IIMC

Product Management
Casebook
Prepared by:
PMTECH CLUB, IIM CALCUTTA
An in-depth summary of
Industry Best Practices ,
Structures, Analysis,
Cases & Critiques
2023-24
Acknowledgement
Here, we have tried to create a comprehensive
preparation material tailored to addressing the
needs of the students who wish to follow the path of
product management. This would not have been
possible without the invaluable contributions of
various stakeholders who joined us at different
stages of this journey.
First and foremost, we express our heartfelt

appreciation to our team of collaborators who
diligently engaged in the demanding process of
conceiving, assembling, and refining the content.
We would also like to extend our thanks to the
numerous individuals within the club, as well as
current students and alumni, for generously
providing their valuable insights and feedback on
the material. Furthermore, we owe our gratitude to
the creative and editorial team for their instrumental
role in shaping the content into its current form.
We genuinely thank our team of collaborators :

Atreyee Chakraborty, Rohit Kumaravelan, Chirayu Prasad,
Vignesh Hariharan, Nitisha Mohanty, Sabuj K Raj, Nandita
Biswas, Rushikesh Zoting, Arka Dasgupta, Dhananjayan,
Abhishek Bapna, Tushar Sable, Dominic Maxwell J, Arshia
Mitra, Dharma R, Mrinal Agarwal, Saloni Pai Raiker,
Paranthaman K, Saransh Maheshwari, Shivangi Pandey,
Prathyusha Gollamudi, Amartya Saha, C Akhil
2
Table of Contents
1. Frameworks & Methodologies 6
2. Product Design Cases 20
3. Root Cause Analysis 37
4. App Critique 53
5. Guesstimates 69
6. GTM Cases 76
7. Pricing Case 86
8. Unconventional Case 90
9. List of Practice Cases 96
3
Table of Contents
(detailed)
1. Frameworks and Methodologies 6

1.1 Design Framework 7
1.2 Product Prioritization Frameworks 9
1.3 Metrics 15
1.4 The Five Whys? 18
1.5 REAN Framework 19
2. Product Design Cases 20

2.1 Child Safety Tracker 21
2.2 Sustainable Practices in Households 24
2.3 Cooking Assistant in Alexa/Echo 27
2.4 Home System Solution to Control Devices 29
2.5 Fintech Lending Platform 32
2.6 Performance Improvement - YouTube 34
3. Root Cause Analysis 37

3.1 Returns in an Amazon Delivery Centre 38
3.2 User Engagement in WhatsApp during Covid-19 40
3.3 Movie Bookings in BookMyShow 42
3.4 Disney Subscriptions 44
3.5 New Bank Accounts 45
3.6 PhonePe Transactions 47
3.7 Nykaa Returns 49
3.8 Spotify Session Time 51
4. App Critique 53
4.1 Splitwise 55
4.2 Slack 57
4.3 PhonePe 59
4
Table of Contents
(detailed)
4. App Critique (contd.)

4.4 Flipkart (Mobile App) 61
4.5 Google Calendar 64
4.6 Zomato 65
4.7 Spotify 66
4.8 Amazon Prime Video 67
4.9 Kindle 68
5. Guesstimates 69
5.1 Guesstimate 1 70
5.4 Some more Guesstimates 74
6. Go-to-Market Cases 76
6.1 Home Cooked Meal Delivery for Myntra 77
6.2 VR Fitness App 79
6.3 Sports Streaming for Netflix 82
6.4 Next Big Thing for Amazon 84
7. Pricing Cases 86
7.1 Kindle Fire HD 87
7.2 UberXL 89
8. Unconventional Cases 90
8.1 Increase MS Paint Users 91
8.2 Smart Table for Restaurant 93
9. List of Practice Cases 96
5
Frameworks &
Methodologies
Frameworks & Methodologies
1.1 Design Framework
CIRCLES
If you're gearing up for a product
management interview, there's a good chance
you'll face design-related questions that test
your problem-solving skills. So, how do you
structure your thoughts under pressure?
Enter the CIRCLES Method, a systematic
approach to tackle design problems, making
your answers both comprehensive and
impressive.
What is the CIRCLES Method?

Introduced by Google Ventures' Jake Knapp,
the CIRCLES Method stands for:
Comprehend the situation
Identify the customer These seven steps help product managers
Report customer’s needs and interviewees alike keep track of
Cut, through prioritisation essential facets of problem-solving
List solutions
Evaluate tradeoffs
Summarise your recommendation
7
Core Concepts Cut, through prioritization: Use prioritization
At the core of the CIRCLES Method are three models (discussed later) to focus on problems
key concepts: that yield the most significant impact. In
interviews, demonstrate your prioritization
The Situation: Understand the problem before skills by citing past decision-making
you try to solve it. examples.
The Customer: Identify the user to design for
them effectively. List Solutions: Unleash your creativity.
Prioritization: Not all problems need Brainstorm potential solutions, narrowing
immediate attention; prioritize wisely. down to the most effective ones. This shows
your problem-solving and creative
The 7 Steps Simplified capabilities.
Comprehend the situation: Ask the “5 W’s
and H” (Who, What, Why, How, When, Evaluate Tradeoffs: Assess the pros, cons,
Where) to gather all possible information. It and implications of each solution.
sets the stage for focused problem-solving. Demonstrating this in an interview reveals
your foresight and critical thinking skills.
Identify the customer: Know your user.
Generate personas to empathize with their Summarize your recommendation: Put it all
needs and frustrations. This sets you on a together in a coherent and concise
path to a user-centric solution. presentation. This demonstrates your
communication skills and wraps up your
Report customer’s needs: Transform your solution neatly.
understanding of customer needs into clear
requirements or use-cases. In interviews, this
manifests as your capacity to articulate what
the customer wants effectively.
8
1.2 Product Prioritization (a) Value vs. Complexity
Frameworks Quadrant:
The Value vs. Complexity Model is an
In today's fast-paced technology world,
essential tool in a product manager's toolkit
Product Managers (PMs) are the navigators
for effective prioritisation. The challenge lies
steering the ship through choppy waters, rife
in balancing limited resources while aiming to
with shifting priorities and limited resources.
deliver high value, especially when customer
PMs must make strategic decisions to ensure
data or market research is scant.
the product's success, and align their focus
with the business and customer needs. This is
In this model, two dimensions are considered:
where product prioritization frameworks
'Business Value' and 'Implementation
come in.
Complexity'. Initiatives are evaluated and
1. Value vs. Complexity Quadrant: Helps to
plotted on a quadrant that is segmented into
assess a feature's impact against its
four areas: high value-low complexity, high
implementation complexity.
value-high complexity, low value-low
2. Kano Model: Focuses on customer
complexity, and low value-high complexity.
satisfaction and product features.
The objective is simple but powerful: Identify
3. Weighted Scoring: Prioritizes based on
initiatives that offer the maximum value for
multiple weighted criteria.
the minimum effort.
4. RICE Framework: Examines Reach,
Impact, Confidence, and Effort.
High value, low complexity: The "low-
5. ICE Scoring Model: Focuses on Impact,
hanging fruits." These initiatives should
Confidence, and Ease.
be your top priority as they offer
6. MoSCoW Method: Categorizes into Must-
immediate business value with the least
haves, Should-haves, Could-haves, and
effort involved. These are your quick wins.
Won't-haves.
High value, high complexity: Worth
7. Opportunity Scoring: Measures the
prioritizing but require substantial
importance of a feature against customer
resources. The decision to go ahead often
satisfaction.
depends on ROI considerations and long-
term strategic alignment.
Low value, low complexity: These are the
'nice-to-haves.' They can be executed
during downtime or when resources
become momentarily available, but they
aren't urgent.
Low value, high complexity: The danger
zone. These initiatives should usually be
avoided as they consume substantial
resources while offering minimal returns.
Each initiative's value score should consider
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both customer benefits and direct business Understanding the KANO Model
impacts. The complexity score may include Unlike conventional prioritization frameworks,
operational costs, developer hours, and the KANO Model categorizes features based
potential risks among other factors. By on customer reactions, divided into five main
assigning numerical values to each, you types: Basic (Threshold), Performance,
ensure a consistent, objective prioritization Excitement, Indifferent, and Dissatisfaction.
process. This approach emphasizes the dual criteria of
customer satisfaction and implementation
The real strength of the Value vs. Complexity investment, making it a compelling model to
Model lies in its flexibility and applicability use in various product life cycles.
across various scenarios:
New Product Development: Focus high- Basic (Threshold) Features:
impact features that can give you a These are the non-negotiables—features so
competitive edge right out of the gate. fundamental that their absence would lead to
Resource Constraints: Identify what can be customer dissatisfaction. For instance, a turn
realistically accomplished, ensuring the team signal in a car is a basic feature.
focuses only on what brings the most value.
Objective Assessment: Sanity check, cutting Performance Features:
through team biases or unwarranted These are the features that customers are
enthusiasm around particular initiatives. aware they want and will likely compare
against competitors. The investment in
Summary performance features correlates directly with
The Value vs. Complexity Model is a strategic an increase in customer satisfaction.
exercise that brings alignment among
stakeholders and clarity to the roadmap. For Excitement Features:
product managers striving to make data- These are the "Wow" factors, features that
driven, high-impact decisions, mastering this customers didn't know they wanted but end
model can be a game-changer. up delighting them immensely.
Features that induce indifference or

