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Episode web page: https://bit.ly/4ddeZlN Episode summary In this episode of Insights Unlocked, Nathan Isaacs talks with media futurist and author Jack Myers about how leaders can embrace AI without outsourcing the distinctly human qualities that drive better decisions, stronger customer relationships, and meaningful experiences. Drawing from his book Your Third Brain, Jack explores how human intelligence and machine intelligence can work together to expand what people are capable of—not replace human thinking. Jack argues that one of the biggest risks of AI isn’t simply that machines are getting smarter, but that people may begin outsourcing judgment, curiosity, creativity, memory, and discernment to them. He explains the concept of the “third brain”: an intelligence that emerges when human experience, intuition, values, empathy, and imagination combine with AI’s speed, scale, knowledge, and ability to recognize patterns. The conversation also explores what the media industry’s decades of technological disruption can teach today’s product, marketing, UX, and CX leaders. Jack warns against gaining efficiency at the expense of the customer relationship, particularly as organizations increasingly turn to AI, synthetic research, and automated customer interactions. Nathan and Jack discuss why real human feedback remains essential even as AI becomes better at predicting behavior. Synthetic customers can help explore possibilities and prepare better questions, Jack says, but real people provide the context, emotion, contradictions, and unexpected insights that can reveal whether an organization is solving the right problem in the first place. Finally, they explore empathy as a practical leadership skill and how organizations can reinvest the time AI saves into listening, curiosity, creativity, and deeper human understanding. Jack encourages leaders to define the human outcome before choosing the technology—and to measure not only productivity, but also trust, well-being, and whether technology is strengthening or diminishing human capabilities. You’ll learn Why Jack believes AI should expand human intelligence rather than replace human thinking What the “third brain” is and how human and machine intelligence can complement each other Why outsourcing judgment, curiosity, creativity, and discernment to AI creates risks for organizations What the media industry can teach leaders about protecting direct customer relationships Why synthetic research can support—but shouldn’t replace—feedback from real people How empathy and human context can lead to better decisions and customer experiences How leaders can balance AI-enabled speed and efficiency with deeper human understanding Why organizations should measure trust and human capabilities alongside productivity Resources and links Jack Myers’ website: http://www.jackmyers.com/ Jack Myers’ books, including Your Third Brain: https://jackmyersbooks.com/ 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/4hjhw0g Episode summary In this special episode of Insights Unlocked, host Nathan Isaacs sits down with CEO Eric Johnson and Chief Marketing Officer Johann Wrede to introduce Auros, the new parent brand for UserTesting, and explore why the company is expanding its focus as AI reshapes how products and experiences are built. Eric and Johann explain why the UserTesting name no longer captured the full scope of the company’s ambitions. While UserTesting and User Interviews will continue serving the research, UX, and insights communities, Auros reflects a broader mission: bringing human intelligence into the development, training, testing, and evaluation of AI. They also share the story behind the Auros name and why the company believes its network of more than 7.5 million people can play a larger role in an AI-enabled world. You’ll learn: Why UserTesting is becoming part of a new parent brand, Auros What the Auros name represents and why the company chose a broader identity Why UserTesting and User Interviews will remain important parts of the business How AI is shifting the experience question from usability to trust Why human judgment and expertise matter when training and evaluating AI How a global network of more than 7.5 million people could support AI development What the evolution means for UX researchers, designers, product teams, and other enterprise leaders Why Eric and Johann see human intelligence as an essential part of building safer, more trustworthy AI Resources & links:  Auros Eric Johnson on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ebjohnson1/) 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/resources/podcast)

