Product Sense: Invent a Product That Cuts the Time It Takes to Get a Meal Cooked

Design a product that makes cooking faster. The prompt does not say who the product is for, which part of cooking it should shorten, or whether it is software, hardware or both: settle those with the interviewer or choose and justify them. Walk through the users you pick, their problems, your solution and its first version, and how you would know it works. Some versions of the prompt fix the user as professional chefs and the scope as the restaurant cooking process, from an order reaching the kitchen to the plate going out; in that case the segment choice narrows to the kind of kitchen, and the same steps apply. ```hint Find where the minutes go Pick one user and one meal, then break it into stages from deciding what to make to serving. Separate time the cook is actively busy from time spent waiting, because the two shrink in different ways. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Are we designing for home cooks or for commercial kitchens such as small restaurants? - Does "cooking" mean only the time at the stove, or the whole path from deciding what to eat to food on the table, including prep and cleanup? - Should the product cut total elapsed time, hands-on time, or both? - Is a new physical appliance acceptable, or should the first version run on devices people already own? - If the user is professional chefs, which kind of kitchen is in scope (full-service restaurant, quick-service chain, catering), and does the owner pay while the cooks use the product? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - An explicit definition of cooking time and a goal, tied to one chosen segment - A comparison of segments (busy home cooks, beginners, small restaurants) with reasons for the focus - Pain points tied to specific stages of a meal and ranked by the time they cost - A prioritized, feasible first version and a reasoned view on software versus hardware - Metrics for time saved, plus guardrails for food quality and kitchen safety ### Follow-up Questions - Users finish meals faster with your product but rate the food lower. What do you change? - How would the design differ for a small restaurant kitchen during the dinner rush? - How would you confirm that people really save time before investing in hardware?