Design a Product That Helps Households Plan and Reduce Home Upkeep Costs
Company: Meta
Role: Product Manager
Category: Product Design & Strategy
Difficulty: medium
Interview Round: Other
How would you design a product that helps people with the cost of maintaining their home? Say who the product is for, which problem it solves for them, what you would build first, and how you would know it is working.
```hint Not all upkeep costs hurt the same way
Some home costs are routine and predictable, others arrive as sudden emergencies. Ask which kind causes the most pain for the group you pick, and why it happens.
```
### Clarifying Questions
- Does "maintenance cost" mean upkeep and repairs (heating, plumbing, roofing, appliances), recurring utility bills, or both?
- Should the product help people track and plan these costs, actually lower them, or both?
- Is this a standalone product or part of one of the company's existing apps?
- Is it aimed at homeowners only, or also at renters and small landlords?
### What a Strong Answer Covers
- A clear scope for "home maintenance cost" and a goal beyond tracking, such as fewer costly surprises or lower total spend.
- A deliberate choice of user segment, with reasons it beats the alternatives.
- Pain points tied to how upkeep costs actually arise: skipped preventive care, sudden breakdowns, unclear fair prices and hard-to-find trustworthy help.
- A prioritized set of solutions with a focused first version and a reason for its order.
- Success metrics that show money saved or emergencies avoided, with guardrails, plus risks such as estimate accuracy, liability for repair advice and trust in recommended contractors.
### Follow-up Questions
- How would you prove the product saves users money rather than just helping them record what they spend?
- How would you earn revenue without undermining trust in the contractors you recommend?
- If you had to launch inside one of the company's existing apps, which would you choose and why?
Overview: A product design question about building a product that helps households manage the cost of keeping a home in working order. It tests scoping maintenance costs, choosing a target segment, mapping pain points such as surprise repairs and unclear pricing, prioritizing a first version, and defining success metrics with guardrails.