Insights Unlocked

Episode summary:

In this episode of Insights Unlocked, Nathan Isaacs sits down with Robyn Bolton, founder of Mile Zero and author of Unlocking Innovation: A Leader's Guide to Turning Bold Ideas into Tangible Results, to explore why innovation fails so often inside successful companies—and what leaders can do about it. Drawing on her experience at P&G, BCG, and Innosight (Clayton Christensen's firm), Robyn shares the frameworks, mindset shifts, and leadership behaviors that separate real innovation from the illusion of it.

Robyn makes the case that innovation isn't an idea problem—it's a leadership problem. She dives into how to set the right conditions before any brainstorming begins, why "innovation theater" breeds cynicism rather than creativity, and how customer insights are the most underutilized asset in most organizations. She also weighs in on AI: what separates the companies genuinely benefiting from it versus those just chasing the next shiny object.

You'll learn:


Why innovation is a leadership problem, not an idea problem


How to define a "growth gap" before you ever go to the whiteboard


What "innovation theater" looks like and why it backfires


Why customer insights are everyone's job—not just the research team's


How to build a culture of innovation (and why it takes years, not events)


What separates companies getting real value from AI from those just experimenting


A practical "George Costanza" leadership habit you can try this week

Innovation starts with leadership, not ideas

Robyn Bolton has spent her career helping large, successful companies do something that doesn't come naturally to them: innovate. From launching Swiffer at P&G to working with companies like Medtronic, Nike, and Sanofi, she's seen firsthand what makes innovation work—and what kills it.

Her core argument is simple but counterintuitive: innovation doesn't fail because companies run out of ideas. It fails because leaders don't create the conditions for those ideas to survive. Culture, she says, is "the perception of what matters, as evidenced by the actions of executives." If you want a culture of innovation, you have to invest in it consistently for years—not just run an annual hackathon and hope for the best.

Customer insights are everyone's job

Few topics generate more conviction from Robyn than customer insights. She believes deeply that understanding customers—not just gathering data about them—is a responsibility that belongs to everyone in an organization, including executives.

Her prescription is simple: get out of the office, be present with customers in their actual environment, and have the humility to listen rather than explain. Too many "insight sessions" turn into selling sessions, she notes. Real discovery means asking open-ended questions and resisting the urge to justify why the product works the way it does.

She shared a vivid example: while working with a medical device company, she and the president of the business unit watched video footage of patients using their products. Within ten minutes, R&D team members were shouting at the screen—convinced the patients were doing it wrong. "They're not wrong," Robyn said. "They're teaching us."

Resources & links



Robyn’s website, Mile Zero (https://www.milezero.io/)

Robyn’s book, Unlocking Innovation (https://www.amazon.com/Unlocking-Innovation-Leaders-Turning-Tangible/dp/1774585618)



Robyn’s personal website (https://robynmbolton.com/)



Robyn on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynmbolton/)



Nathan Isaacs on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanisaacs/)



Learn more about Insights Unlocked: https://www.usertesting.com/podcast

Episode web page: https://bit.ly/4uBmCIp

Episode summary:

In this episode of Insights Unlocked, host Amrit Bhachu sits down with Meltem Naz Kasos—UX career coach, former UX research leader, and educator—to explore what it takes to build a resilient and meaningful career in an era of rapid technological change.

Drawing on her background in UX research, psychology, journalism, and coaching, Mel shares why trust, adaptability, and entrepreneurial thinking are becoming more valuable than technical expertise alone. She discusses the growing uncertainty many researchers and product professionals are facing as AI reshapes the workplace and explains why the future belongs to those who can connect customer understanding with business outcomes.

Mel and Amrit dive into the evolving role of UX research, the importance of influencing without authority, and why researchers must move beyond advocacy alone to become translators between customer needs and organizational goals. They also discuss how building trust, developing business acumen, and taking proactive ownership can help professionals create lasting impact regardless of their title or discipline.

The conversation offers practical advice for both experienced practitioners and those early in their careers, highlighting the human skills that remain essential in a world increasingly shaped by AI.

You’ll learn:

● Why trust is becoming one of the most valuable professional assets in the age of AI

● How UX researchers can strengthen their influence by understanding business goals

● What separates thriving researchers from those who feel stuck or overlooked

● Why entrepreneurial thinking and proactive ownership are critical career skills

● How to build stronger relationships with stakeholders and influence decisions without authority

● The role of storytelling, empathy, and business translation in driving organizational impact

● Why early-career professionals should focus on curiosity, trust-building, and adaptability

● How to identify and communicate the unique value you bring to your organization

Resources & links

● Mel Naz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meltem-naz/

● Career with Mel: https://careerwithmel.com

● Amrit Bhachu on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amritbhachu/

● Learn more about Insights Unlocked: https://www.usertesting.com/podcast

Episode web page: https://bit.ly/4v2S1Vf

Episode summary:

In this episode of Insights Unlocked, host Mike Mace sits down with product operations and AI strategy leader Katie Robblee to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the product development lifecycle (PDLC)—and why many organizations are approaching it the wrong way.