Episode web page: https://bit.ly/4AkBzTc Episode summary: In this episode of Insights Unlocked, host Jennifer Artabane talks with Ranjitha Kumar, UserTesting’s Chief Scientist, and Jason Giles, UserTesting’s Vice President of Customer Intelligence, about a question that becomes more important as AI makes it easier for anyone to create: How do you know whether what you’ve created is actually good? Ranjitha and Jason explore the increasingly important role of human expertise, taste, craft, and judgment in an AI-powered workplace. They discuss why powerful AI tools can produce very different results depending on the expertise of the person using them, and why knowing how to interrogate, critique, and improve AI-generated work matters as much as knowing how to generate it. The conversation also examines AI’s ability to quickly get teams from zero to 80%—and why the remaining 20% may become a critical source of differentiation. Ranjitha and Jason share how leaders can help the next generation develop judgment without using AI to bypass the experiences that build expertise, and why curiosity, critique, experimentation, and uniquely human perspectives will remain essential as AI reshapes how we work. You’ll learn: Why expertise matters even more when powerful AI tools are available to everyone How taste differs from expertise—and why personal experience helps shape it Why AI-generated output still requires human judgment, critique, and attention How the final 20% of craft can differentiate experiences in a “sea of sameness” How AI can be used to strengthen learning and critique instead of shortcutting them Why the ability to evaluate and improve work may become as important as the ability to create it Why curiosity and uniquely human experiences remain valuable skills in an AI-powered world Resources and links Ranjitha Kumar on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ranjithaskumar/) Jason Giles on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaygiles/) Jennifer Artabane on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jartabane/) AI-related resources on UserTesting (https://www.usertesting.com/blog/ai-resources-human-insight) Learn more about Insights Unlocked: https://www.usertesting.com/podcast

Episode web page: https://bit.ly/4ywaHhh Episode summary In this episode of Insights Unlocked, Mike Mace, Director of Solution Marketing at UserTesting, talks with veteran product leader, author, and executive coach Rich Mironov about what AI-powered development really means for product teams—and why dramatically faster coding doesn’t automatically translate into better products, happier customers, or more revenue. Rich argues that as AI removes engineering constraints, the bigger challenge becomes deciding what is actually worth building. He explores the risks of “cognitive surrender,” where teams equate faster output with better outcomes, and explains why product management, UX research, customer discovery, business judgment, and taste become more important—not less—as organizations gain the ability to build at unprecedented speed. He also challenges the growing enthusiasm for synthetic users, warning that plausible AI-generated feedback can reinforce what teams already believe rather than uncover the unexpected insights that emerge from conversations with real customers. The conversation also examines why “10x coding speed” won’t produce 10x revenue, how AI shifts bottlenecks from engineering toward customer adoption and go-to-market execution, and why product managers may need to become more “barbell shaped”—spending more time understanding meaningful customer problems at the front end and turning products into business results at the other. Rich also shares ideas from his book Money Stories, including why product teams need to communicate the financial value of their work in language executives understand. You’ll learn Why faster AI-assisted coding doesn’t necessarily create better products or more revenue How “cognitive surrender” can cause teams to prioritize output over customer and business outcomes Why human discovery, judgment, empathy, and taste become more valuable as building gets easier The risks of replacing conversations with real customers with synthetic users Why product waste is fundamentally different from engineering waste How AI shifts product bottlenecks toward discovery, customer adoption, sales, and go-to-market execution Why product managers may need to become more “barbell shaped” in an AI-driven environment How “money stories” can help product teams connect their work to revenue and business impact Resources and links Rich on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/richmironov/) Rich’s Product Bytes (https://www.mironov.com/) and Substack (https://richmironov.substack.com/)  The Art of Product Management (https://www.amazon.com/Art-Product-Management-Lessons-Innovator/dp/1439216061) Money Stories: Communicating the Value of Product Work (https://www.amazon.com/Money-Stories-Communicating-Value-Product-ebook/dp/B0GJTS2CW6) Our past interview with Rich on product waste and how to prevent it (https://www.usertesting.com/blog/how-prevent-product-waste) 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/resources/podcast)

Episode web page: https://bit.ly/4cqygzK Episode summary:  In this episode of Insights Unlocked, host Jason Giles talks with Roger Wong, former Head of Design at BuildOps and an independent design consultant whose career spans Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, and startups, about what AI is (and isn’t) changing about product design.  