Amanda Alexis Wood

Amanda A. Wood PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY Senior Market Research Lead with 18 years delivering custom quantitative and qualitative research that guides product, brand, and experience decisions. Known for strategic insight activation, strong cross-functional partnership, and trusted collaboration with senior stakeholders. Deep experience across A&U, brand and experience tracking, segmentation inputs, message and claims testing, NPS and CSAT tracking, and mixed-methods programs. Also trained in qualitative moderation, including focus groups and in-depth interviews. Delivers clear, actionable insights for organizations such as Bank of America, JPMorgan, Vanguard, MassMutual, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and the CFP Board. CORE CAPABILITIES Custom quantitative and qualitative research • Primary research design and insight activation • A&U, brand health, and experience tracking • Financial services research • Segmentation inputs • Message and claims testing • Qualitative moderation (focus groups + IDIs) • Conjoint and TURF analysis • Claims hierarchy modeling • NPS and customer satisfaction tracking • Cross-functional partnership and stakeholder alignment • Insights synthesis and data storytelling • Research governance and vendor management • Mixed-methods analysis and AI-enabled synthesis • Executive reporting and presentations EXPERIENCE Freelance, Market Research & User Experience Researcher, Concord, MA Jun 2025 - Present • Design custom mixed-methods research including surveys, segmentation inputs, message testing, journey mapping, usability studies, and qualitative interviews for B2B and B2C clients. • Partner with founders and product leads to scope research needs and deliver clear, impact-driving recommendations. • Manage end-to-end business operations including scoping, budgeting, contracting, scheduling, and deliverables. Midea Group – Eureka Floorcare, Consumer Insights Specialist, Market Research & UX, Waltham, MA Dec 2024 - Jun 2025 • Established Eureka’s research framework and socialized it across U.S., China, and Louisville teams, teaching methodology fundamentals to China and strengthening cross-regional research alignment. • Owned the insights budget; scoped research costs, negotiated vendors, and supported annual planning cycles. • Produced claims hierarchies using hybrid A&U + Conjoint methods shaping positioning and product development. • Led A&U work, conjoint, concept tests, and initiated iterative UX research to inform product and launch decisions. • Established recurring CX and UX evaluation cadences improving validation quality and cross-functional alignment. SharkNinja, Consumer Insights Manager, Needham, MA Jun 2024 - Sep 2024 (Contract) • Partnered with product and brand teams throughout NPD to optimize products and refine claims. • Led rapid-turn message and concept testing contributing to a 66% conversion rate in the first three days of launch and shaping creative direction and value proposition refinement. • Conducted TURF and competitive benchmarking informing value proposition refinement and category strategy. • Delivered concise, executive-ready recommendations shaping creative direction and product positioning. Kantar, North American Qualitative Division, Qualitative Research Manager & UX Task Force Lead, Boston, MA Nov 2021 - Feb 2024 • Led qualitative and mixed-methods research for financial and insurance organizations including Vanguard and MassMutual, and for global tech brands including Microsoft, Meta, and Google. • Conducted message, claims, and creative testing across financial services, tech, and CPG categories to guide communication and positioning decisions. • Managed senior client relationships, aligning reporting and presentations with business priorities and key audiences. • Co-led global UXEdge deployment standardizing research approaches, governance, and toolkits. • Moderated focus groups, IDIs, discussion boards, and remote user tests across multiple categories. • Designed an LLM-based taxonomy and AI-assisted coding frameworks that accelerated synthesis and improved consistency in high-volume qualitative programs. Penn Foster Education, Market Research Manager, Boston, MA Feb 2020 - Oct 2020 • Designed the framework and cadence for customer satisfaction tracking informing program, experience, and curriculum strategy. • Led A&U, concept testing, and student journey research shaping product and marketing decisions. • Developed standardized VoC instruments and research artifacts improving insight adoption and access. • Scoped research costs, managed budgets, and partnered with leadership to prioritize research investments. • Developed a junior analyst, improving methodological rigor and workflow efficiency. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Senior Market Research Analyst, Boston, MA Jan 2015 - Jan 2020 • Owned NPS tracking for the CEO and SVP Product Management & Strategy, translating findings into executive recommendations that informed satisfaction and retention initiatives. • Led customer satisfaction tracking including methodology, sampling, reporting, and briefings across product and marketing. • Directed custom UX and market research supporting digital transformation, curriculum development, and go-tomarket planning. • Led A&U, positioning, and message testing studies influencing product and marketing strategy. • Managed project budgets with finance to scope costs, optimize vendor spend, and support annual planning initiatives. • Built DIY qualitative tools and dashboards that increased insight adoption, improved turnaround speed, and strengthened internal decision-making. Earlier Roles (Condensed) Dec 2007 - Dec 2014 • Market Research Analyst roles at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Keystone Strategy, Latitude Research, and Greenwald Research. • Conducted surveys, qualitative research, and tracking support for B2B/B2C clients and financial services providers. EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS No Code AI & Machine Learning: Building Data Science Solutions (Expected Feb 2026) Massachusetts Institute of Technology Certified User Experience Researcher, 2018 Bentley University Certified Focus Group Moderator, 2013 RIVA Training Institute Certified Qualitative Researcher, 2013 Burke Institute B.A. Economics, 2007 Hartwick College TECHNICAL SKILLS Qualtrics • Conjointly • Quantilope • Tableau • SPSS • Excel • PowerPoint • UserTesting • iTracks • Remesh • VoxPopMe • Upsiide • Discuss.io • Hey Marvin • KNIME • AI-enabled analysis • LLM tools • Questionnaire and sampling design • Focus Group Moderation • In-Depth Interviewing