The 2 Product Questions Flashcards
Steps for “Design a product” question
- Ask questions to understand the problem and develop a goal
- Provide Structure
- Identify the users and customers
- What are the use cases? Why are they using this product? What are their goals?
- How well is the current product doing for their use cases? Are there obvious weak spots?
- What features would improve those weak spots?
- Wrap it up
What questions do you ask to understand the problem and develop a goal for a “design a product” question?
What is the mission of the organization?
How would this product fit into that?
[Who, what, when, where, why, how]
-Who are the target users?
-What will they use this product for?
-When will they use the product? (e.g. morning, afternoon, evening)
-Where will they use the product? (e.g. while traveling, in bed)
-Why are they using this product? (e.g.)
-How are they using the product? (e.g. app, physical device, etc.)
-What are our constraints?
Sample structure for response
That that I understand the goal, I will first…then, I will…. and finally…..
Considerations for children’s product’s
Children’s products may be used by children, their parents, and their teachers. The parent or the school might be the customer.
Considerations for healthcare products
Healthcare products (including products for people with disabilities) might be used by patients, doctors, and insurance companies
Considerations for sports-related products
Sport related products might be used by athletes and their coaches
Considerations for products for professionals
Products for a professional (e.g. accounting software) might be used by the professional, her assistant, and others in her company
What to do in step 5 of “Design a product” question.
Go through each use case and assess how well the current products or solutions address those. What are the user’s biggest issues with the product? These are the areas you will focus your design on.
Steps for “Improving a product” question
1: Ask questions to understand the problem
2: What problems does the product face?
3: How would you solve this problem?
4: How would you implement these solutions?
5: How would you validate your solution?
What to do in step 1 of “Improve a product” question
First, you need to understand the product’s ultimate goal. What problems is it solving for the user?
What to do in step 2 of “Improve a product” question
Assess the problems that the product faces.
Does it need to expand its user base?
Does it need to increase revenue?
Does it need to increase user engagement?
Does it need to increase conversions from visitors to registered users?
To assess this, think about how the product is currently designed. What does the product appear to prioritize?
What to do in step 3 of “Improve a product” question
Brainstorm a few ways you might solve this problem and discuss the pros and cons of each.
What to do in step 4 of “Improve a product” question
What are the bigger technical or business challenges? How could you reduce the costs or risks associated with the solution?
What to do in step 5 of “Improve a product” question
A good PM will prioritize validating his solution.
Steps to a “Favorite product” question
1: What problems does the product solve for the user? And what is its goal?
2: How does the product accomplish these goals? What makes it “neat”? What makes users fall in love with the product?
3: How does it compare to the alternatives (whether physical or digital)?
4: How would you improve it?