Roger says that while AI can dramatically accelerate how teams research, prototype, and build, the fundamentals remain the same: understand the customer, solve the right problem, and use strong judgment to turn insights into better outcomes. Drawing on his work at BuildOps, Roger shares how his team stays close to commercial contractors and field technicians to uncover problems AI alone can’t see. He describes how observing technicians in their real working environments led to an AI-powered visit summaries feature that lets technicians dictate notes after a job, reducing the burden of typing after a long day in the field. The lesson: customers may not be asking for AI—they want reliable products that solve real problems, and trust has to be earned before teams introduce more ambitious AI experiences. Roger and Jason also explore how AI is reshaping the design process itself. Faster prototyping can tighten customer feedback loops and improve collaboration with engineers, but generating more output doesn’t necessarily create a better product. Roger discusses why teams need to measure outcomes rather than velocity, why people must take ownership of AI-generated work, and why craft, empathy, systems thinking, and judgment are becoming even more important as AI tools become widely available. The conversation closes with a challenge for design and product leaders: treat AI as a new design material and experiment with it firsthand without abandoning the foundational skills that make great designers great. Roger also raises an emerging concern for the profession—how junior designers will develop those skills and judgment if AI increasingly takes over the “grunt work” that traditionally helped early-career designers learn their craft. You’ll learn Why faster product development doesn’t necessarily lead to better customer outcomes How firsthand customer research can uncover AI opportunities teams might otherwise miss Why trust starts with reliability—not flashy AI features How AI is accelerating prototyping and tightening customer feedback loops Why teams need human ownership and judgment over AI-generated work What skills Roger looks for in designers as AI tools become ubiquitous Why design leaders should treat AI as a new material and experiment with it themselves How AI could reshape the way the next generation of designers develops its craft Resources and links Roger Wong on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogerwong/ ) RogerWong.me (http://RogerWong.me ) Roger Wong’s Substack newsletter (https://newsletter.rogerwong.me/ ) Jason Giles on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaygiles/ ) Learn more about Insights Unlocked at UserTesting.com/podcast

Episode web page: https://bit.ly/4gt1TTy Episode summary: In this episode of Insights Unlocked, Nathan Isaacs sits down with UserTesting Chief Scientist Ranjitha Kumar and Vice President of Customer Intelligence Jason Giles to explore how AI is reshaping the product development lifecycle—and what happens when the traditional boundaries between designers, engineers, and product teams begin to blur. Ranjitha and Jason discuss how AI is making it easier for people to move beyond their functional lanes, from designers building working prototypes to engineers taking a more active role in design. But greater access to the tools doesn’t eliminate the need for expertise. As building becomes faster and cheaper, they argue that craft, judgment, decision-making, and understanding what customers actually need may become even more valuable. The conversation also explores how teams can use AI to accelerate experimentation and learning without simply creating more things, why human feedback remains critical as organizations test new AI experiences, and where AI still falls short. Ranjitha and Jason also weigh in on AI slop, agentic AI and guardrails, and why teams should stay mindful about where AI genuinely improves their work—and where it may actually slow them down. You’ll learn: How AI is blurring the traditional boundaries between design and engineering Why expertise and craft still matter when anyone can create prototypes and code How AI could enable smaller, more collaborative product teams Why faster execution makes decision-making and customer understanding more important How teams can turn faster prototyping into faster learning and experimentation Why AI won’t necessarily accelerate every part of the product development process How human judgment, guardrails, and customer feedback can help teams use AI responsibly Resources and links Ranjitha Kumar on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ranjithaskumar/) Jason Giles on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaygiles/) 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/4qpHthC Episode summary: In this episode of Insights Unlocked, Lija Hogan chats with Nick Cawthon, founder of Gauge and a veteran UX researcher, designer, and strategist, about what happens to UX research when AI makes it dramatically faster and easier to build digital experiences. Nick explains why speed alone isn’t a competitive advantage. As AI accelerates prototyping and product development, teams need the humility to test, iterate, and make sure they’re solving the right problems—not simply moving faster in the wrong direction. That makes human insight and strategic research more important, not less. The conversation explores where AI can create meaningful efficiencies in research, from transcription and tagging to indexing qualitative data, and where Nick believes humans should remain firmly in the loop. He also shares how researchers can make insights more accessible across an organization, demonstrate their connection to business outcomes, and evolve from gatekeepers of research into educators and strategic partners. Finally, Nick offers advice for researchers thinking about the future of their profession: learn the new tools, invest in human connection, and make yourself indispensable by becoming the connective