Product sense: justify three go-to apps, then design an upgrade for one

Tell the interviewer which three apps you like most and what makes each one stand out, then take one of the three and explain how you would make it better. ### Clarifying Questions - Should the three be apps I use every day, or can one be an app I admire mainly for how it is built? - Will you choose which of the three I improve, or should I pick it? - When improving it, should I act as a PM at that company, with its business model and goals, or purely as a user? ### Part 1 — Three favorite apps Name your three favorite apps. For each one, say who it serves and what it does better than the alternatives. ```hint Point to a product decision For each app, name a specific design or product choice that makes it better than its alternatives, not just how often you open it. ``` #### What This Part Should Cover - A distinct, concrete reason for each app, tied to a user need and a specific product choice - Awareness of each app's target users, business model and main alternative - Picks the candidate knows well enough to handle deeper questions on any of them ### Part 2 — Improve one of them For the app that is chosen, propose an improvement and explain how you would know it worked. ```hint Goal and user first Settle what the improvement is for and which users it serves before listing features; the strongest idea targets the sharpest unsolved pain of that group. ``` #### What This Part Should Cover - A goal tied to the app's mission and business model, chosen over alternatives with a reason - One target segment and its unsolved pain points - Several solution options, prioritized with stated criteria - Success metrics with at least one guardrail ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A natural bridge from why the app works to where it still falls short - Knowledge of what the app already offers, so the improvement does not propose an existing feature - A clear chain from goal to segment to pain point to solution to metric - The trade-offs the change creates, such as engagement against revenue or simplicity against power ### Follow-up Questions - If engineering capacity were cut in half, which part of your improvement would you keep, and why? - How would the app's closest competitor respond if your improvement worked? - What is the smallest version you could ship to find out whether the pain point is real?