Dog waste product design: define the problem, choose users, prioritize a fix

You are a product manager, and the interviewer asks you to build a product that solves "the dog poop problem." Nothing more is specified. Work out which problem the phrase refers to and whose problem it is, choose the users you will design for, propose and prioritize solutions, and explain how you would know the product is working. ```hint Pin down the problem first The phrase can describe several different problems, each with different people at fault and different people hurt. List two or three readings, note who causes the problem and who suffers in each, and commit to one before you brainstorm. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Which problem is meant: waste left behind on sidewalks, parks and trails, accidents inside the home, or the everyday chore of picking up and disposing of it? - Is the form of the product open (an app, a physical device, a service, or a mix), or should it be software? - Who is building it and who pays: a consumer startup selling to dog owners, a city or park authority, or a property manager? - Should the solution target one kind of place, such as dense city neighborhoods or suburban parks and trails? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A precise statement of the problem, chosen from the plausible readings, with a goal that says what "solved" would look like - The groups involved (those who cause the problem, those affected by it, those who clean it up) compared, with one target segment chosen and justified - Root causes or pain points from that segment's real routine, ranked by how often they occur and how much they matter - A range of solution ideas, prioritized against explicit criteria such as impact on the goal, cost and likelihood of adoption - A primary metric that shows whether the chosen problem actually shrinks, with guardrails, the main risks and how to reduce them ### Follow-up Questions - How would you confirm which root cause dominates before you build anything? - The owners least likely to clean up after their dogs are also the least likely to buy or download something meant to help them. How does your design account for that? - How would your answer change if the interviewer had a different reading of the problem in mind than the one you chose?