tissue between customers, product teams, designers, engineers, and business leaders. You’ll learn: Why faster product development makes human insight even more important How AI can help teams prototype, test, and iterate at greater speed Where AI can eliminate tedious research work—and where human connection still matters Why researchers need to look beyond tactical usability questions to the broader customer experience How research repositories can make customer insights more accessible to leaders and teams Ways UX researchers can connect their work to business outcomes and product metrics Why human connection and cross-functional influence can help researchers future-proof their careers Resources & links Nick Cawthon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickcawthon-ux-digital-agency-product-design-leadership/ Gauge: http://Gauge.io Nick Cawthon’s website: http://nickcawthon.com/ Lija Hogan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lija-hogan-894769/ Learn more about Insights Unlocked: https://www.usertesting.com/podcast

Episode web page: https://bit.ly/4wqOtMn Episode summary In this episode of Insights Unlocked, UserTesting’s Mike Mace sits down with AI product strategist, UX thought leader, and UX for AI author Greg Nudelman to explore how AI is reshaping the role of UX and product professionals—and what teams need to do differently to build AI products that deliver real customer and business value. Greg argues that simply using AI to work faster isn’t enough. As traditional UX tasks become easier to automate, the bigger opportunity is for UX researchers, designers, and product leaders to move upstream: uncover customer needs, frame the right problems, understand how AI systems work, and rapidly validate working concepts with customers. He shares his “snowball sprint” approach, where teams start small and continuously add capabilities only after validating that they’re solving the right problem. The conversation also explores why speed can become a liability when teams rush into AI development without considering real-world consequences. Greg discusses the importance of evaluating ROI and risk before building, including his use of a value matrix to examine what happens when an AI system gets something right—or wrong. For AI products with increasingly consequential actions, customer-centered design and responsible product leadership become more important, not less. Ultimately, Greg believes the companies that succeed with AI will be those that stay focused on customers and use the technology to empower people. For UX and product professionals, that means rediscovering their core strengths in empathy, problem-solving, discovery, and strategic thinking—and applying them to a new generation of AI-powered experiences. You’ll learn: Why UX professionals need to move beyond simply using AI to make existing workflows faster How customer discovery and strategic problem framing become even more valuable as AI accelerates product development Why Greg believes UX professionals should become AI product and relationship designers, not just interface designers How the “snowball sprint” approach keeps customers involved throughout AI product development Why teams should evaluate AI ROI, risk, and the consequences of incorrect outputs before they build How rapid prototyping and real-world customer feedback can help teams avoid expensive AI product failures What will separate the companies that succeed with AI from those that fall behind Resources & links Greg Nudelman on LinkedIn UX for AI book UX for AI website Greg’s “Iceberg UX” post Mike Mace on LinkedIn Learn more about Insights Unlocked: usertesting.com/podcast

Episode web page: https://bit.ly/4hS9ls9 Episode summary In this episode of Insights Unlocked, Rachel Blackburn sits down with Marc Majers, Head of User Research at Progressive Insurance, UX educator, author, and host of the UX Pathways podcast, to explore what separates great user experiences from merely functional ones. Drawing on more than two decades in UX, Marc shares how empathy, curiosity, and continuous learning have shaped his career—and why understanding people remains the foundation of effective design, even as AI rapidly transforms the industry. Marc discusses how UX professionals can thoughtfully integrate AI into their workflows without losing sight of the human perspective, why organizations should view UX as a strategic business advantage rather than a design function, and how speaking the language of business helps teams demonstrate measurable impact. He also offers his perspective on synthetic users, the future of AI-powered experiences, and why testing should become an organization's default mindset. The conversation wraps with an unexpected look at the parallels between UX and Marc's work as a wedding DJ, revealing how both disciplines rely on understanding human behavior, anticipating needs, and designing experiences that keep people engaged. You'll learn: Why empathy and curiosity remain the most important skills in UX—even in the age of AI How UX professionals can adopt AI thoughtfully without replacing human judgment Practical ways to communicate the business value of UX to executives and stakeholders Why continuous testing creates better products and stronger organizational cultures How synthetic users can complement—but not replace—real customer research Why the future of UX depends on balancing technological innovation with human-centered design What designing great digital experiences has in common with keeping a wedding dance floor full Resources & links Marc Majers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmajers/ UX Pathways: https://www.uxpathways.com/ Rachel Blackburn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/racheleblackburn/ Learn more about Insights Unlocked: https://www.usertesting.com/podcast

