In this episode of Launch With Confidence, Chris sits down with Ciara Peter, SVP of Product at Robin. With leadership experience at Robin, Medallia, Gainsight, and Box, Ciara has spent her career helping SaaS companies navigate market shifts, competitive pressure, and evolving customer expectations.

At Robin, she guided the team through one of the most turbulent eras in workplace software—navigating Covid, the rise of hybrid work, and competition from giants like Microsoft and Zoom. In this conversation, Ciara shares how to rebuild confidence when your product story changes, how to reframe competitors, and why “extreme transparency” is a product leader’s superpower.

If you’re a product manager or product leader facing change, this episode is packed with lessons on leadership, strategy, and staying close to your customers.

In this episode:

(00:00) – Intro: Ciara Peter’s background and Robin’s journey

(01:08) – Helping teams rebuild confidence in a new direction

(01:55) – The explosion of competition during hybrid work

(02:45) – Why Robin shifted from point solutions to a platform

(04:08) – Practicing “extreme transparency” in product leadership

(05:53) – Watching 40 sales calls to uncover patterns

(07:26) – Avoiding the feature factory trap

(09:12) – Balancing multi-year vision with short-term realities

(10:29) – Bridging gaps between old use cases and new direction

(11:56) – Using NPS, analytics, and competitor tracking

(14:17) – Customer advisory boards and in-person empathy

(16:46) – How competitors reveal themselves in new markets

(18:46) – The rise of “vibe coding” and what it means

(20:15) – Guiding sales teams through noisy competition

(22:05) – New personas and motions in platform sales

(24:01) – Making strategy stick inside and outside the org

(26:03) – Testing if the product story really resonates

(28:08) – Why product is a team sport with sales, support, and marketing

(29:12) – Rapid fire: resets, role models, and resources

(32:33) – A product Ciara can’t live without (and why)

(33:22) – Funniest travel mishaps and lessons learned

(35:25) – How Ciara wants her team to feel after a big launch

(36:17) – Closing thoughts and wrap-up

About Our Guest

Ciara Peter is a SaaS Product executive with nearly 20 years of experience leading high performing organizations from Series A to $5B+ in annual revenue. Ciara currently oversees Product and Design at Robin, a leader in workplace management, and has also led world class organizations at Medallia, Gainsight, Box, Betterworks, and Salesforce. Ciara’s experience empowers her to uniquely address the needs of enterprises at scale, while incorporating product led growth, AI, and product design fundamentals to increase adoption and expansion across end users.

In this episode of Launch With Confidence, Chris Rader sits down with Randy Ford, Director of Product Management at Fidium Fiber. Randy has spent more than 20 years leading product teams across networking, cloud, and security, but what sets him apart is his conviction that the best ideas come from observing customers in their own environments.

From stadiums packed with thousands of devices to small supermarkets with hidden connectivity issues, Randy shares how in-the-wild insights can transform product development, customer trust, and even company strategy.

If you’ve ever wondered how to bridge the gap between product roadmaps and customer reality, this conversation will change the way you think about field research and customer engagement.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why stepping outside of the office uncovers problems no survey ever will
• How to turn onsite observations into product improvements
• Ways to build personas that reflect real environments, not just demographics
• Advice for teams navigating travel restrictions and budgets

00:00 – Introduction to Randy Ford

01:01 – Randy’s role and product management scope

01:41 – Why getting out of the office matters

02:11 – Observations you only see onsite

04:14 – Problem-solving with real-world signals

05:03 – Stories from Western Digital and stadium Wi-Fi challenges

07:16 – Turning field context into product planning

08:19 – Lessons from supermarkets and everyday environments

10:05 – How observations improve customer experience

12:25 – Personas and environmental factors

15:32 – Building vertical profiles for customer segments

15:50 – Advice on connecting with customers in the wild

17:10 – Regional and environmental differences in customer needs

18:43 – Becoming a trusted partner by sharing insights

19:15 – Budgets, travel bans, and scrappy ways to stay close to customers

20:43 – Rapid-fire questions (coffee vs. tea, product mistakes, teams vs. Slack, favorite snacks, dream product

In this episode of Launch With Confidence, Chris Rader sits down with product marketing leader and content creator Natalie Mackay to talk about pre-launch social proof, gathering deep customer insights, and unlocking the hidden go-to-market power of beta programs. Natalie shares actionable ways product marketers can partner with product managers to create messaging that resonates, drive conversions, and build authentic social proof before launch day. We also explore why so many teams overlook beta as a strategic GTM tool, and we wrap up with a fun rapid fire Q&A.

In this episode, Chris Rader welcomes Chip Duval, an experienced Senior Program Manager with expertise at companies like Sonos and Peloton. Chip dives into practical strategies for beta and alpha testing, sharing methods to identify and retain quality testers, collect actionable feedback, and integrate insights for product improvement. He emphasizes the importance of managing both quantitative and qualitative feedback and balancing tester enthusiasm with structured, goal-oriented program design. Chip also discusses the role of tester engagement and the value of a diverse beta pool. With actionable advice on optimizing feedback loops and establishing clear success metrics, this episode offers listeners a roadmap for building impactful testing programs that contribute to long-term product success. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ (0:00) Intro (1:27) Defining what makes a good beta tester: criteria and metrics (2:18) Key tester evaluation metrics: product usage, bug reports, engagement, and survey responses (5:05) Importance of community engagement and tester collaboration (7:17) Balancing diverse tester personalities to get unbiased insights (10:02) Structuring beta tests with intentional tester selection (13:13) Cost-effectiveness and impact of early bug discovery (15:02) Managing large tester pools for actionable, scalable feedback (21:07) Integrating cross-functional insights for effective launches (32:28) Rapid Fire Questions: Quick insights on beta testing best practices ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ⭐️ Ready to beta test your product with Centercode? Sign up for free now and run a beta test today → https://bit.ly/centercode-home

Quick note – The video files didn’t quite cooperate for this episode, so enjoy the audio-only experience. Keith’s wisdom still shines, so don't sleep on this one!

