Metric Definition Interview Questions

Common metric definition patterns

• Defining a north star metric for a product or feature
• Building a metric hierarchy (primary, secondary, guardrail)
• Choosing leading vs lagging indicators
• Designing metrics that are resistant to gaming
• Ratio metrics vs absolute metrics trade-offs
• Defining engagement, retention, and activation metrics

Common mistakes in metric definition

• Choosing a vanity metric that does not reflect real value
• Not considering how the metric can be gamed or manipulated
• Defining metrics that are not actionable or measurable
• Ignoring counter-metrics that track negative side effects
• Over-indexing on a single metric without a balanced scorecard

How metric definition is evaluated

Related analytics concepts

• A/B testing interview questions
• Root cause analysis interview questions