Product Design Case: A Games App Built Around Older Adults' Needs and Abilities
Company: Instacart
Role: Product Manager
Category: Product Design & Strategy
Difficulty: medium
Interview Round: Other
You are a product manager asked to design a gaming app for older adults. Decide what kind of games it offers and which older adults it is for, work out what keeps that group from playing or enjoying games today, propose features and prioritize them into a first version, and explain how you would judge whether the app is succeeding.
```hint Older adults are many segments
A recently retired person who plays word games every day and someone who has never touched a video game need very different products. Segment by gaming experience, abilities and what people want from play, then design around one group's barriers.
```
### Clarifying Questions
- Does "gaming" mean video games only, or should casino-style and other real-money games be considered too?
- Should we design for older adults with typical age-related changes in vision, hearing and dexterity, or also for people with significant cognitive or physical impairments?
- Is the main goal enjoyment, social connection, keeping minds and bodies active, or revenue?
- Which devices should the app target: phones, tablets, smart TVs or consoles?
### What a Strong Answer Covers
- A clear goal plus a working definition of what "gaming" and "older adults" mean for this product.
- A segmentation of older adults by gaming experience, ability and motivation, with a reasoned choice of one segment.
- Barriers specific to that segment, such as unfamiliar controls and jargon, small or fast-moving interfaces, confusing in-game currencies and isolation, mapped to prioritized features.
- Accessibility and protection from predatory monetization treated as core design principles rather than add-ons.
- Success metrics with guardrails, and a business model that works without exploiting the players.
### Follow-up Questions
- Most mobile games earn their money from in-app purchases. How would this app make money without exposing older players to runaway spending, and who should be allowed to set limits?
- How would you run user research and usability tests with older adults, given that typical test panels skew young?
- Marketing wants to advertise that the games keep players' minds sharp. How do you respond?
Overview: A product sense question about designing a games app for older adults. It tests segmenting older people by gaming experience, ability and motivation, identifying barriers such as unfamiliar controls, accessibility needs and confusing in-app purchases, prioritizing features, and choosing success metrics and guardrails.