Insights Unlocked

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

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

Episode summary:In this episode of Insights Unlocked, host Jason Giles sits down with design leadership coach Andy Polaine to explore what it really means to be a designer in an age of AI, speed, and constant delivery pressure. Drawing on decades of experience across design, education, and coaching, Andy unpacks the hidden cost of prioritizing efficiency over creativity—and why the most impactful work often comes from slowing down.

Andy introduces the concept of “noodling”—intentional exploration and experimentation—and explains why it’s essential for deeper thinking, better design outcomes, and meaningful innovation. He also dives into the “design leadership dip,” a common identity shift designers face as they move into leadership roles and away from hands-on craft.

The conversation challenges the industry’s obsession with speed, highlighting how over-reliance on tools and automation can lead to homogenized work, shallow thinking, and a loss of human connection. Andy and Jason also discuss how AI is reshaping design workflows, why it should be used with intention rather than as a shortcut, and how leaders can create space for creativity without sacrificing quality.

Ultimately, this episode is a call to return to the core of design: understanding people, thinking deeply, and creating with purpose—not just speed.

You’ll learn:


Why slowing down can lead to better design and stronger outcomes


What “noodling” is—and why experimentation is critical to creativity


How the “design leadership dip” impacts identity and confidence


The risks of over-optimizing for speed, efficiency, and AI-driven output


Why human connection and observation still matter in research and design


How leaders can create space for exploration without losing momentum


What it really means to be a designer in a rapidly evolving tech landscape

Resources & links:


Andy Polaine website: https://www.polaine.com/


Service Design: From Insight to Implementation (https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/service-design-second-edition/)


Andy Polaine on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/)


Andy’s newsletter (https://newsletter.polaine.com/)


Andy’s podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/power-of-ten-with-andy-polaine/id1525087545)


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/4d9cvE4

Episode summary

In this episode of Insights Unlocked, Nathan Isaacs sits down with Gainsight SVP and UnChurned host Josh Schachter to explore how AI is transforming customer success—from scaling feedback collection to redefining retention as an outcome-driven discipline. Drawing on his journey from product leader to “relational founder,” Josh shares why building authentic relationships is still a competitive edge, even in an AI-first world, and how teams can combine human insight with agentic workflows to better understand, prove, and deliver customer value.

What you’ll learn


Why customer success is shifting from SaaS to “retention as a service”


How AI enables teams to capture and synthesize customer feedback at scale


What separates high-performing customer success teams from the rest


Why strong customer relationships still matter more than ever in an AI-driven world


How to build effective agentic workflows (and common pitfalls to avoid)


What the “retention apocalypse” means—and how to stay ahead of it


How product, UX, and marketing teams can directly impact retention


Why high-quality customer conversations are the foundation of effective AI

Resources & links


Josh Schachter on LinkedIn (
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/)


Gainsight (
https://www.gainsight.com/)


Gainsight’s Atlas (
https://www.gainsight.com/solutions/ai/)


UnChurned podcast and newsletter (
https://unchurned.gainsight.com/)


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