Product Sense: An E-Bike Sharing Service for Getting Around a University Campus

You are asked to design an app for renting electric bikes, aimed at college students who live on campus. Explain whom you would build it for, which of their problems it should solve, what the first version would include and how you would tell whether it is working. ```hint Ride along with one student Picture a student leaving a residence hall for a class on the far side of campus. List every step from opening the app to ending the ride and paying, and mark the steps where a brand-new rental service is most likely to let that student down. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Does the operator own, charge and maintain a fleet of e-bikes, or is the app a marketplace where students rent out bikes they own? - Are rides limited to the campus, or can students ride into the surrounding town? The answer changes battery range, parking rules and safety needs. - Is the university a partner that can provide parking and charging space and let students sign in or pay with their student account? - Is this the first bike or scooter service on this campus, or is there an existing program students already use? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A goal that fits a new campus service and a justified focus on resident students, grounded in the trips they actually make between housing, classes, dining and the library. - Rider pain points across the whole trip, such as finding a charged bike nearby, unlocking it, riding safely, parking where allowed and paying, plus what the operator and the university need for charging, rebalancing and clear walkways. - A prioritized first version with its trade-offs stated, such as docked versus dockless parking and per-ride versus pass pricing. - Success metrics built on completed and repeat rides rather than installs, with guardrails for safety, bike availability and badly parked bikes. - Risks such as crashes on crowded paths, theft and vandalism, demand spikes at class changes and an empty campus during breaks. ### Follow-up Questions - Demand spikes when classes let out and nearly vanishes during breaks. How would you keep charged bikes where students need them without buying an oversized fleet? - How would you price rides for students on tight budgets while keeping the service able to pay for charging and repairs? - The university asks you to stop bikes from blocking walkways and to cut crashes on busy paths. What would you change in the product?