Product redesign of Houseparty, the drop-in group video chat app for friends

Houseparty is a group video chat app for friends: when someone opens it, their friends are notified and can drop into their video room. As the product manager, what would you change to make it better? ```hint Where the hangout breaks The app only works when friends are around at the same moment and comfortable being dropped in on. Look for the points where that fails, both for the person who opens the app and for the friends it notifies. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Should I treat Houseparty as the live product it was at its peak, right after the surge in sign-ups during the 2020 lockdowns, rather than as it stands today? - Is the priority winning new users, or keeping the people who joined during lockdown coming back once they can meet in person again? - Should I design for its core audience of teens and young adults, or also consider groups such as families spread across households? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A goal tied to Houseparty's situation and a target segment chosen with a reason - Pain points grounded in how drop-in video actually works, for both the person who opens the app and the friends it notifies - Two or three concrete improvements, prioritized by expected impact on the goal against effort - A success metric that counts real hangouts between friends, with guardrails for notification fatigue and safety - Risks from network effects and from competing with video calling built into larger apps ### Follow-up Questions - How would you make a surprise drop-in feel less intrusive without losing the spontaneity that sets the app apart? - If a large social network launched free group video rooms built on its existing friend graph, how would your roadmap change? - Your friends' behavior shapes your experience in this app. How would you test a new notification design without the test and control groups contaminating each other?