(b) KANO Model: dissatisfaction are best avoided, as they
either don't affect customer choices or lead to
Traditional models like cost-benefit analysis negative experiences.
offer some guidance, but they often fall short
in factoring in customer delight and How It Works
satisfaction. This is where the KANO Model The process starts with an internal discussion
shines. Named after Dr. Noriaki Kano, this within the product team to identify and
model provides a framework that places categorize potential new features. After this,
customer satisfaction at the forefront, direct customer feedback is sought through
enabling product teams to make strategic surveys, interviews, and other channels to
decisions on what features to develop, validate or adjust these categories.
enhance, or eliminate.
10
Criticisms and Adaptations Impact can be hard to measure, but it's
While the KANO Model is highly insightful, it’s crucial. Intercom recommends a tiered
not without criticisms. The customer's needs system, ranging from 'massive impact' (3) to
and perceptions are not static; they change 'minimal impact' (0.25), to assist in gauging
over time. What is considered an excitement this nebulous element.
feature today may become a basic feature
tomorrow. Therefore, constant re-evaluation 3. Confidence: This represents how certain
is necessary for the model to remain effective. you are about your estimates for Reach and
Impact. If your reach score is based on solid
Summary data but the impact is more of a gut feeling,
The KANO Model offers a comprehensive yet the confidence score balances this out.
straightforward way for product managers to Scores can range from high (100%) to low
prioritize features based on the degree of (50%). Anything below 50% is considered a
customer satisfaction they bring. Its 'moonshot,' requiring reevaluation.
adaptability and focus on customer input
make it a robust framework for any product 4. Effort: The sole denominator in the RICE
manager aiming to build a product that not equation, Effort estimates the total resources
only satisfies but delights the end-user. required to bring the project to fruition,
usually in ‘person-months.’ This score is
pivotal for evaluating the cost associated with
each benefit you expect to gain.
(c) RICE Framework: Why Use RICE Model?

RICE compiles various factors into a single
RICE stands for Reach, Impact, Confidence, numerical value, enabling product managers
and Effort. This model helps in prioritising to make decisions based on data rather than
various product features or initiatives by intuition. Thus data-driven decisions with
assigning them a score based on these four minimized bias can be achieved. The score
criteria. Let’s delve into each component. provides a quantifiable rationale for why
certain projects are prioritized, making it
The Four Pillars of RICE easier to defend these choices to
stakeholders like executive staff.
1. Reach: This is a numerical estimate of the
number of people your initiative is expected How to Calculate the RICE Score
to affect over a specific timeframe. Whether The RICE score is calculated as follows:
you measure reach in terms of customer RICE Score = (Reach×Impact×Confidence)/Effort
transactions, free-trial signups, or user
engagement, your reach score becomes the Practical Tips:
benchmark for the project's potential scope. Be Consistent: Make sure you're consistent in
your timeframes and units across all four
2. Impact: This quantifies the extent to which categories to ensure an apples-to-apples
the initiative will affect the users it reaches. comparison.
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Revisit Scores: The markets and resources Product (MVP) as well as proper resource
change, so should your RICE scores. Make it a allocation.
habit to revisit and update them regularly.
However, there can be Uncertainty (items in
Summary the 'Will-not-have' category, particularly
The RICE Scoring Model is an indispensable regarding whether they will ever be
tool for any product manager looking to make implemented) and Subjectivity.
informed, unbiased, and defensible decisions.
It takes the guesswork out of product Summary
management, transforming it into a more The MoSCoW method is a simple yet effective
scientific and successful endeavour. tool for prioritising project requirements. Its
straightforward categorization helps teams
focus on essential elements, making it a vital
(d) MoSCoW Method: asset in Agile project management. While the
method is not without its limitations, its
Developed by software expert Dai Clegg at benefits make it a robust choice for project
Oracle, MoSCoW is often used in Agile project teams.
management frameworks. The method breaks
down requirements into "Must have, Should
have, Could have, Will not have”. (e) ICE Scoring Model:
Must-have (M): These are non-negotiable The ICE Scoring Model, pioneered by Sean
requirements that are essential for project Ellis—the mind behind "growth hacking"—
success. If any of these elements are missing, provides a quick and straightforward way to
the project is considered incomplete. rank potential projects or features. Here’s
how it works and why it might be the right fit
Should-have (S): Important but not critical for for your team.
immediate project success. These elements
enhance the project but are not vital. The Three Components of ICE
Could-have (C): These are nice-to-have 1. Impact: Measured on a scale of 1 to 10,

elements that can be sacrificed without impact assesses how significantly the project
affecting the project's core functionality. will influence a targeted key metric.
Will-not-have (W): These elements are 2. Confidence: Also scored between 1 and 10,
recognized but are not a priority for the confidence gauges your certainty that the
current project phase. project will achieve the predicted impact.
Why Use MoSCoW? 3. Ease: This measures the level of effort

MoSCoW establishes clarity among project required to complete the project, again on a 1-
stakeholders, making it easier to move 10 scale.
forward. By prioritizing must-haves, the
method ensures focus on Minimum Viable
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How to Calculate the ICE Score Step 1: List Your Options
The ICE score is calculated as follows: Begin by listing down all the potential
ICE Score = (Impact×Confidence×Ease) elements or actions you're considering for the
project. This could include product features,
Why Use ICE? software choices, hiring options, or any other
Being one of the simplest methods, it leads to variables. The list should be exhaustive but
fast decision-making. It also helps relative not ranked in any particular order yet.
prioritization amongst different projects with
its “good-enough” approximation of scores, Step 2: Determine the Criteria
acting as a proxy for projects’ importance. Identify the criteria that will serve as the basis
for weighing each option. This could be cost,
However, there remain risks of subjectivity risk, time, quality, return on investment (ROI),
and Bias toward low-hanging fruit (low Ease or any other metrics pertinent to your specific
score can significantly drag down a project’s project.
ICE score. Thus for organizations with
multiple, concurrent objectives, ICE may fall Step 3: Assign Weights
short. Hence, as best practice, collaborate Assign a weight to each in percentage terms
with different teams and maintain a that sums up to 100%. For example, if ROI is
consistent definition for the scales. crucial for your project, you might weigh it at
30%, while factors like cost and effort could
Summary be assigned 20% each.
ICE Scoring is a rapid, straightforward
prioritization tool which can be both a Step 4: Create the Matrix
strength and a limitation—so it’s crucial to Construct a chart where you multiply the
use it in contexts where speed and relative weight of each criterion by the score you've
ranking take precedence over detailed assigned to each option for that criterion.
analysis. Sum these up to get a weighted score for
each option. The option with the highest
weighted score should, theoretically, be the
(f) Weighted Scoring most favourable choice.
Model: Why Use a Weighted Scoring Model?