Episode web page: https://bit.ly/4besnoH Episode summary AI can summarize customer feedback in seconds—but can it truly understand what customers mean? In this episode of Insights Unlocked, Jason Giles sits down with Chui Chui Tan, cultural strategist, founder of Beyō Global, and author of Research for Global Growth and International User Research, to explore why the biggest challenge in AI-powered customer research isn't analyzing data—it's interpreting it. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience conducting research across more than 50 markets, Chui Chui explains why themes like "trust," "convenience," and "it's too expensive" can mean entirely different things depending on cultural context. She argues that while AI excels at identifying patterns, human researchers remain essential for uncovering the motivations behind those patterns and translating them into better business decisions. The conversation explores how global teams can avoid costly misinterpretations, why translation alone isn't enough for international research, and how slowing down at the right moments can lead to more accurate insights—even in an AI-driven world. You'll learn: Why AI has shifted the research bottleneck from synthesis to interpretation How cultural context changes the meaning behind common customer feedback Why recurring themes aren't the same as actionable customer insights How to uncover the real drivers behind comments like "it's too expensive" or "I don't trust it" Why translation alone can't capture cultural meaning in global research A practical framework for moving from AI-generated signals to better business decisions How research teams can build simple checks into AI-assisted workflows to avoid costly mistakes Resources & links: Chui Chui Tan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuichuitan/ Beyō Global: https://beyo.global/ Research for Global Growth: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Research-Global-Growth-Strategies-Cross-Cultural/dp/1068601701 Chui Chui Tan on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chuichuitan Jason Giles on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaygiles/ Learn more about Insights Unlocked: https://www.usertesting.com/podcast

Episode web page: https://bit.ly/4fsY5jb Episode summary What does it really mean for UX research to have "a seat at the table"? According to Paul Humphrey, head of UX Research Practice at Next, it has less to do with presenting to executives and more to do with helping the people making product decisions achieve measurable business outcomes. In this episode of Insights Unlocked, host Amrit Bhachu sits down with Paul to discuss how he transformed UX research at Next from a reactive support function into a strategic driver of product and e-commerce decisions. Paul shares how empowering designers to conduct their own research, aligning studies with business metrics, and building relationships with stakeholders helped the team dramatically increase research adoption while demonstrating clear business impact. The conversation explores what it takes to prove the value of UX research, including a case study that contributed to reducing call center training and handling times, resulting in an estimated £2.75 million in savings. Paul also explains why researchers need to speak the language of the business—not just the language of usability—and why understanding stakeholder goals is often more important than delivering another research report. Finally, Paul and Amrit discuss the growing role of AI in UX research. Paul shares how Next is using AI to accelerate workflows while maintaining rigorous validation and quality standards, why researchers should embrace experimentation, and how curiosity remains the most valuable skill in an AI-powered future. You'll learn: What "having a seat at the table" actually means for UX researchers How to align UX research with business goals and stakeholder metrics Ways to demonstrate the business impact and ROI of UX research Why empowering designers to conduct research helps research scale How to build stronger partnerships with product and business leaders Lessons from Next's transformation from reactive to strategic research Practical approaches to measuring research success with business outcomes How AI is accelerating UX research while preserving quality and trust Why curiosity and adaptability are essential skills for the future of UX research Resources & links Paul Humphrey on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-humphrey-7865a570/) Next (https://www.next.co.uk/) Amrit Bhachu on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amritsbhachu/) 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/4fjSOKR Episode summary: In this episode of Insights Unlocked, Mike Mace chats with Chase Keaten, senior research manager at Walmart, about the tension shaping how researchers, designers, and builders are learning to work with AI. Chase shares why he thinks the sharpest divide in tech right now isn't