What does it take to build products and experiences that truly resonate with customers, especially in a world where attention is scarce, data is abundant, and the pace of innovation has never been faster? That question was at the center of a recent guest lecture series delivered by Kristyn Corrigan, Principal and Practice Lead at Applied Marketing Science (AMS), to MBA students at the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Drawing on her over 20 years of consulting experience, Kristyn explored how Voice of the Customer (VOC) methods help organizations uncover deep, unmet customer needs that fuel successful innovation. She also challenged students to think critically about how emerging AI tools are reshaping this process in real time.
Kristyn introduced a next-generation approach to customer insights powered by a supervised, finetuned large language model (LLM) built specifically for VOC. Unlike generic AI tools, this model can rapidly extract rich, solution-agnostic customer needs from interviews, reviews, and other text sources. It reduces bias, accelerates analysis, and gives innovators clearer direction at the front end of product development.
Through case studies and discussion, students saw how AI-augmented VOC enables teams to:
- Move from raw feedback to strategic insight in a fraction of the time
- Identify opportunities for meaningful differentiation
- Make faster, more confident innovation decisions
As AI transforms how companies listen to and learn from customers, tomorrow’s leaders will need to pair human judgment with powerful analytical tools. Kristyn’s session highlighted exactly that opportunity and encouraged future innovators to “listen smarter” to build products that truly matter.
About Kristyn Corrigan
Kristyn Corrigan is a principal at Applied Marketing Science (AMS), where she leads the firm’s Insights for Innovation practice. With over 20 years of consulting experience, she helps B2B and consumer-facing companies use customer insights to develop more successful products, services, and experiences. Kristyn is a recognized leader in advancing VOC methods, including pioneering the use of AI-powered techniques to uncover customer needs with greater speed, depth, and scale. Learn more by reading her bio.