Objective decision-making, collaborative
Also known as a weighted scorecard, this evaluation among stakeholders and team
model is a project management technique members, and resource optimization
used to prioritize actions, features, or (allocation) can be achieved.
investments. One popular variation of this
model is the Six Sigma prioritization matrix. Summary
As projects grow increasingly complex, the
Understanding the Model: need for such organized decision-making
Here's a simplified guide to employing the frameworks only becomes more crucial. So,
Weighted Scoring Model in your next project: when you're in a decision-making quandary,
give the Weighted Scoring Model a try.
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(g) Opportunity Scoring The Advantage over Traditional Models
The critical differentiator in Opportunity
Model: Scoring is the emphasis on what customers
are trying to achieve, rather than how they
Opportunity Scoring Model, a versatile tool think the product should do it. Unlike
originally derived from Tony Ulwick’s traditional gap analysis that equally considers
outcome-driven-innovation (ODI) approach. importance and satisfaction, Opportunity
Scoring gives double weight to importance,
What is Opportunity Scoring? thereby zeroing in on outcomes that
Opportunity Scoring is a prioritisation method customers value the most.
used to identify high-impact, yet
underperforming features in a product. The Resource Optimization
approach involves asking customers to rate Besides identifying the most promising areas
the importance and satisfaction levels of for innovation, Opportunity Scoring can also
various product features. Those features that highlight areas where resources are being
score high in importance but low in wasted.
satisfaction are marked as opportunities.
Summary
How to Calculate the Opportunity Score The Opportunity Scoring Model provides a
The Opportunity score is calculated as robust mechanism to identify and focus on
follows: key areas for product improvement. By honing
in on what customers find important but
Opportunity Score = currently dissatisfying, this model offers a
Importance + max(importance - satisfaction, 0) targeted approach to optimising resources
Features with the highest 'importance' scores and maximising ROI. With its roots in
and the lowest 'satisfaction' scores are outcome-driven innovation and broad
prioritised for development. applicability across various business sectors,
Opportunity Scoring is more than a product
Why Use Opportunity Scoring Model? management tool; it's a comprehensive
strategy for sustainable business growth.
Broad Applications
Although it originated in product
management, Opportunity Scoring is also
useful in other business areas like marketing,
sales, and IT. Generally called gap analysis in
these sectors, the approach helps teams
weigh the relative ROI of closing identified
gaps with available resources.
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1.3 Metrics Retention: This tracks how often users come
back. Eg: Time spent on the platform, number
of times app opened, website revisits
A very important part of both interviews and
case submissions are the metrics one Referral: This measures how likely customers
chooses, and hence the following frameworks are to refer your product to others. Eg:
will help you to chart the accurate metrics. Number of referrals per user
Each framework is used to serve a particular
purpose - customer acquisition & revenue Revenue: This aims to understand how you
growth, user experience, etc. can monetize user behavior. Eg: Number of
products purchase, type of user’s
subscription plan
The idea is to narrow down focus to

actionable metrics that help identify areas for
growth and scaling.
Tools for Each Stage

Acquisition: Google Analytics, KISSmetrics
Activation: Hotjar, FullStory
Retention: Amplitude, ZenDesk
(a) AARRR Referral: Referral Factory, Refersion
Revenue: Dreamdata, Revenueanalytics.com
The AARRR framework, popularly known as

Summary
the "Pirate Metrics," offers startup founders
AARRR is not just a catchy acronym; it's a
and product managers a proven model to
robust framework that provides a structured
drive business growth.
approach to understanding and influencing
customer behaviour. It helps product
What is AARRR?
managers identify vital KPIs, thereby enabling
AARRR is an acronym that outlines the
them to make data-driven decisions for
customer's journey in the digital landscape.
sustainable growth.
AARRR allows startups and product
Acquisition: This refers to where your users
managers to focus on metrics that genuinely
come from, whether through search engines,
matter, streamlining their strategies for
social media, or other channels. Eg: SEO
acquisition, activation, retention, referral, and
Performance like number of people clicked on
revenue. This targeted approach can
your Facebook/Google ad to visit website
significantly increase the likelihood of building
a successful, sustainable business.
Activation: This means ensuring users have a
"positive" initial experience with your product.
Eg: The number of users who signed up
(could be free sign-ups too)
15
The HEART Process
(b) HEART Step 1: Set Goals
Goal-setting is pivotal to ensure that every
team member is aligned. “What do we want a
In today's digital landscape, the quality of the
customer to tweet after using our product?”
user experience (UX) can be the linchpin of a
You should narrow your goals down to no
product's success or failure. Google, a leader
more than three.
in the tech industry, identified this gap and
came up with an innovative, holistic
Step 2: Define Signals
framework known as the HEART Framework.
define signals, which are user actions or
behaviours that can indicate whether a goal is
What is the Google HEART Framework?
being met or not. For instance, if the goal is to
Developed by Google's UX Research experts,
enhance the search experience, a signal could
the HEART Framework is a set of user-
be the number of users who enter search
centered metrics aimed at providing a
queries but do not click on any results, which
comprehensive assessment of the quality of
could imply irrelevant results.
UX. The framework breaks down the
evaluation into five key factors:
Step 3: Choose Metrics
Metrics make your signals quantifiable. For
Happiness: Measures users' satisfaction
example, if your goal is user happiness, a
levels through app ratings, user satisfaction
suitable metric could be the Net Promoter
surveys, and the Net Promoter Score (NPS).
Score. Google UX Researcher Kerry Rodden
emphasises the importance of normalisation:
Engagement: Evaluates the frequency of user
as your user base grows, it’s essential to
interactions, including session lengths and
normalise results through ratios, percentages,
specific actions like the number of photos
or averages per user, instead of relying solely
uploaded.
on raw figures.
Adoption: Focuses on the number of new

Summary
users and the percentage of customers using
Measuring UX isn't just about ticking off a
a new feature.
checklist of standard metrics. For a nuanced
understanding of your users' experience, a
Retention: Assesses the percentage of users
comprehensive framework like Google's
who keep returning to the product.
HEART is indispensable. By setting targeted
goals, defining relevant signals, and choosing
Task Success: Measures how efficiently and
appropriate metrics, you can obtain a more
effectively users can achieve their goals
in-depth understanding of how users interact
within the product.
with your product, what keeps them coming
back.
These dimensions allow you to assess not
only the product’s performance but also the Comment: All the metric frameworks can be used
emotional resonance and satisfaction it for measuring the performance of the solutions
suggested during design cases.
delivers to your users.
16
Examples of good north star metrics:
(c) North Star Let’s dive deep and understand the details with
some North Star Metric examples:
What is a north star metric?
It is the key measure of success for the Product/ North Star
Ideal Goal
Feature Metric
product team in a company. It defines the
relationship between the customer problems
that the product team is trying to solve and Amazon,
Users ordering more #Orders, #Total
Flipkart,
the revenue that the business aims to Walmart
from their websites Orders per week
generate by doing so.
It gives clarity and alignment on what the Netflix, Time Spent per
product team needs to be optimizing for Increase in User
Spotify, user, DAU, MAU,
content consumption/
and what can be traded off. Primevideo,
session time
# new
facebook subscribers
Most importantly, it holds product
accountable to an outcome.
Users need to find
Tinder, #No. of matches
more succesful
A team identifies a single, meaningful metric Bumble /week
matches/Partners
and a handful of contributing inputs. Product
teams work to influence those inputs, which #No. of ride
in turn drive the metric. The North Star is a Users availing ride bookings or
Uber, Ola
leading indicator of sustainable growth. services more #Kms/Miles per
week*
How do you select a good product North