about tools—it's about two competing mindsets: an "always push forward" view of AI and a more cautious, human-centered one. He explains why holding both views at once, rather than picking a side, tends to lead to better decisions. The conversation also digs into the much-hyped "builder model," where one person plus a stack of AI agents is expected to replace a whole product team. Chase makes the case for why healthy conflict between humans—not simulated conflict from AI—is often what actually makes products better. He and Mike also explore why trust, not usability, may be the real currency of agentic AI, and Chase closes with practical advice for researchers and designers under pressure to "do something with AI" right now. You'll learn: Why two opposing views of AI—full-speed-ahead and human-centered caution—can coexist productively Why the "builder model" struggles to replicate the healthy conflict that makes products better How AI is reshaping design work, and why speed often comes at the cost of context and novelty Why trust, not usability, is becoming the key metric for agentic AI How a "personalization butler" could change the relationship between retailers and customers Practical advice for researchers and designers who feel pressure to use AI without a clear plan Resources & links Chase Keaton on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasekeaten/) 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/4fvszkT Episode summary: In this episode of Insights Unlocked, Nathan Isaacs sits down with three UserTesting voices—Lija Hogan, Amrit Bhachu, and Mike Mace—for a roundtable on the conversations they're hearing most often from enterprise leaders in the back half of 2026. Drawing on months of customer calls and industry events, the group unpacks where AI is actually changing how teams work, where the hype has gotten ahead of reality, and why human judgment keeps showing up as the differentiator no matter how capable the models get. The conversation moves from the "next bottleneck" debate—is it code, is it customers?—to the growing skills gap facing junior researchers and designers, the fading subsidies behind "token maxing," and why AI in the loop, not human in the loop, might be the better way to think about accountability. They also dig into agentic AI and the emerging question of whether customers will engage brands directly or through their own AI "info butler," why testing the personality and relationship of an AI product matters as much as testing its accuracy, and what leaders should actually prioritize as they head into 2027. You'll learn: Why "what's the next bottleneck" is dividing opinion among AI's loudest voices How shrinking model subsidies are forcing leaders to rethink where AI actually saves money Why the panel prefers "AI in the loop" over "human in the loop" How agentic AI and MCP could reshape whether customers deal with your brand or their own AI assistant Why evaluating the personality and relationship of an AI product matters as much as evaluating its correctness What UX research and design teams should prioritize in the second half of 2026 Resources & links Lija Hogan on LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/lija-hogan-894769/) Amrit Bhachu on LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/amritsbhachu/) 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/4vcJe2e Episode summary: In this episode of Insights Unlocked, Nathan Isaacs sits down with Matt Howland, president and chief product/engineering officer at Cordial and chair of the working group behind the Shopper Context Protocol (SCP), to unpack what's really at stake as AI agents start shopping on our behalf. Drawing on his years on both the vendor and retailer sides of martech, Matt explains why SCP was created to keep brands from being cut out of the customer relationship as agent commerce protocols like ACP and UCP take hold. Matt walks through why "context-less transactions" are a problem for both shoppers and brands, why he believes standards like SCP need to preserve loyalty and intent rather than flatten every purchase into a generic transaction, and why he's optimistic that customer behavior—not platform incentives—will ultimately steer where these protocols land. The conversation also covers what Cordial is building as a customer context engine for brands like Levi's and Abercrombie, and closes with practical advice for leaders who want to start experimenting with AI internally before standards like SCP fully take shape. You'll learn: What the Shopper Context Protocol is and why Matt's working group built it Why "context-less transactions" break the shopping experience for both brands and customers How SCP relates to competing agent commerce protocols like ACP and UCP What's at risk for retailers and loyalty programs if they don't engage with emerging standards How Cordial uses AI to turn unstructured customer data into a "fiber uplink" of intent One practical step leaders can take today to prepare their organizations for agentic commerce Resources & links Matt Howland on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mhowland/) Cordial (https://cordial.com/) Shopper Context Protocol website (https://shoppercontextprotocol.io/) Nathan Isaacs on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanisaacs/) Learn more about Insights Unlocked: https://www.usertesting.com/podcast

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