Insights Unlocked

Episode page: https://bit.ly/3KT962a As we head into 2026, design is no longer just about aesthetics—it’s about strategy, collaboration, and customer empathy. In this episode of Insights Unlocked, Nathan Isaacs sits down with Lacey Fabrizio, Principal Solution Marketing Manager at UserTesting, to discuss the major shifts happening in the design and product space. Lacey shares three key trends reshaping the field: Designers are moving upstream and playing a more strategic role in defining problems—not just polishing solutions. AI is becoming a powerful brainstorming partner, helping designers break creative patterns and explore new directions. Teams are adopting continuous, lightweight feedback loops to stay tightly connected to customer needs and avoid designing in the dark. Whether you're in design, product, or marketing, this conversation offers valuable insight into how to embrace these changes and design with more intention. What you’ll learn: How designers are gaining influence earlier in product development Why AI is most powerful as a creative collaborator The importance of fast, continuous user feedback to improve outcomes How these trends are shaping a more empowered, customer-first design culture Resources & links: Lacey Fabrizio on LinkedIn Nathan Isaacs on LinkedIn The 2026 Experience Survival Guide: scaling human insight across every team — This on-demand webinar explores how AI and connected workflows help teams gather and act on customer feedback faster, smarter, and at scale across UX, product, design, and marketing. How to enhance design efficiency through continuous user feedback — This guide shows how continuous user feedback helps designers move faster, make smarter decisions, and reduce rework by testing early and iterating often. How to transform your UX design process with continuous customer feedback — an Insights Unlocked episode about building continuous customer interview programs to support the product development life cycle. How design teams leverage user feedback in design to transform products — This blog post explains how user feedback bridges intention and real experience to elevate design outcomes and reduce costly revisions.

Episode web page: https://bit.ly/3KUDMzV Episode description: In this episode of Insights Unlocked, host Amrit Bhachu sits down with Mario Callegaro, founder of Callegaro Research and a leading expert in survey methodology and AI-augmented research. Mario brings a wealth of experience from his 15 years at Google and shares practical, thoughtful guidance on how to responsibly integrate AI tools into UX, market, and survey research workflows. From the evolving role of the researcher to the risks and potential of synthetic users, this episode unpacks what’s changing, what to be cautious of, and what skills are now essential in the age of AI. What you’ll learn How AI supports every phase of the research workflow: planning, execution, and activation The role of prompt engineering in getting better insights from AI tools Why synthetic users and synthetic data can't yet replace real human participants What researchers are gaining—and potentially losing—by relying on AI The current limitations of large language models in capturing nuance and variability Practical advice on testing and validating AI tools with known datasets Why transparency, iteration, and responsible experimentation are key Resources & links Mario on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcallegaro/) Amrit on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amritsbhachu/) Callegaro Research (https://callegaroresearch.com/) Quantitative User Experience Association (https://www.quantuxcon.org/) There’s an AI for that (https://theresanaiforthat.com/) Mike 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/4rA1kKW Episode summary: In this episode of Insights Unlocked, host Nathan Isaacs sits down with Mike Mace, Executive Business Strategist at UserTesting, to explore a major shift already underway in the tech landscape: the rise of AI-powered conversational interfaces. Drawing from decades of industry experience, Mike warns that this is not a distant future trend—it's happening now, and it’s reshaping how companies must approach user experience, product design, and customer interaction. What you’ll learn in this episode: Why companies need to stop treating AI as just a feature and start seeing it as a transformational force How conversational interfaces are changing the rules for software UX—much like the shift to graphical interfaces decades ago Why today’s AI tools require testing not only for usability but also for tone, personality, and brand alignment How emotional responses to AI-driven conversations can dramatically impact user trust and satisfaction Simple strategies companies can use today to evaluate and improve their AI experiences Mike also shares practical advice on how to begin adapting to this shift, including how to use tools like ChatGPT to understand user behaviors and preferences in real time. Resources & links Mike on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemace/) Nathan Isaacs on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanisaacs/) Effective AI: how to choose the right generative AI features (https://www.usertesting.com/resources/guides/how-to-choose-generative-ai-features) Designing AI-powered shopping experiences for the next generation of commerce (https://www.usertesting.com/resources/guides/designing-ai-powered-shopping-experiences-ecommerce) Learn more about Insights Unlocked: https://www.usertesting.com/podcast

Episode page: https://bit.ly/44hNGCc Episode description: In this episode of Insights Unlocked, Zoom CMO Kim Storin joins host Johann Wrede for a candid conversation about the realities of leading through transformation. Kim shares why change is harder than most leaders admit and how Zoom is evolving from a company known for meetings to a full multi-product collaboration platform. She also breaks down new Zoom + Deloitte research uncovering surprising gaps in how organizations measure collaboration ROI. From the power of curiosity and calculated risk-taking to the importance of authenticity and community in B2B marketing, Kim offers practical, human-centered guidance for anyone navigating rapid growth or organizational change. Key topics discussed: Why transformation is so challenging: “You can have the greatest strategy in the world, but the culture can make or break it.” Balancing optimism and pragmatism: Kim explains why optimism inspires progress—but only works when paired with realistic planning. Zoom’s evolution beyond meetings: From events to customer support to sales enablement, Zoom is building a more-than-meetings collaboration ecosystem. The collaboration paradox: Workers now spend 25 hours/week on meeting-related tasks—yet companies still struggle to see true productivity and ROI. Community as a competitive edge: Why users proudly say “I’m a Zoom user,” and how brands can build authentic connection at scale. The 3 traits of modern marketing leaders: Curiosity, agility, and the confidence to take calculated risks. Resources and links: Zoom CMO Kim Storin on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlystorin) 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: Nexthttps://www.usertesting.com/podcast

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.