Pick an Underserved User Need and Lay Out a Validation Plan for It

Describe a user need that you believe no product on the market serves well today, and explain how you would validate a solution for it. ### Clarifying Questions - Should the need sit within PayPal's space, such as consumer payments, digital wallets or merchant checkout, or can it come from any market? - Should the example come from something I have seen first-hand, or is a researched example acceptable? - Does "validate" mean proving the problem is real, proving people will adopt this specific solution, or also proving it can make money? ### Part 1 — Identify the Unmet Need Name the need, who has it and in what situation, and explain why existing products leave it unserved. ```hint Check the workaround Look at what people with this need do today. If most of them have a workaround they are happy with, the need is already met, just not by a dedicated product. ``` #### What This Part Should Cover - A specific group of people and the moment the need arises - Evidence that the need is real and painful, including the workarounds people rely on now - Why current products, PayPal's included, fall short, and why the gap is worth closing now ### Part 2 — Validate a Solution Propose a solution and explain, step by step, how you would test it. ```hint Start with the riskiest belief Write down what has to be true for the solution to work, on the demand side and the delivery side, then decide which of those you would test first and how cheaply. ``` #### What This Part Should Cover - The assumptions the solution depends on, ranked by risk - A sequence of tests that moves from cheap signals to observed behavior - Pass and stop criteria agreed before each test ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A need narrow enough to test, rather than a broad industry trend - A reason PayPal in particular could win, grounded in its existing products and users - Feasibility checks that matter when money moves, such as consent, fraud and regulation, alongside demand - Post-launch metrics that measure real use rather than stated interest ### Follow-up Questions - Interviews show strong pain, but a waitlist test draws almost no sign-ups. What do you conclude, and what do you test next? - How would you size the opportunity to decide whether it deserves a dedicated team? - A competitor launches a similar product during your pilot. Does your plan change?