Fitbit Product Sense: Activity Tracking Experience for Children and Their Parents

You are a product manager at Google, which owns Fitbit. Design a Fitbit app for children. Explain which users you would build it for, which of their problems you would tackle first, what the first version would include, and how you would know it is succeeding. ```hint Two customers, one product A children's product is usually bought and controlled by a parent but used by the child. Decide whose need the first version must win, and check that the other side would still say yes to it. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - What age range should the app serve? A six-year-old and a fifteen-year-old differ in reading ability, phone ownership and how much a parent controls the account. - Is the scope only the app, working with existing Fitbit trackers, or can the design also change the wearable itself? - Which goal matters most: bringing new families to Fitbit, getting children to move more, or keeping young users in the Fitbit and Google ecosystem as they grow up? - Which countries are in scope for launch, given that rules on collecting children's data differ by market? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A product goal tied to Fitbit's purpose and Google's business, set before any features. - Segmentation of children by age and motivation, and of the adults around them (parents, coaches, schools), with a reasoned choice of primary user. - Pain points specific to children using activity tracking, such as understanding the data, staying motivated, distraction and safety, and solutions aimed at the chosen one. - An MVP chosen by impact and effort, with a view of what comes in later releases. - Success metrics tied to children's real activity, with guardrails on privacy, screen time and healthy behavior. ### Follow-up Questions - Leaderboards motivate some children but can shame less active ones. Would you include comparison with friends, and in what form? - How do parental consent and children's privacy rules change what you can ship in the first version? - Three months after launch, children open the app often but their activity levels have not changed. What do you conclude, and what do you change?