Product Sense: A Phone App That Gets Groceries Delivered to the Door

Design a mobile app for getting groceries delivered. Decide who the app serves first, which of their problems it solves and what goes into the first version. ```hint Walk through the trip Follow one grocery run from deciding what to buy to putting food in the fridge, and mark which steps delivery removes and which new problems it creates. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Are we a grocer taking our own stores online, a marketplace that partners with many local stores, or a delivery company that holds its own stock? - Is the app for the people ordering groceries, for the shoppers and drivers who fill the orders, or both? - Does delivery mean booked time slots, on-demand delivery as fast as possible, or is the speed promise ours to set? - What should the first release optimize for: winning first orders, repeat weekly ordering, or profit per order? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A stated business model and side of the app, with the reason for the choice - A chosen user segment, compared against at least one alternative - Pain points particular to buying food for delivery, rather than online shopping in general, tied to that segment - Prioritized solutions, an MVP and what is deferred, with awareness of the picking, stock and delivery operation behind the app - Success metrics with guardrails, and the main risks ### Follow-up Questions - If orders turn out to lose money because baskets are small, which product levers would you pull, and how would you keep them from hurting retention? - How would your design change if you were building the app for the shoppers who pick and deliver the orders? - A rival starts promising much faster delivery than you offer. Would you match it, and what would you want to know first?