#Shortlists
Star? Naukri.com
Users getting desired
created via the
When choosing a north star metric, Make Jobs
portal
sure to ensure that your metric meets the
following criteria:
It expresses value: Your north star metric Can a product have more than one product north
should capture what the customer uses star?
the product for and the value it brings. No! NSM is the single metric that defines the
It indicates success: It should go beyond overall success of the product. But, it is
just the purchase of your product and important to have a set of metrics that
provide details about how it’s impacting complement the NSM. NSM can change with the
your customers. maturity of the company or the product.
It is measurable: Clearly defined north Example: When Instagram was relatively new, the
star. For example, tracking opinions or primary goal at that time was getting more and
immeasurable data will not deliver reliable more users to the platform. At that time, an
results. acquisition based NSM would have made more
It is clear and actionable: It should be a sense. But today, An NSM like the “Total minutes
simple and easily understandable metric spent per week” works well today since insta is
which is within your control and very popular now and has a very large user base
something which can be improved. already.
*Here, distance is better metric as longer rides are valuable

17
1.4 The Five Whys? 2. Why do they quit?
Answer: The app does not continue to meet
In today's rapidly evolving tech landscape, users' evolving needs.
Product Managers (PMs) are akin to the
captains of a ship navigating through stormy 3. Why doesn't it meet their needs?
waters. Faced with fluctuating user Answer: The development team has not been
engagement metrics, shifting team dynamics, able to roll out planned new features.
and escalating customer demands, PMs need
tools that help them make sense of the 4. Why haven't new features been rolled out?
complexities. One such critical tool that can Answer: The development team is swamped
help product managers is the 5 Whys with solving customer issues, exceeding the
framework. This analytical method, rooted in planned hours for this work.
Six Sigma and Lean methodologies, allows
PMs to dig deep into issues to uncover 5. Why are they spending so much time on
underlying problems. customer issues?
Answer: A particular feature, X, was released
What is the 5 Whys Analysis? prematurely and has numerous bugs.
5 Whys is an interrogative technique aimed at
exploring the cause-and-effect relationships This analysis reveals the core issue to be a
underlying specific problems. By repeatedly bug-ridden feature, shifting the PM's focus
asking "Why?" to every answer you get, you from merely trying to boost MAU to
move closer to identifying the root cause of addressing this root cause. Resolving the
an issue. Although the number ‘5’ is more of a feature's bugs will likely have a cascading
guideline than a strict rule, it generally points positive effect on the MAU numbers, making
to the depth needed to get to the bottom of this the priority.
things.
Summary
How the 5 Whys Works in Product The 5 Whys framework demystifies complex
Management issues, aligns team efforts, and points the way
When PMs encounter challenges like toward effective solutions. Over-reliance on
declining Monthly Active User (MAU) growth, this technique can also potentially lead to a
the 5 Whys framework offers a structured narrow viewpoint, ignoring the broader
approach to problem-solving. Let’s examine a context or interconnected issues. It's crucial
hypothetical scenario to illuminate its to use the 5 Whys in conjunction with other
practical application. tools and metrics for a more holistic view.
Example: Declining MAU Growth Comment: The 5WHY framework can be used to
1. Why is MAU growth declining? pose the initial clarifying questions to the
Answer: Users quit the app after a few interviewer during design interviews or RCA
interviews.
months.
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1.5 REAN Framework Senior Management: A structured model like
REAN can lend credence to decisions. For
REAN is designed to facilitate planning and example, if senior management suggests
analysis in complex marketing environments. adding a splash page, it can be A/B tested for
It stands for: effectiveness. Data-driven insights make it
easier to discard ideas that aren’t working.
Reach: Activities to increase brand
awareness, both online and offline. Marketing Team: With REAN, the marketing
team can develop targeted strategies for each
Engage: Multi-channel initiatives aimed at phase, measuring and optimizing as needed.
engaging prospective customers.
Tech Teams: For the technically inclined,
Activate: Clearly defined and tracked calls-to- REAN provides a structured, logical path for
action to motivate potential customers. conversion optimization. The clarity offered
by the framework helps them align better with
Nurture: Strategies to maintain customer marketing objectives.
relationships through CRM, email newsletters,
etc. Why Use REAN in Product Management?
Data-Driven Decisions: REAN encourages the
How to Map Goals Using REAN use of analytics and customer data at every
Reach: For instance, you aim for a 50% step, ensuring that your strategies are
increase in website visitors via SEO and PPC continually fine-tuned.
for specific keywords.
Structured Approach: It offers a step-by-step
Engage: Aiming for a 50% increase in click guide to approaching marketing, covering all
depth and duration by incorporating the bases from brand awareness to customer
testimonials, case studies, and other content retention.
forms.
Inter-Departmental Alignment: By offering a
Activate: Goals could include increasing sales common language and set of objectives,
through the shopping cart and more REAN facilitates better communication
downloads of informational whitepapers. This between different departments, ensuring
is achieved by A/B testing various website everyone is on the same page.
elements like headlines, buttons, and images.
Summary
Nurture: This could involve receiving The REAN framework provides a detailed,
additional orders and collecting prospect data structured model for planning and
through forms and newsletters. implementing marketing strategies in product
management. By mapping out specific goals
Who Benefits from the REAN Framework? for reach, engagement, activation, and
The REAN framework is versatile and benefits nurturing, it serves as an effective guide for
a variety of team members: various stakeholders.
19
Product Design
Cases
Product Design Case 1
Design a Child Safety Tracker require special functionality and we want to
create a mass market product.
Interviewer: Design a tracker that aids in
keeping children safe outside their home Candidate: Okay, then, I’ll define pain points
environment of the two primary user personas
1. Parents
Candidate: Let me just clarify the problem Want to make sure their child is not
statement. I need to design a product that going to dangerous places when they
helps in keeping children safe outside their are outside playing with their friends
homes. Is there any limitation on whether the Want to know as soon as possible
product needs to be a software or hardware when there is an emergency/ danger
or is it open-ended? May want to know what places their
children go to when travelling alone
Interviewer: You may feel free to design any (say, going to & coming from school)
product of your choosing. 2. Children
Don’t want to constantly call their
Candidate: Okay sure. I would like to start by guardian about what they’re doing
identifying the users and their personas for Want to participate in their games &
this product. They would be the following - other activities without their parents
bothering them
1. Parents: Parents concerned about the
well-being of their children. These are Interviewer: Okay that seems fair but what
mainly working parents with children aged kind of product do you have in mind to
8-15 who may leave their children with address these needs.
help. Their children attend school, extra-
curricular classes and play with friends. Candidate: I think these needs can be
2. Active Children: Children want to have the addressed by three different kinds of
freedom to go out without their parents products. These are -
constantly checking up on them. They are
8-15 years old children who attend school, 1. A kid friendly smart-watch: A smart-watch
extra-curricular classes, and play with that kids can wear and operate without
friends. any connectivity to a smartphone.
3. Special Needs Children: Parents are 2. A kid-friendly smartphone: A smartphone
especially worried if certain specific needs with limited functionality to enable
of their children are catered to properly. parents and their children to communicate
with each other without full feature
I would like to first define the user needs of functionality that parents might think
these segments and pick the most critical one affects negatively on their children
to solve. Is that okay? 3. A mobile app: A mobile app that kids can
download on their smartphones to
Interviewer: That sounds good. Let's de- communicate with their parents, update
prioritise special needs children as they may their location, etc.
21
Interviewer: These seem like good ideas but user needs
how will you decide which of these should we 1. An emergency SOS button that
choose? automatically calls their parents. It can be
used by the children as well as other
Comment: Candidate can sketch a prioritization
people in case the child is in an
matrix on paper.
emergency
Candidate: I would like to create a value- 2. A GPS tracker that updates parents of
effort matrix* to assess the prioritization of their child’s location. The parents can also
these products - set boundaries on their linked apps and
A smartwatch will provide the highest value get alerts if their child goes outside these
since it will address all the concerns of boundaries
parents and will not prove to be a bother for 3. A simplified UI that can be used for short
children to carry. So, high impact and medium voice messages that go directly to their
effort. parents
A mobile app requires a child to carry a 4. Heartbeat tracker to ensure and track the
smartphone and thus it will not address the child’s fitness (deprioritized)
need of parents to not give their child a
smartphone. So, medium impact and low Interviewer: These seem fair but how will the
effort. parents interact with children on their
A smartphone will address parents' concerns smartwatch?
but will require more development, will be
more expensive than a smartwatch, and will Candidate: Yes, for that we would also need
prove to be another item for children to carry. to build an app that parents will download on
So, high impact, high effort. their smartphones through which they can
track their child’s location, send them
Prioritisa- messages and get notifications.
Solution Impact Effort
tion
Interviewer: Agreed. An app is necessary to

