Designing a Streaming App Built Around Native-Language Films and Shows
Company: Razorpay
Role: Product Manager
Category: Product Design & Strategy
Difficulty: medium
Interview Round: Other
Design an over-the-top (OTT) video streaming platform centered on content in its viewers' native language. Explain who you would build it for, which of their problems you would solve first, what the first version of the product includes, and how you would measure whether it is succeeding.
```hint Start with the catalog
A streaming service is only as strong as what it can show. Before designing features, consider where video in that language comes from today, who owns it, and what stops viewers from reaching it.
```
### Clarifying Questions
- Which market and which language or languages are in scope: one language at launch or several, and is the audience mainly in the language's home region, spread across other cities, or abroad?
- Is the first version a phone app only, or should it also run on smart TVs and the web?
- Will the catalog come from licensing existing studio films and shows, commissioning originals, independent creators, or a mix?
- Should the answer stay on the product experience, or also cover technical choices such as streaming over slow mobile networks and showing the interface in the language's own script?
### What a Strong Answer Covers
- A goal suited to a new streaming entrant, and why native-language content is a distinct opportunity next to general streaming services.
- Segmentation of viewers and content suppliers, with a reasoned choice of the segment to serve first.
- Pain points specific to finding and watching native-language video, mapped to solutions prioritized by impact and effort.
- How the catalog is sourced and paid for, and the pricing that fits the target audience.
- Success metrics with guardrails, including playback quality and content cost.
### Follow-up Questions
- A month after launch, many viewers sign up but stop watching within two weeks. What would you investigate and change first?
- How would you decide when to add a second language, and what would change in the product and the catalog when you do?
- A large general streaming service starts buying exclusive rights to the biggest new releases in your language. How do you respond?
Overview: A product manager design prompt asking you to build a video streaming platform around content in viewers' native language. It tests audience segmentation, content supply and licensing, localization and slow-network constraints, feature prioritization, and choosing success metrics for a new entrant.