Product sense: choosing a user group and designing a new product for airports

An interviewer asks you to come up with a new product that people would use in an airport. The choice of users and problem is yours. Explain the goal you would pursue, which users you would focus on and why, their most important pain points, the solution you would build first, and how you would know it is working. ```hint Narrow the airport first An airport serves very different groups (departing, connecting and arriving travelers, people meeting them, airline and airport staff, shops and restaurants), each with its own journey. Pick one group and one stretch of its journey where the pain is frequent and sharp before sketching features. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Should the product be digital, physical, or either, and may it build on Google's existing products such as Maps, or should it stand alone? - Are we designing for travelers, for the people who work at airports, or for airport operators and airlines? - Does the product cover only the time inside the airport, from entering the terminal or leaving the aircraft until boarding, or also getting to and from the airport? (A narrower version of this prompt settles both of these points up front: travelers only, not staff, people meeting them or shops, and only their time inside the airport.) - Is there a target market or airport type, such as large international hubs versus small regional airports? - What should success mean for this product: user adoption, revenue, or operational efficiency for airports? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A stated goal and a reasoned choice of one user group and journey stage out of the many people an airport serves - Pain points grounded in that journey, prioritized by frequency and severity, with an explanation of why existing tools such as airline apps and airport signage fall short - Solution ideas compared on impact and effort, with one chosen and its first version described concretely - Feasibility in an airport setting: indoor location, flight and gate data owned by airlines and airports, travelers without mobile data, many languages, and security restrictions - Success metrics tied to the goal, with at least one guardrail ### Follow-up Questions - Airlines and airports already offer their own apps. Why would travelers use yours, and what do you need from those organizations? - How would your design change for a traveler with limited mobility or no mobile data abroad? - Would you try to make money from this product, and if so, how? - Now explain how you would build the product: which data and partners you need (indoor maps, flight and gate feeds, procedure data from airports and airlines), how you would handle the riskiest technical piece, and how you would pilot it, roll it out in stages and expand to more airports.