineering-based systems thinking to brand strategy
The evolving role of AI in enhancing marketing decision-making
How to define "effectiveness" for your organization—and stick to it
The power of creative effectiveness and the compounding impact of consistency
Why marketers need to focus more on understanding customers than chasing channels
Practical advice for internal stakeholder alignment and building a culture of insights
Balancing innovation with simplification in a cluttered martech world
Resources & Links:
Sorin Patilinet on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/patilinet/)
Sorin’s book Marketing Effectiveness (https://marketing-effectiveness.com/)
UserTesting’s Johann Wrede on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/johannwrede/)
Nathan Isaacs on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanisaacs/)
Learn more about Insights Unlocked: https://www.usertesting.com/podcast
About the show:
Insights Unlocked is the go-to podcast for marketing, UX, product, and CX leaders. Each week, we feature candid conversations with the builders and thinkers behind today’s most impactful customer experiences. Brought to you by UserTesting (https://usertesting.com/podcast)
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46:35
AI employees and the future of work with Surojit Chatterjee
Episode web page: https://bit.ly/4qwkj8C
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Episode summary:
In this eye-opening episode of Insights Unlocked, host Mike Mace chats with Surojit Chatterjee—former Chief Product Officer at Coinbase and current founder and CEO of Ema—about the sweeping changes generative AI is bringing to the workplace.
Surojit unpacks his vision of “AI employees”—intelligent agents that can handle complex workflows, adapt to company-specific processes, and act as true collaborators rather than just tools. Drawing on his leadership at Google, Coinbase, and now Ema, he explains why organizations must stop retrofitting AI into outdated workflows and instead embrace an “AI + human” model of work.
From transforming enterprise functions like HR, finance, and customer support to challenging legacy software models, this conversation delivers sharp insights for leaders navigating the shift to AI-driven operations. Surojit also shares advice for companies just starting their AI journey, including the importance of experimentation, transparency, and reskilling teams.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
Why the next generation of software must adapt to the enterprise—not the other way around
How AI can eliminate mundane tasks and unlock more meaningful human work
What legacy tech companies risk if they don’t embrace a new AI-first paradigm
The role of customer empathy and rapid experimentation in building
Transformative AI products
How to lead an “AI + human” business transformation, function by function
Why trust and transparency are key to successfully integrating AI into your team
Resources & Links:
Surojit Chatterjee on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/surojitchatterjee/)
Ema website (https://www.ema.co/)
UserTesting’s Mike Mace on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemace/)
Nathan Isaacs on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanisaacs/)
Learn more about Insights Unlocked: https://www.usertesting.com/podcast
About the show:
Insights Unlocked is the go-to podcast for marketing, UX, product, and CX leaders. Each week, we feature candid conversations with the builders and thinkers behind today’s most impactful customer experiences. Brought to you by UserTesting.
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48:02
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48:02
Finding the content-market fit your customers care about with Ross Simmonds
Episode web page: https://bit.ly/4nZFApH
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Episode summary:
How do you know when your content is hitting the mark? And once you do, how can you scale it efficiently and strategically?
In this episode of Insights Unlocked, host Nathan Isaacs sits down with Ross Simmonds, CEO of Foundation, a B2B content marketing agency known for its bold distribution strategies. Ross breaks down how to move beyond guesswork in content marketing by identifying real signals of content-market fit and using those insights to fuel smarter, faster content creation.
From mining Reddit threads to making your content "baby unicorns," Ross shares tactical strategies for understanding your audience, experimenting with purpose, and leveraging data to guide decision-making. He also discusses why marketers should embrace AI to scale their efforts and stay competitive—without losing the curiosity and creativity that drives meaningful engagement.
Whether you're a solo content creator or part of a larger marketing team, this episode is packed with practical advice on how to produce content that resonates, distributes well, and drives real business results.
What you'll learn in this episode:
Why content, like products, needs to have a strong fit with your audience
How to spot signals of content-market fit across platforms like Reddit, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and more
Why you need to slow down in order to move faster—and how to "be the meerkat" in your marketing strategy
Tips for running quarterly content reviews and influencing stakeholders with data
How one tweet became a foundational content pillar for Ross’s entire brand strategy
The role of curiosity and experimentation in finding new content channels before they’re saturated
How to embrace AI to boost efficiency, scale distribution, and improve as a marketer
Resources & Links:
Ross Simmonds on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosssimmonds/)
Foundation (https://foundationinc.co/)
Distribution.ai (http://Distribution.ai)
Nathan Isaacs on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanisaacs/)
Learn more about Insights Unlocked: https://www.usertesting.com/podcast
About the show:
Insights Unlocked is the go-to podcast for marketing, UX, product, and CX leaders. Each week, we feature candid conversations with the builders and thinkers behind today’s most impactful customer experiences. Brought to you by UserTesting
What does it take to create experiences customers love, craft campaigns that captivate, and drive measurable results?
Insights Unlocked features candid conversations with the builders, creators, and innovators driving some of the world’s most impactful digital transformations. Tailored for marketing, product, UX and CX leaders, each episode delivers actionable insights to help you create customer-first strategies and stay ahead in today’s competitive landscape. Each episode is about 30 minutes long.
From optimizing product launches to leveraging AI for smarter workflows, Insights Unlocked is your go-to resource for designing experiences that resonate, drive loyalty, and achieve business results. Guests include influential leaders like Brian Solis, April Dunford, Kate Towsey, Jacob Nielsen, Teresa Torres, and Judd Antin among others, offering their expertise in CX, UX, and innovation. The podcast also highlights strategies and success stories from leading brands such as Verizon, Signet Jewelers, Figma, Microsoft, Tesco Bank, and more.
UserTesting leaders and industry experts join as guest hosts, alongside show producer Nathan Isaacs, award-winning journalist and Senior Manager of Content Production at UserTesting.
Brought to you by UserTesting, the leader in human insights and proactive customer experience strategies, Insights Unlocked empowers CMOs and marketing teams to craft experiences that drive growth, loyalty, and impact.
Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Show notes, curated clips and more at usertesting.com/podcast.
Listen to Insights Unlocked, Young and Profiting with Hala Taha (Entrepreneurship, Sales, Marketing) and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
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