Product Sense: Invent an Offering for Bus and Train Riders Built on Google's Products
Company: Google
Role: Product Manager
Category: Product Design & Strategy
Difficulty: medium
Interview Round: Other
Propose a new product for people who get around by public transit. It should fit with, and build on, the products Google already offers. Explain which riders you would serve, which of their problems you would solve, what the first version would include and how you would measure success.
```hint Look past route planning
A transit trip has many moments besides choosing a route: leaving home, waiting on the platform, riding, transferring, paying and getting off. Ask which of these moments go badly for riders today and which Google products could help with each one.
```
### Clarifying Questions
- Must this be a standalone product, or can it be a new capability delivered inside an existing Google product such as Maps or Wallet?
- Which riders should it serve first: daily commuters, occasional riders or visitors to a city? One city, one country or worldwide?
- What does Google want from it: more engagement with its existing products, new revenue, or a stronger relationship with transit agencies?
- Can we partner with transit agencies for live data or fare payment?
### What a Strong Answer Covers
- Which Google assets the product builds on and why Google has a right to win in this space.
- A deliberate choice of one rider segment from several, with the reasoning.
- Pain points across the whole trip, and a product concept aimed at the most acute ones with a scoped first version.
- Success metrics tied to better trips, with guardrails on alert accuracy, notification fatigue, battery and privacy.
- Dependencies and risks: the quality of agency data, partnerships, and riders without smartphones.
### Follow-up Questions
- Many agencies publish schedules but no live data. How would the product still be useful in those cities?
- If the product steers thousands of riders onto the same alternative route during a disruption, what goes wrong and how would you prevent it?
- How would you decide between shipping this inside Maps and launching it as a separate app?
Overview: A product sense exercise asking you to invent a new product for public transit riders that builds on Google's existing products. It tests rider segmentation, pain points across a whole transit trip, use of Google's assets, scoping a first version, success metrics and the product's dependence on transit agency data.