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:

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  Innovation-ish website – https://innovation-ish.com

  
  


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  Tessa Forshaw on LinkedIn –https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessaforshaw/

  
  


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  Rich Braden on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardcoxbraden/

  
  


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  Jason Giles on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaygiles/

  
  


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  Harvard Next Level Lab – https://nextlevellab.gse.harvard.edu

  
  


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

  
  


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  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.