Kid-friendly
High Med 1 provide connected access for the parents. I
smart watch
would next want you to define a brief go-to-
market strategy for this product as well.
A Mobile App Med Low 3
Candidate: Sure. I believe the best strategy

Kid-friendly would be to partner with an existing
High High 2
Smartphone
smartwatch or watch brand like fasttrack. We
can build the features, UI and app for the
Next, I would like to detail some features of product and the partner company and provide
my prioritized product i.e. a smartwatch their expertise in producing cool-looking
watches that are attractive to children. Would
Interviewer: Sure, you can go ahead. you like me to further define this strategy
across the value chain?
Candidate: I think the following features are
necessary to build this product to address Interviewer: No this is all I was looking for.
*Value for users & Effort by Product Team

22
Comment: Even if not asked explicitly, mention A lot of parents give smartphones to their
success metrics at the end. children in this age group but are
apprehensive about the harmful effects of
Candidate: Great. Next, I would like to define smartphones. Thus parents want a solution
some success metrics for this product. These that still fulfils the basic needs of safety
would be primarily - tracking, emergency SOS and communication
Acquisition: No. of products sold, No. of that they can give to their children. Children
linked app downloads also want something cool to wear which is not
Engagement: No. of voice messages sent too cumbersome to carry.
per user, activewear time per day A smartwatch is the best solution which will
Retention: Churn Rate (No. of watches no provide parents the peace of mind and which
longer being actively worn) will attract children with its cool design.
Interviewer: These sound good. Before we Interviewer: Okay great. We can close this
close this case, I would like you to summarise case. Thanks!
the product by defining its product vision.
Candidate: Thank you!
Candidate: Sure. The vision I have in mind is -
23
Sustainable Practices in solution, I want to clarify the user segments
we're targeting for encouraging sustainable
Households practices in households.
Eco-conscious individuals: Those who are
Interviewer: Design a solution that already environmentally aware and
encourages sustainable practices in actively looking for ways to enhance their
households to reduce environmental impact. sustainable practices.
Families and households: They are
Comment: The initial step the candidate takes is to
clarify any uncertainties or ambiguities present in interested in adopting eco-friendly habits
the problem statement. but might need some guidance and
practical tools to make the shift.
Candidate: Would you like the proposed Educational Institutions: There's an
solution to primarily focus on educating and opportunity to collaborate with
creating awareness among users about educational institutions, such as schools
sustainable practices, or should it also and universities, to incorporate
incorporate practical aspects, such as sustainable living education into their
providing tools, resources, or assistance for curricula.
the implementation of these practices in their
households? Before we delve deeper into user needs, Do
you have a preferred persona you'd like to
Interviewer: The goal is to create a solution focus on, or are you open to exploring all
that not only educates and raises awareness three to determine the best fit for our
about eco-friendly practices but also provides solution?
practical tools for households to implement
and track their sustainability efforts. Interviewer: You may decide that.
Candidate: That’s helpful. I would like to Candidate: I would choose eco-conscious

structure my solution by understanding the individuals as our primary user persona
context, identifying key areas, proposing because:
actionable strategies, and considering
potential challenges. Does that sound 1. Living a sustainable lifestyle can be a
acceptable? personal commitment, and eco-conscious
individuals are already actively seeking
Interviewer: Sounds good, please proceed. ways to enhance their sustainable
Comment: Upon grasping the problem statement, practices.
the candidate addresses any assumptions and 2. By focusing on this group, we tap into a
provides an overarching strategy for approaching motivated audience that can serve as
the problem. This approach ensures that the early adopters and influencers, creating a
interviewer is informed of the candidate's broad ripple effect within their communities.
perspective and remains aligned with the Additionally, addressing the needs of eco-
candidate's thought process. conscious individuals aligns with my own
experiences, making it a strategic choice
Candidate: Before diving into the design for our initial user segment.
24
Comment: The candidate chose a particular user to Practical Implementation:
focus on, but he/she also gave a proper rationale What tools and features will help
for that. He/she backed it up with a personal users implement sustainable practices
experience. This gives more credibility to their in their homes and track their carbon
assumptions and prioritization criteria. It would
footprint and monitor improvements
have been better if the candidate had gone deeper
over time?
about the experience.
How can the platform collaborate with
Candidate: Can I go ahead with this user smart home device manufacturers to
segment? integrate sustainable features?
Community Engagement:
Interviewer: Yes, please go ahead. How can the platform foster a sense
of community among users,
Candidate: Do you mind if I take a minute to encouraging them to share tips and
collect my thoughts and make some notes? success stories?
In what ways can gamification be
Interviewer: Yeah, Sure please take your time. integrated to make sustainable living
more engaging and rewarding?
Candidate: Now, as we delve into
understanding user needs, I think it's Interviewer: Okay that seems fair but what
beneficial to categorize them into three key kind of product do you have in mind to
aspects: Education and Awareness, Practical address these needs?
Implementation, and Community Engagement.
Candidate: To comprehensively address the
Comment: It’s always good to break down the identified needs, I propose creating a mobile
whole process into intermediary stages and figure
application with a range of features designed
out the customer in these stages, this helps in
to promote sustainable practices and reduce
getting an exhaustive list of user needs and avoids
environmental impact. Here are the key
missing any important part.
features of the mobile application:
Interviewer: That sounds like a thoughtful Regular Updates on Emerging Trends:
approach to categorizing user needs. I'm Users will receive regular updates on
curious to hear your insights on how these the latest trends in sustainable living,
aspects will interconnect in the overall utilizing GenAI to personalize these
solution. updates based on user preferences
and behavior.
Candidate: User needs identified are Video Content Explaining Environmental
1. Education and Awareness: Impact
What features can be incorporated to User-friendly carbon footprint calculator
educate users on the environmental to help individuals and households assess
impact of their daily activities? their environmental impact.
How can the platform continuously Gamified challenges will motivate users to
update users on emerging trends and adopt and sustain eco-friendly habits,
technologies in sustainability? turning sustainable practices into an
enjoyable and rewarding experience.
25
Platform for sharing tips, success stories, Emerging Trends, the Carbon footprint
and challenges, fostering a sense of calculator, Gamified challenges and Waste-
community & integration with Local to-Worth Marketplace: for the MVP. Would
Businesses: you like me to go into detail about these?
Waste-to-Worth Marketplace:
Implement a feature where users can Interviewer: No, this is good. Thanks for your
sell their recyclable wastes directly to time and all the best.
NGO recyclers through the app
Candidate: Thank you for your time.
Interviewer: Fair enough. But how will you Comment: The candidate could have explained here
prioritize among these different features? a bit more about how selected the features for the
MVP, however, since the interviewer confirmed
Candidate: I will prioritize the features based then it’s fine. It’s always better to back up your
on the value impact on the user's goal and the arguments with data and logic, interviewers are
complexity of development. After the looking for critical thinking about the ability of the
evaluation, I will select Regular Updates on candidate.
26
Design a Cooking Assistant to be Candidate: Understood. To reiterate, this
assistant will provide voice instructions to
embedded in Alexa/Echo users during cooking, but it won't have video
capabilities. We'll primarily focus on customer
Interviewer: Good afternoon. (Exchange acquisition as our main goal.
pleasantries). I would like you to imagine
yourself as a Product Manager at Amazon Interviewer: Correct
and you have to design a Cooking Assistant to
be embedded in Alexa/Echo. Candidate: Okay, I think I have a better
understanding now. First, I’d like to identify
Candidate: Okay. Before we begin discussing our potential customers. Based on the
the Cooking Assistant for Alexa/Echo, I'd like information provided, I can think of three
to clarify a few things. Is that alright? potential customer segments: Chefs,
Amateurs, and Homemakers/people who
Interviewer: Sure. Please feel free to ask any enjoy cooking. Any particular customer
questions you have. segment you want me to focus on?
Candidate: Thank you. To start, could you Interviewer: No go ahead with your choice
provide more details on the scope and and state your reasoning.
specific functionality of this Cooking
Assistant embedded in Alexa/Echo? What Candidate: I’ll select Homemakers and people
exactly does it do? who enjoy cooking as our target segment
because they represent a substantial user
Interviewer: The Cooking Assistant in base with a genuine need for our Cooking
Alexa/Echo is designed to provide voice Assistant. They cook frequently, seek out new
instructions to users while they cook. It recipes, and are comfortable with audio
doesn't have video capabilities, so it's entirely instructions. Their needs align well with the
audio-based. voice-based Cooking Assistant.
Candidate: Thank you for clarifying that. Now, Interviewer: Sounds fair. You can go ahead.
regarding the problem statement, could you
specify if there is any specific goal or Candidate: Homemakers and people who
objective that Amazon wants to achieve? enjoy cooking primarily need a Cooking
Assistant that:
Interviewer: Certainly. For this scenario, our 1. Helps them explore new recipes that fit
primary aim is customer acquisition. We want their ingredients.
to introduce this new feature to customers, 2. Allows them to listen to specific recipe
attracting them to use Alexa/Echo as a steps rather than the entire recipe.
cooking assistant. Our primary focus is on 3. Provides customized instructions based
bringing new users into the ecosystem. You on serving size.
can consider that as Amazon’s goal. 4. Permits them to enjoy music or listen to
the radio while cooking.
27
Interviewer: Excellent. Candidate: Certainly. Pros of the solution
include:
Candidate: After considering Reach, Impact, 1. Flexibility: Users can navigate the recipe
and Effort, here's the prioritization: as needed.
1. Listening to recipes 2. Detailed guidance: Users receive step-by-
2. Exploring new recipes step instructions.
3. Customized recipes 3. Hands-free experience: Allows for
4. Listening to music multitasking while cooking.
Based on this analysis, I will prioritise the Cons include:

