Insights Unlocked

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)

Episode web page: https://bit.ly/42TFjM4

Episode summary:

In this episode of Insights Unlocked, Manú Bartlett speaks with Pedro Hernandez, advocacy manager for EMEA and Latin America at Figma, about how AI is reshaping design, leadership, and the future of creative work. Drawing from more than 15 years of experience across UX, product design, and design operations, Pedro shares why the industry is moving beyond a narrow focus on speed and toward a deeper balance between experimentation, craft, and human-centered thinking.

Pedro explores how design communities across Europe and Latin America are adapting to AI in different ways, why leaders must rethink how they evaluate design work in the age of rapid prototyping, and how “craft” now means being intentional, critical, and thoughtful when collaborating with AI tools. He also discusses the growing importance of soft skills, curiosity, and research as teams become more multidisciplinary again.

The conversation also dives into how leaders can stay connected to customer needs while navigating AI-driven workflows, why experimentation matters at every level of an organization, and how Figma is researching what design leaders truly need from modern collaboration tools.

You’ll learn:

How AI is changing the relationship between speed, experimentation, and design craft

Why the best design leaders are learning to balance rapid production with intentional decision-making

What “craft” means in the era of AI-powered design workflows

How Latin American and European design communities are approaching AI differently

Why curiosity, research, and soft skills are becoming more important in modern product teams

How leaders can stay closer to customers while adopting new AI tools and workflows

Why the future of design may look more multidisciplinary and collaborative again

Resources & links

Pedro Hernandez on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/pedrohernandez/)

Figma's Config (https://config.figma.com/)

Figma’s State of Design report (https://www.figma.com/state-of-design/)

Manú Bartlett on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/manubartlett/)

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

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