Katie shares lessons from her work helping companies build AI-powered products and agents, revealing how the rapid adoption of AI has exposed gaps in organizational processes, product team responsibilities, and decision-making frameworks. While AI dramatically lowers the barriers to building software, she argues that organizations risk creating more noise than value if they focus on building faster instead of understanding what customers actually need.

The conversation dives into the rise of AI agents, the importance of human-in-the-loop evaluation systems, and why discovery and customer research are becoming even more critical in an AI-enabled world. Katie also explains why everyone—from product managers to executives—should experiment with building AI agents to better understand both the opportunities and risks of this emerging technology.

You'll learn:


Why building faster with AI doesn't automatically create better products


How AI agents differ from traditional large language models


The risks of deploying AI without governance, training, and clear ownership


Why customer discovery becomes more important—not less—in the age of AI


How human-in-the-loop evaluations help improve AI outputs and decision-making


The emerging challenge of training future product leaders when AI handles more tactical work


Why every professional should experiment with building an AI agent


Practical advice for getting started with AI agent development, even without technical experience

Resources & links


Katie Robblee on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/katierobblee/)


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

Episode web page: https://bit.ly/3QpApnq

Episode summary:

In this special recap episode of Insights Unlocked, host Nathan Isaacs shares key insights and standout moments from Crafted Seattle, UserTesting's annual event for product leaders, designers, researchers, and customer experience professionals.

As AI dramatically accelerates the speed of product creation, speakers across the event explored a critical question: if anyone can build almost anything, what becomes the true competitive advantage? The answer, according to leaders from UserTesting, Cisco, McDonald's, and other leading organizations, is a deeper understanding of people.

Featuring perspectives from Eric Johnson, Baran Erkel, Travis Isaacs, Jessa Parette, Jason Giles, Eliel Johnson, Brad Carrera, Nikkia Reveillac, Jennifer Aaker, and others, this episode examines how AI is reshaping the roles of researchers, designers, and product teams. From maintaining human judgment in an automated world to creating alignment through customer understanding, the conversation highlights why empathy, curiosity, storytelling, and human connection remain essential as technology evolves.

The episode also explores how researchers can expand their influence, why asking better questions matters more than having more data, and how organizations can use AI to amplify human creativity rather than replace it.

You'll learn:

Why understanding customer needs becomes more important as AI makes building easier

How designers and researchers can create greater impact by focusing on judgment, decision-making, and influence

Why human-centered research remains a competitive advantage in the age of AI

How AI is shifting teams from makers to supervisors and strategic decision-makers

Why researchers should focus on creating shared understanding, not just delivering reports

How asking better questions can be more valuable than collecting more data

Why alignment—not just speed—is becoming a critical success factor for organizations

How empathy, authenticity, creativity, and storytelling help teams thrive alongside AI

Why human connection and purpose remain essential in a technology-driven future

Resources & links

Crafted Seattle presentations on demand via UserTesting Insights+ (https://www.usertesting.com/insight-plus)

Nathan Isaacs on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanisaacs/)

Learn more about Insights Unlocked: https://www.usertesting.com/podcast

Episode web page:

Episode summary:

In this episode of Insights Unlocked, Nathan Isaacs sits down with Bansi Mehta, founder and CEO of Koru UX, to explore how product and UX teams can design more thoughtful, trustworthy AI experiences using her Sense, Shape, Steer framework.

As organizations race to incorporate AI into products and workflows, Bansi explains why many teams fall into the trap of starting with the technology instead of the user problem. She shares practical guidance for slowing down, identifying meaningful AI opportunities, and balancing automation with human oversight—especially in complex enterprise and healthcare environments.

Bansi walks through each phase of the framework, from understanding user needs and AI constraints in the “Sense” phase, to prototyping AI behaviors in “Shape,” to continuously evaluating trust, usefulness, and adoption in “Steer.” Along the way, she discusses why transparency alone doesn’t guarantee trust, how AI products require ongoing tuning after launch, and why successful AI experiences depend as much on psychology and workflow design as they do on model accuracy.

The conversation also explores the challenges product teams face under pressure to “add AI,” the risks of feature creep, and why teams should treat AI implementation as an evolving feedback loop rather than a one-time release.

You'll learn:

Why AI initiatives often fail when teams start with the solution instead of the problem

How the Sense, Shape, Steer framework helps teams design human-centered AI experiences

The importance of defining user needs, constraints, and guardrails before building AI features

How to determine when AI should automate tasks versus assist humans

Why trust and perceived usefulness matter more than raw AI accuracy

How continuous feedback and iteration shape successful AI adoption

The role of transparency, oversight, and user psychology in AI product design

Why enterprise and healthcare AI experiences require careful workflow and risk management

Resources and links:

Bansi Mehta on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bansi-mehta/)

Koru UX (https://www.koruux.com/)

Sense, Shape, Steer framework article and video (https://www.koruux.com/ux-for-ai-training/)

Nathan Isaacs on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanisaacs/)

Learn more about Insights Unlocked: (https://www.usertesting.com/podcast)