The
Product Insights & Consumer Experience Manager will serve as the voice of the customer throughout Lasko's product development process, ensuring consumer feedback directly shapes products before they reach production. This role will partner closely with Product Management, Engineering, Industrial Design, Category Management, and Quality to identify opportunities, uncover potential product shortcomings, and influence prototype development before tooling investments are made and throughout the product lifecycle.
Success in this role will be measured by the ability to proactively identify consumer pain points, influence product improvements early in development, and help launch products that consistently achieve
4.7+ star ratings, reduced return rates, and industry-leading customer satisfaction.
Primary ResponsibilitiesConsumer & Product Intelligence- Own the analysis of consumer reviews, retailer feedback, warranty claims, returns, customer service contacts, and competitive products to identify recurring product issues.
- Utilize tools to translate thousands of consumer comments into prioritized opportunities for product improvement.
- Develop "Voice of the Customer" reports highlighting the biggest drivers of positive and negative reviews.
- Identify unmet consumer needs that create opportunities for differentiated product innovation.
- Build predictive insights around what consumers will value before products reach market.
Prototype Development & Product Validation- Partner with Product Management, Engineering, and Industrial Design.
- Influence prototype iterations by validating the consumer journey for ergonomics, usability, features, controls, noise levels, assembly, aesthetics, packaging, and overall customer experience.
- Conduct concept testing, in-home usage testing, prototype evaluations, and consumer feedback sessions before tooling begins.
- Identify potential causes of low customer ratings before products enter production.
- Recommend product enhancements that improve ease of use, perceived quality, and consumer satisfaction while balancing cost and manufacturability.
Ratings & Review Leadership- Establish a company-wide process for analyzing retailer reviews across Amazon, Walmart, Costco, Home Depot, Lowe's, Target, and other key channels.
- Identify recurring issues responsible for 1-, 2-, and 3-star reviews and partner with cross-functional teams to eliminate root causes.
- Create executive dashboards highlighting:
- Top product complaints
- Positive review drivers
- Competitive benchmarking
- Star rating trends
- Warranty and return drivers
- Measure the effectiveness of product improvements by tracking changes in star ratings, review sentiment, and customer satisfaction.
Cross-Functional Product Influence- Serve as the consumer advocate during Stage-Gate and product development reviews.
- Challenge assumptions using consumer data to improve product decisions.
- Provide prioritized recommendations before engineering designs are finalized.
- Influence product requirements based on measurable consumer insights instead of anecdotal feedback.
- Present recommendations to executive leadership with clear business impact.
What Success Looks LikeSuccess in this role is measured by business outcomes rather than research activity:
- New products consistently launch with a target average rating of 7 stars or higher across key retail channels.
- Consumer issues are identified and resolved during prototype development before tooling and production begin.
- Product teams proactively use Voice of Customer insights throughout the development process.
- Recurring causes of low ratings, warranty claims, and product returns are systematically eliminated from future products.
- Consumer insights directly influence product requirements, feature prioritization, industrial design decisions, and engineering tradeoffs.
- Executive leadership relies on consumer intelligence to prioritize investments and innovation.
- Lasko establishes a repeatable process that turns ratings, reviews, and customer feedback into a competitive advantage.