need for listening to recipes as the focus area. 1. Memory: Users might forget step titles or
numbers.
Interviewer: Good choice. Now, let's discuss 2. Visual cues: Users may struggle with
potential solutions for addressing this need. understanding colors or appearance.
What's your proposal?
However, despite these trade-offs, the pros
Candidate: My solution is a step-by-step align with our target audience's needs and
cooking instructor within Alexa/Echo. It preferences.
provides detailed recipe explanations at the
user's pace. Key features include: Interviewer: It seems like you've considered
1. Voice-controlled navigation: Users can the user's perspective thoroughly. This
skip to the next or repeat the last steps concludes our interview. All the best!
using voice commands.
2. Clarification questions: Users can ask Candidate: Thank you for the opportunity.
questions about quantity and cooking
time.
3. Timer functionality: Users can set timers
with voice commands.
4. Pause and resume: Users can start and
stop recipe instructions as needed.
5. Jump to specific steps: Users can
navigate to a step by calling out its title,
like "Jump to marinating."
This solution offers flexibility, detailed
guidance, and a hands-free cooking
experience.
Interviewer: Well-thought-out solution. What

are the pros and cons of this approach?
28
Design a Home System Solution control of diverse devices, enhances user
convenience, and ensures a high level of
to Control Different Devices security so that more and more users use it.
Interviewer: Good afternoon, and thank you Candidate: So, our primary objective is to
for joining us today. I'd like you to assume the design a comprehensive home system that
role of a Product Manager at a leading smart offers ease of use, device integration,
home technology company. Your task is to convenience, and security with the end goal
design a comprehensive home system of user acquisitions.
solution that allows users to control various
devices within their homes. Interviewer: Correct.
Candidate: Good afternoon, and thank you for Candidate: Thank you for the clarifications. I
having me. Before we dive into designing the now have a better understanding of the scope
home system solution, I'd like to clarify a few and objectives. To begin, I'll identify the types
details. Is that okay? of users who might benefit from this home
system solution. I've categorized them into
Interviewer: Certainly, clarifications are three main segments:
crucial. Feel free to ask any questions. 1. Tech-Savvy Homeowners: These users
are early adopters of smart home
Candidate: Before we begin, could you technology. They are comfortable with
provide more context on the current technology and seek advanced features
landscape of smart home technology and the and customization options.
specific challenges or opportunities that I 2. Average Homeowners: This segment
should be aware of? includes users who are interested in smart
home solutions but prefer simplicity and
Interviewer: Smart home technology has seen ease of use. They may not have extensive
significant growth in recent years, with an technical knowledge.
array of devices available, from smart 3. Elderly or Disabled Individuals: Some
thermostats and lights to security cameras users may have limited mobility or specific
and voice assistants. Challenges include accessibility needs. They require an
device compatibility, user-friendliness, and intuitive and accessible solution for
ensuring a seamless experience across controlling devices within their homes.
various platforms.
Should I consider specific user segments or
Candidate: Understood. Now, regarding the any particular aspects you'd like me to
problem statement, could you specify any prioritize?
particular goals or objectives for this home
system solution? Interviewer: You can proceed with your
choice and provide reasoning.
Interviewer: In this scenario, our primary goal
is to create a user-friendly and integrated Candidate: Okay. Then, considering the
home system solution that simplifies the diverse user base we see here, I would like to
29
propose improvements that focus on Average Candidate: My solution involves creating a
Homeowners. They represent a significant unified mobile app that serves as the central
user base, and their needs often align with control hub for all smart devices in the home:
broader market trends toward user-friendly 1. Device Integration: The app should
and accessible technology. Can we move support a wide range of smart devices,
ahead with that? irrespective of the manufacturer. It should
use standardized protocols such as
Interviewer: Sounds right to me. Please Zigbee or Z-Wave to ensure compatibility.
proceed with your analysis. 2. Intuitive User Interface: The app's
interface should be user-friendly and
Candidate: Certainly. The pain points of intuitive, allowing users to easily identify
Average Homeowners could include: and control their devices. Features like
1. Complex Device Control: Users often drag-and-drop customization for device
struggle with managing multiple devices, arrangements can enhance the user
each with its own app or interface. This experience.
complexity can be overwhelming. 3. Voice Control: Integration with voice
2. Lack of Integration: Devices from different assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google
manufacturers may not seamlessly Assistant should be a key feature. This
communicate with each other. Users may allows users to control devices through
find it challenging to create unified voice commands for added convenience.
routines or scenarios. 4. Automation and Scenes: Users should be
3. Security Concerns: Users worry about the able to create custom automation routines
security of their smart home devices, or scenes that activate multiple devices
particularly with the potential for hacking with a single command. For instance, a
or unauthorised access. "Good Morning" scene could turn on lights
4. User Education: Many users are not fully and adjust the thermostat.
aware of the capabilities and features of
their smart devices. They may not be Interviewer: Your solution seems
using them to their full potential. comprehensive. Would you proceed with
I would like to look at the pain point which we implementing all these features in the MVP?
should prioritize and target.
Candidate: No, I will evaluate the solutions
Interviewer: Please go ahead. based on customer impact and ease of
implementation. After the evaluation, I will
Candidate: Since we are focusing on the select the most critical features, such as
Average Homeowners segment and aiming for Device Integration and an Intuitive User
an MVP, I will prioritize the most critical pain Interface, for the MVP. These features
point, which is "Complex Device Control." address the core pain point and can be
Simplifying device control can have a developed within a reasonable timeline.
significant impact on user convenience.
Interviewer: Thank you for presenting these
Interviewer: What do you propose to solve solutions. How would you measure the
this? success of the MVP?
30
Candidate: Measuring the success of the By consistently tracking these product
MVP is crucial to assess its impact and make management metrics and setting specific
data-driven decisions for further targets, we can evaluate the MVP's
improvements. I would employ several performance, make data-driven decisions,
product management metrics to gauge the and iterate on the product to further enhance
MVP's effectiveness: user engagement, satisfaction, and overall
1. User Engagement Metrics: DAU, MAU & success.
average session duration.
2. User Satisfaction Metrics: NPS and CSAT Interviewer: Great. I think we can conclude
scores here.
3. Retention and Churn Metrics: Retention &
churn rate Candidate: Thank you.
4. Performance Metrics: Latency rate,Avg
Load time, crash reports
5. Business Metrics: Revenue Growth
31
Design a Fintech Lending Candidate: Young professionals often face
challenges with limited credit history, high
Platform debt-to-income ratios, uncertain income
streams, lack of collateral, fear of long-term
Interviewer: Good afternoon, and thank you loans, complexity in understanding loan
for joining us today. I'd like you to assume the terms, and a desire to quickly access credit on
Product Manager role at a fintech startup. the go.
Your task is to design a money-lending app
Interviewer: How would you address these in
Candidate: Let me clarify the problem the lending app?
statement; I have to design a money lending
application regarding the problem statement. Candidate: To address these pain points, we'll
Could you specify any particular goals or implement alternative credit scoring models
objectives for the lending app? based on the spending habits and income
profile of the customer, offer flexible
Interviewer: In this scenario, our primary goal repayment plans like 3,6,9 months of
is to create a user-friendly app that would be repayment, simplify language and the user
easy for our direct customers to borrow from interface, and incorporate educational tools
us and spend. within the app for loan terms.
Candidate: Is there any specific customer Interviewer: How would you go about it if we
segment you want me to target? want to have an early market launch?
Interviewer: No specific customer segment as Candidate: Must-haves include alternative

