Tessa Forshaw and Rich Braden: "Innovation-ish" and why most innovation doesn’t have to be a moonshot

In this episode of Design Better, hosts Eli Woolery and Aaron Walter welcome Tessa Forshaw, a cognitive scientist, and Rich Braden, a design strategist, to discuss their book 'Innovation-ish'—a framework that challenges the myth of innovation as a rare, moonshot endeavor reserved for geniuses in Silicon Valley. Instead, they argue that innovation is accessible to anyone through small, iterative actions they call 'innovation-ish.' Drawing on neuroscience and learning science, they explore how 'innovation hesitation'—a subconscious amygdala response to uncertainty—holds people back, especially in education and workplace cultures that prioritize conformity over creativity. The conversation critiques traditional design thinking for becoming overly rigid and process-driven, advocating instead for a flexible, mindset-based approach where teams adopt specific mental states (like empathy or generativity) as needed, rather than following a fixed sequence. They emphasize metacognition—the practice of thinking about one’s own thinking—as a critical skill for real-world innovation, especially in messy, dynamic environments. The episode also highlights how everyday innovations, like logistics for massive construction projects or simple prototyping with paper, can be just as transformative as grand moonshots. Finally, they reflect on how AI can serve as a creative enabler when used as a tool for experimentation rather than a solution provider.