Designing a Discovery Surface for Fast-Rising Photos and the Signals That Detect Them
Company: Meta
Role: Product Manager
Category: Product Design & Strategy
Difficulty: medium
Interview Round: Other
Design a feature that shows people trending photos: a place in the app where they can see the photos that are catching on right now. Explain how you would approach it, from why the feature should exist and whom it serves, through what the first version looks like and how the product decides that a photo is trending, to how you would tell whether it works.
```hint Popular is not the same as trending
Think about what separates a photo that is gaining attention right now from one that has simply collected a lot of likes over time, and about whose attention should count: the whole world, one city, or one interest community.
```
### Clarifying Questions
- Which Meta app and surface would host the feature: Instagram, Facebook, or a new standalone destination?
- What is the main goal: helping people keep up with what is happening right now, helping new creators get discovered, or raising engagement on the host app?
- Should trending be computed globally, by region, or personalized to each person's interests?
- Which photos are eligible: only public posts from accounts allowed in recommendations, or anything people can see, including photos inside multi-image posts?
### What a Strong Answer Covers
- A clear goal, a reasoned choice of host surface, and a focused user segment with real pain points
- A definition of "trending" that separates sudden momentum from photos that are simply popular, with its time window and scope
- A prioritized first version of the experience, with the trade-offs it accepts
- Integrity and privacy protections for content that spreads fast
- Success metrics, guardrails and a launch plan
### Follow-up Questions
- A spike turns out to come from a coordinated group of accounts boosting one photo. How would the product catch it, and what should users see in the meantime?
- How would you stop the same handful of celebrity accounts from filling the trending surface every day?
- A photo of a private person in an embarrassing moment starts trending. What policies and product controls should apply?
Overview: A product design question for a Meta app: build a feature that surfaces trending photos. It tests choosing a host surface and user segment, defining what makes a photo trending rather than just popular, prioritizing a first version, and keeping a fast-moving surface safe while measuring success.