such. Can you think of user segments that credit scoring and flexible repayment plans as
would benefit most from our lending app? the “Young Professionals” would have a
limited credit history accessing credit via u
Candidate: Considering our focus on D2C will require alternative credit scoring rather
lending, I'd identify two primary personas: than conventional credit scores. Should-
"Young Professionals" seeking quick and haves encompass a user-friendly interface
accessible loans for personal needs and and short-term loan options to make the loan
"Small Business Owners" looking for terms attractive for young professionals who
streamlined financing options without the wanna avoid long-term payment
traditional hurdles. I'd prioritize based on commitments. Could-haves involve exploring
market size and growth potential. Young collateral alternatives and adding educational
Professionals could be an initial focus due to tools making it easier for them to understand
the large market and evolving financial needs. the loan terms that can be developed later.
Once we establish a strong presence, we can We could also tie up with major e-commerce
gradually expand to serve the Small Business websites allowing our customers to pay via
Owners segment. our app thus increasing our lending portfolio.
Won't-haves consist of non-essential features
Interviewer: Okay. Go ahead. that can be deferred or excluded.
32
Interviewer: That makes sense. How would Candidate: In this case, we aim to design a
you measure the success of our D2C lending user-friendly money lending app for young
app? professionals, focusing on two primary
personas: "Young Professionals" seeking
Candidate: Key performance indicators (KPIs) quick loans and "Small Business Owners"
such as user acquisition rates, loan approval looking for streamlined financing. Identified
speed, customer satisfaction scores, and the pain points include limited credit history, high
growth of the loan portfolio would be debt-to-income ratios, uncertain income
essential metrics to track. streams, etc. Solutions involve alternative
credit scoring, flexible repayment plans, and a
Interviewer: Thank you for walking through user-friendly interface. Emphasized must-
that scenario. Can you summarize the case have features like alternative credit scoring
for me? and flexible repayment plans.
33
Product Improvement Case
Improve YouTube for India grow the user base while catering to the
Indian market's unique needs and challenges.
Interviewer: Hello. Please have a seat. I would
like you to envision yourself as a Product Interviewer: Correct.
Manager at Google India, and your task is to
improve the YouTube platform specifically for Candidate: Thank you for the clarifications. I
the Indian market. now have a better understanding of the scope
and objectives. I will start by identifying the
Candidate: Thank you. But before we delve types of users of YouTube in India. I've
into improving YouTube for India, I'd like to categorised them into three main segments:
clarify a few details. Is that ok? 1. Urban Users: These users typically have
access to high-speed internet and
Interviewer: Sure, go ahead. consume a wide range of content,
including entertainment, educational, and
Candidate: To start, could you provide more lifestyle videos.
context on the current state and context of 2. Rural Users: In rural areas, connectivity
YouTube in India and any specific challenges can be sporadic. Users in this segment
that I should be aware of? may rely on lower bandwidths and are
more likely to access content in regional
Interviewer: Certainly. YouTube is a widely languages.
used platform in India for sharing and viewing 3. Content Creators: This group includes
video content across various genres. It has a individuals and organisations who upload
diverse user base, ranging from urban to rural content to YouTube. They play a crucial
areas, with varying levels of internet role in shaping the platform's content
connectivity. There are no specific challenges landscape.
as such. Should I consider specific user segments or
any particular aspects you'd like me to
Candidate: Thank you for the context. Now, prioritise?
regarding the problem statement, are there
any specific objectives or goals I should focus Interviewer: You can go ahead with your
on in this case? choice and state your reasoning.
Interviewer: In this scenario, our primary goal Candidate: Great. Considering the diversity of
is user engagement and growth. We want to users in India, the fact that the majority of
improve user satisfaction, increase the time India's population resides in rural areas and
users spend on the platform, and attract new the fact that Youtube has almost reached
users. saturation in the urban market, I would like to
propose improvements that focus on Rural
Candidate: Understood. So, our main Users.
objective is to enhance user engagement and
34
Interviewer: An excellent choice. Please Candidate: My solution involves a multi-
proceed with your analysis. faceted approach:
1. Improved Content Recommendation
Candidate: Certainly. The pain points of rural Algorithm: Invest in AI and machine
users could be: learning to create a recommendation
system that factors in user preferences,
1. Language and Content Preferences: Rural location, language, and viewing history to
users often prefer content in their regional provide more accurate and appealing
languages or dialects. Finding content content recommendations.
that caters to their language preferences 2. Localised Content Promotion: Create a
can be difficult, as the majority of content dedicated section within YouTube that
on YouTube is in English or Hindi highlights regional and vernacular
2. Educational Needs: For many rural users, content. Employ content curators to
YouTube serves as a valuable educational ensure quality and relevance.
resource. Access to quality educational 3. Local Learning Centers: Partner with local
content, particularly in local languages, is community centers, schools, and libraries
crucial for their personal and professional in rural areas to establish YouTube
development. Learning Centers. These centers can
3. Limited Internet Connectivity: Rural areas provide access to computers or mobile
frequently have limited access to high- devices with internet connectivity,
speed internet. Users may struggle with enabling rural users to access educational
slow and unreliable internet connections, content
making video streaming a challenging 4. Localized Educational Content Hub:
task. Create a dedicated section within
4. Awareness of Features: Many rural users YouTube that serves as a hub for high-
may not be fully aware of YouTube's quality educational content in local
features, such as offline viewing or languages and dialects. This hub should
content filtering options. Improved user feature content curated to meet the
education and awareness are essential. educational needs and preferences of
rural users
Interviewer: Please go ahead.
Interviewer: Your solutions seem
Candidate: Absolutely. Since we are focusing comprehensive. Would you go ahead with all
on MVP, I will look at the most needed of these?
features that has the maximum impact &
reach which are Language and Content Candidate: No, I will evaluate the solutions in
Preferences and the Educational Needs each of the two pain points based on
customer impact and its ease of
Interviewer: Now, let's discuss potential implementation. After the evaluation, I will
solutions for addressing these pain points. select Localized Content Promotion &
What's your proposal? Localized Educational Content Hub for MVP.
These can be implemented in a short timeline
and its success can be measured easily.
35
Interviewer: Thank you for presenting these numerous regional languages and dialects,
solutions. One question I have is, why do you making localized content essential.
think these solutions are particularly well- Additionally, India's education system and
suited for India and may not be as effective in curriculum may differ significantly from other
other countries with similar rural populations? countries, necessitating tailored educational
content.
Candidate: That's an excellent question. The
proposed solutions take into account India's Interviewer: Great. Thanks for your time and
specific socio-cultural and technological all the best.
landscape, which sets it apart from many
other countries with rural populations. First, Candidate: Thank you.
India has a vast linguistic diversity with
36
Root Cause
Analysis
Root Cause Analysis - 1
Increased returns in an Amazon Candidate: (2. Seasonal Trends:) Are there
any seasonal factors, such as holidays or
delivery centre festivals, that could be affecting customer
buying patterns and returns?
Interviewer: The returns in a delivery centre
have gone up. What could be the reasons Interviewer: There haven't been any major
behind this, and how would you tackle this? seasonal events during this period.
Candidate: Before diving into the analysis, I'd Candidate: (3. Logistics and Delivery Issues:)
like to gather more information. Have there been any disruptions or
challenges in the delivery process, like delays,
Interviewer: Of course, please proceed. damaged packages, or incorrect orders?
Candidate: Can you provide more details Interviewer: Our delivery operations have
about the specific location where the return been running smoothly without any notable
