Product design

  1. Clarify the problem
    1. Is this a new product or an improvement to something existing?
    2. What is the product? (functionality, biz model, vision)
    3. Scope down (eg. target market/users, platform, geo)
      1. Think = who? where? what? why? how?
    4. State approach to interviewer = Goals, User(s), Needs, Solutions, Evaluations
  2. Set goals
    1. Product goal (eg. What problem does it solve for users?)
    2. Business goal (eg. Growth, Engagement, Monetization)
  3. Identify user personas (come up with 4-6)
    1. Consider these attributes when brainstorming = age, geo, profession, education level, usage frequency, interests, platform
    2. Evaluate personas using goals, choose 1 persona, and explain rationale for decision
  4. List user needs (5+)
    1. Consider = unmet, painful needs that are non-obvious and don't overlap
    2. On the whiteboard, use this format = [user persona | need | user impact + alignment with goals]
      1. Where user impact/alignment with goal —> High, Medium, Low
    3. Evaluate needs using impact/goal alignment, choose 1-3 need(s), and explain rationale for decision
  5. Brainstorm solutions (3+ per persona)
    1. Consider = goals and user problems at the forefront, trending technologies, creative combinations, and iterating on high-quality existing solutions
    2. On the whiteboard, use this format = [user need | solution | user impact + effort = total]
      1. Where user impact/effort —> High, Medium, Low
    3. Evaluate solutions using user impact/effort, choose 1-3 solution(s), and explain rationale for decision
  6. Solution deep-dive
    1. Come up with a success metric that's aligned with the goal(s)
    2. Evaluate tradeoffs and use data/logic to back-up your decision
    3. Wireframe the solution
  7. Summarize (goals, user, needs, solution, success metric)

Execution

Goal-setting/measuring success

  1. Clarify the problem
    1. What is the product/feature? (functionality, biz model, vision)
    2. Ask for any existing goals or state understanding of current product strategy
    3. State approach to interviewer = Goals, User(s), Metrics, Evaluations
  2. Define goals based on the relevant phase of the product lifecycle (or interviewer's direction)
    1. Product goal (eg. FB Groups aims to be the de facto platform to connect over shared interests)
    2. Business goal (eg. Growth, Engagement, Monetization)
  3. Identify the user(s) and outline their journey
    1. Acknowledge all relevant users (eg. posters and/or viewers)
    2. Choose a user-type to proceed with and explain rationale for decision
    3. List out relevant stages (related to the goals):
      1. For example –
        1. Growth = [Awareness, Acquisition/Activation]
        2. Engagement = [Interaction, Retention]
        3. Monetization = [Revenue]
  4. List metrics per stage (1-2)
    1. Prioritize the metrics (explain their impact against the goals)
  5. Derive "North Star" metric
    1. Remember = must drive the goals, be comprehensible to all stakeholders, and be actionable
      1. It can be a high-level metric (eg. DAU, ARPU, etc) but it can also be a heuristic. Remember not to tweak too much, it must be objective.
    2. Discuss = reach, impact, confidence, and effort