Design experiments and diagnose metric changes

Quick Overview

This question evaluates product analytics and experimentation skills, including experiment design, metric framework definition, causal reasoning, diagnostic analysis, and marketplace operations trade-offs within the Analytics & Experimentation domain.

Design experiments and diagnose metric changes

Company: Meta

Role: Product Analyst

Category: Analytics & Experimentation

Difficulty: easy

Interview Round: Technical Screen

You are a Product/Data Scientist at a food-delivery marketplace (customers, dashers/couriers, merchants). Answer the following product analytics & experimentation prompts. ## Scenario A — “Top Dasher” program change The company is considering a change to the **Top Dasher** program (a set of incentives/benefits intended to improve dasher supply and delivery quality). 1. List **pros/cons** of launching or expanding such a program. 2. Define a **metric framework** for evaluation: - Primary success metric(s) - Diagnostic metrics - Guardrails (e.g., cost, quality, fairness) 3. What is the **randomization unit** for an experiment (dasher vs market vs time vs geo), and why? Discuss trade-offs like interference/spillovers. ## Scenario B — Your test metric is worse than control In an A/B test, the primary metric is **lower in treatment than control**. 1. What are the first checks you do before concluding the change is harmful? 2. How do you decide whether to stop, continue, or iterate the experiment? 3. What follow-up analyses help you understand *why* it got worse? ## Scenario C — Order cancellation rate is high The **order cancellation rate** has increased substantially. 1. How do you diagnose the problem end-to-end (data + product)? 2. Which **orgs/systems** (merchant ops, courier ops, pricing, dispatch, support, payments, app reliability, etc.) are likely impacted? 3. Propose hypotheses for root causes and describe how you would **test** them (experiments or quasi-experiments). ## Scenario D — Merchant promotions: self-serve vs auto setup The company is deciding between: - **Self-serve promotions:** merchants configure their own discounts/promotions, or - **Auto setup:** the platform automatically recommends/sets promotions. 1. Compare **pros/cons** for merchants, customers, and the platform. 2. Propose an **experiment plan** (success metrics, guardrails, duration). 3. Choose a **randomization unit** and discuss trade-offs (contamination, fairness, heterogeneous effects).

Quick Answer: This question evaluates product analytics and experimentation skills, including experiment design, metric framework definition, causal reasoning, diagnostic analysis, and marketplace operations trade-offs within the Analytics & Experimentation domain.

|Home/Analytics & Experimentation/Meta
Meta logo
Meta
Feb 22, 2026
easyProduct AnalystTechnical ScreenAnalytics & Experimentation
13
0

You are a Product/Data Scientist at a food-delivery marketplace (customers, dashers/couriers, merchants). Answer the following product analytics & experimentation prompts.

Scenario A — “Top Dasher” program change

The company is considering a change to the Top Dasher program (a set of incentives/benefits intended to improve dasher supply and delivery quality).

  1. List pros/cons of launching or expanding such a program.
  2. Define a metric framework for evaluation:
    • Primary success metric(s)
    • Diagnostic metrics
    • Guardrails (e.g., cost, quality, fairness)
  3. What is the randomization unit for an experiment (dasher vs market vs time vs geo), and why? Discuss trade-offs like interference/spillovers.

Scenario B — Your test metric is worse than control

In an A/B test, the primary metric is lower in treatment than control.

  1. What are the first checks you do before concluding the change is harmful?
  2. How do you decide whether to stop, continue, or iterate the experiment?
  3. What follow-up analyses help you understand why it got worse?

Scenario C — Order cancellation rate is high

The order cancellation rate has increased substantially.

  1. How do you diagnose the problem end-to-end (data + product)?
  2. Which orgs/systems (merchant ops, courier ops, pricing, dispatch, support, payments, app reliability, etc.) are likely impacted?
  3. Propose hypotheses for root causes and describe how you would test them (experiments or quasi-experiments).

Scenario D — Merchant promotions: self-serve vs auto setup

The company is deciding between:

  • Self-serve promotions: merchants configure their own discounts/promotions, or
  • Auto setup: the platform automatically recommends/sets promotions.
  1. Compare pros/cons for merchants, customers, and the platform.
  2. Propose an experiment plan (success metrics, guardrails, duration).
  3. Choose a randomization unit and discuss trade-offs (contamination, fairness, heterogeneous effects).
Loading comments...