In this episode, Chris Rader sits down with Keith McDonald, Beta Testing Lead at Square, to discuss the art of building beta programs that go beyond just finding bugs. Keith’s career spans more than a decade, including significant roles at Sonos, where he led beta testing for flagship products like the Playbar. Now at Square, he continues to innovate in beta program management, focusing on improving customer experiences and product quality through deep user feedback and strategic testing.

Keith shares his journey, the lessons learned along the way, and his thoughts on building high-performing teams with a blend of technical expertise and customer empathy. He also provides insights into the future of beta testing, including how AI could play a role in enhancing, but not replacing, the human touch in testing. Tune in to hear how beta programs can transform product development and why a focus on user experience is key to success.

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(0:00) - Intro

(3:26) - Early challenges in testing at Sonos, launching the Playbar and other hardware products.

(10:21) - Keith’s transition to Square: Managing beta programs for hardware teams.

(14:10) - Building a beta testing team that balances technical and customer-focused skills.

(19:44) - The importance of user feedback and its role in shaping products.

(28:41) - Going beyond bugs: How to focus on enhancing user experience in beta programs.

(34:14) - Keith’s thoughts on AI’s role in the future of beta testing.

(40:00) - Rapid-fire questions

In this insightful episode of Launch With Confidence, we sit down with Jacob Faarkrog Christensen, the Customer Validation Lead at Bang & Olufsen, to explore the evolving role of AI in beta testing and product development. Jacob shares his journey of implementing AI models into their beta programs, which has significantly improved how they collect and analyze feedback. He delves into the challenges of balancing automation with the need for human interaction, ensuring that testers feel engaged and valued throughout the process. Whether you're interested in the technical aspects of AI or the strategic decisions behind product testing, this episode offers a comprehensive look at how Bang & Olufsen is staying ahead in the competitive high-end audio market.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ (00:00) - Intro (01:13) - Jacob covers his role at Bang & Olufsen, providing an overview of their beta testing program (02:22) - How beta testing influences product launches and shapes customer-focused development (05:29) - Including existing customers versus new potential customers in beta tests (11:08) - AI's impact on removing friction in the beta process, including log analysis and bug tracking (14:28) - How AI enhances the accuracy of feedback by correcting errors and standardizing reports (20:18) - Jacob discusses how AI assists in managing large-scale beta tests with hundreds of participants (30:10) - Balancing AI and human interaction to maintain engagement and ensure meaningful tester experiences (40:01) - The future of AI in beta testing, including automated insights and dependency analysis for bug fixes (42:43) - Rapid-fire questions

On this episode of Launch With Confidence, we dive into the world of smart home products with Danielle Prince, Beta Coordinator at Wyze Labs. Danielle shares her journey from a support agent to leading Wyze’s innovative beta program, detailing the unique strategies and methodologies that drive their success. She explains how Wyze transitioned from decentralized social media-based testing to a structured platform, ensuring comprehensive feedback and resource optimization.

Danielle also highlights the importance of user feedback and the integration of support teams in beta testing. Learn about Wyze's SMART approach to beta testing, which ensures their tests achieve meaningful results for the product team. This episode offers valuable insights into maximizing beta test outcomes, improving product development, and enhancing customer support.

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(0:00) — Intro

(3:40) — Danielle shares her background and role at Wyze.

(4:01) — Insight into Wyze's beta program model and its evolution.

(5:01) — Discussing the SMART approach to beta testing.

(7:20) — The role of the Wizard buddies and support integration.

(8:29) — How product managers and support teams handle feedback.

(10:44) — Transition from social media-based testing to structured beta programs.

(13:12) — Issues with decentralized feedback and the benefits of a standardized testing platform.

(16:29) — How Wyze uses beta test results to improve products and support resources.

(20:40) —The importance of user feedback and maintaining positive tester relationships.

(22:01) — Rapid Fire Questions

Ever wondered how the tech behind baby monitors gets perfected? On this episode of Launch With Confidence, we’re joined by Dylan LeMay, Beta Program Manager at Nanit, who turns real-world chaos into irrefutable insights. As a new dad himself, he blends personal experience with professional expertise to ensure Nanit’s smart baby monitors excel in diverse environments.

In this insightful conversation, Dylan reveals the fascinating behind-the-scenes of beta testing in real homes, dealing with everything from varying crib setups to diverse environmental factors. He shares how his personal journey into parenthood has enriched his professional approach, bringing a deeper level of empathy and understanding to his role. Tune in to hear about the trials and triumphs of refining cutting-edge baby tech, and gain invaluable insights into how meticulous testing can lead to products that parents trust and love.

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(0:00) - Intro

(2:00) - Discussing the significance of testing in diverse environments.

(4:38) - Challenges faced when testing products for babies in different settings.

(7:19) - The importance of beta testing in diverse environments and situations.

(10:41) - Balancing technical issues and user experiences in beta testing.

(13:09) - How test data makes its way back into product development

(14:48) - Recruiting for time-sensitive products and how automation helps keep things on track.

(18:41) - The impact of empathy on beta testing and understanding user pain points.

(23:10) - Collaborative efforts between beta testing and other departments.

(30:58) - Growing a beta program

(41:07) - Lightning round, rapid fire Q&A