Design a Product to Simplify Bag Check-In for Frequent Business Travelers

Your interviewer says they travel often for work and keep running into problems when checking in their luggage. You are the product manager: design a product that solves this traveler's luggage check-in problems. Treat the interviewer as a representative user you can question, then generalize to a wider group of travelers like them. ```hint Follow the bag Trace the bag's journey from the moment the traveler leaves the hotel, office or home until it is accepted for the trip. At which steps does a frequent business traveler lose time, money or certainty? ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Which part of check-in hurts most: queuing at the counter or bag drop, surprise weight and size fees, a drop cutoff that forces an early arrival, or worry that the bag will not arrive? - Is this about checking bags for flights, and are the trips mostly domestic, or international with connections where bags sometimes have to be collected and checked again? - Why check a bag at all rather than carry it on: trip length, equipment or samples, or cabin size limits? - Are we building this as an independent product, for an airline, or for an airport, and can we assume we can partner with airlines? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - Clarifies which check-in pains are meant and maps the bag's journey step by step, rather than jumping straight to an app idea. - Picks a specific segment of business travelers and explains why time and predictability matter more to them than price. - Generates several distinct solutions and prioritizes them on traveler impact against feasibility, including the need for airline or airport cooperation and baggage security rules. - Success metrics tied to time saved and reliability, with guardrails such as mishandled bags and fee disputes. - Risks and a staged launch plan, for example partner dependency, liability for bags in the product's custody, and travelers' habit of avoiding checked bags. ### Follow-up Questions - No airline agrees to integrate in the first year. What can your product still deliver? - How would you show the product saved the traveler time rather than moving the wait to a different step, such as baggage claim? - Who should pay: the traveler, the employer's travel program, or the airline, and how does that change the design?