rate has increased, any unique characteristics disruptions.
or circumstances in that area that we should
be aware of? Also, since when did the returns Candidate: Proceeding to some Internal
increase? Factors, (1. Product Quality) Have there been
any recent issues with the quality of products
Interviewer: The increased return rate is being delivered in this area?
primarily in urban Bangalore, and this trend
has been noticeable over the past one to two Interviewer: We've maintained our product
months. quality standards, and there haven't been any
significant quality complaints.
Candidate: Okay, given this information, there
could be both external and internal factors Candidate: (2. Customer Behaviour) Have
contributing to the rising return rate. I’ll like to there been any changes in customer
explore some of the external factors. behaviour or preferences in this specific
region that might be influencing their return
Interviewer: That sounds like a good decisions?
approach.
Interviewer: We have noticed that customers
Candidate: (External Factors - 1. Competitor in this area seem to be returning items even if
Activity) Have any competitors in the area they are in good condition, which is unusual.
introduced new services, policies, or
incentives that might be encouraging Candidate: That's an interesting observation.
customers to return products more It might be crucial to explore why customers
frequently? in this region are returning items even if they
are not defective.
Interviewer: We haven't observed any
significant changes from competitors in the Interviewer: Agreed, we're particularly
region. concerned about this behaviour as it deviates
38
from the norm. and product teams to quickly address any
emerging issues and improve customer
Candidate: To tackle this issue, I would satisfaction.
recommend a multi-faceted approach: We can also launch an awareness campaign
Firstly, I’d like to conduct Customer Surveys to inform customers about the return policy,
or interviews with customers in the affected emphasizing that returns should be reserved
area to understand their reasons for returning for genuinely unsatisfactory or defective
products, even if they are in good condition. products.
This can provide valuable insights into their
motivations. A final suggestion would be to clearly
communicate the return policy during the
Then, use data analysis tools to analyse the checkout process and on product pages, so
return data in detail, including product customers are fully aware of the terms and
categories, customer profiles, and return conditions.
reasons, to identify any patterns or trends
specific to this region. Interviewer: Sounds comprehensive enough.
We can conclude here.
It’d be important to establish a feedback loop
between the delivery centre, customer service
39
Reduced user engagement in Candidate: Got it. As it’s lockdown, Mobile
and Social Media usage must have gone up
WhatsApp during Covid-19 recently which would explain the increase in
DAU and MAU. I’d like to now analyse if there
Interviewer: Assume, we are currently going were any app changes. Broadly we can list
through a COVID Lockdown. And, we are out the tasks that can be performed as
seeing a drop in User Engagement on messaging,calling and sending and receiving
WhatsApp. media in group and personal chats, putting up
statuses and profile pictures, creating and
Candidate: Okay, do we know the magnitude managing groups and broadcast channels. Is
of the drop and may I know how this metric is there any specific journey I should focus on?
exactly measured? Also, have there been any recent updates?
Interviewer: We don’t know the magnitude. A Interviewer: There have been no updates
lot of factors go into the measurement of this We’re not seeing any particular irregularities
metric. We use some stable parameters like in any of these user journeys in terms of
the number of contacts of a user, average usage.
message received per day(measured over a
month), etc, and compare them with short- Candidate: Okay, then maybe I would like to
term dynamic parameters like daily session probe into the possibility of changed user
time and number of messages sent every day. behaviour. As suggested by the calculations
of the metric and the data about increasing
Candidate: That’s interesting. Has the method number of groups, an initial estimate is that
of measuring the metric changed in the recent users are not engaging with all the groups as
past? they would earlier because they are getting
overwhelmed. Another possibility could be
Interviewer: No it’s the same, there is a that we are seeing a lot of broadcast
definite decrease. Another piece of messages for help because of COVID and
information I can give you is that we have these could be getting ignored unless
actually seen an increase in DAU and MAU somebody has the resources to help.
and the number of groups being created are
also increasing significantly. Interviewer: You got it right. Too many groups
are being formed in the lockdown and users
Candidate: Thank you for the information. are archiving and muting groups because they
Have we observed this drop in a particular don’t want to be spammed. How would you
geography? And over what duration has it propose to solve this?
been observed? Are there any significant
external events that could have affected our Candidate: Sure, a balanced solution will be
metric? tricky because we can’t disincentivize users if
they make groups as that is also a part of user
Interviewer: The drop is mainly being engagement. I can think of one immediate and
observed in Tier-1 cities. Apart from this, there one long-term solution. We can consider
is nothing relevant to us. changing our current metric measurement
40
temporarily to account for the edge-case -ency (Send notification when message rate
scenario we are currently going through. In goes over 3/minute for 5 minutes which
the long run, to decrease the frustration that would indicate an active conversation that the
groups might cause, we can add high levels of user might want to be a part of it)
customization that the user can make for
what they want to see in their feed. If 3)Enable anonymous feedback for forwarded
someone doesn’t want to be a part of a group, messages so that the sender knows how their
they usually leave it, but if they are in the messages are being received and curate
group there is some value that they are messages in the future
deriving from it or some obligation that they
have to fulfill. These could include: Interviewer: These sound good to me. We can
end the interview here. Thanks.
1) Adding word filters for alerts (Send
notification when “birthday” appears in chat) Candidate: Thank you!
2)adding alerts based on attributes like frequ-
41
Drop in movie bookings in Interviewer: Yes, we had a special promotion
for movie bookings during that whole month,
BookMyShow offering a flat ₹100 discount on all tickets.
Interviewer: Let's dive right in. We've recently Candidate: That's a decent discount. Do we
experienced a significant drop in movie have any information on theatre occupancy
booking transactions on the BookMyShow rate whether it declined or not during the
app over a weekend. Bookings were down by specified time?
70% compared to the previous weekend. Find
out why this is happening. Interviewer: Yes, there was a decline over
that weekend but not a significant amount,
Candidate: To better analyse the root cause there was a decline of 15%.
of this drop in bookings, I'd like to gather
some additional information. Candidate: Can you confirm if there were any
app updates, server downtime, or
Interviewer: Certainly. Please proceed with maintenance activities during the affected
your questions. weekend?
Candidate: Firstly, can you provide me with Interviewer: Yes, there was minor update of
the exact timeline for when the drop in the site and app over the weekend.
bookings occurred?
Candidate: Following the user journey, one
Interviewer: This drop was in the middle of needs to log in to their account. Are there any
last month known issues with the login process thus
causing delays or preventing login?
Candidate: Can you specify the geographical
region where this drop was observed? Is it Interviewer: No, the login process has been
limited to a particular city or country? functioning normally during affected period.
Interviewer: The drop in bookings was Candidate: The user searches for a movie and
observed across India. selects a show time and seats. Are there any
issues with the search functionality or the
Candidate: Okay. Is this drop in bookings availability of movie listings?
consistent across both iOS, Android platforms
& web, or more pronounced on one platform? Interviewer: The search functionality is
working properly, and there are no major
Interviewer: The drop is consistent across all issues with movie listings.
platforms.
Candidate: Once the user has selected their
Candidate: Can you provide me with any movie and seats, they proceed to the
insights into the marketing campaigns or checkout page. Are there any issues with the
promotions that were running during the checkout process itself, such as payment
affected weekend? gateways or payment processing?
42
Interviewer: Payment gateways and payment the promo code seems to be the root cause of
processing have been functioning smoothly the drop in movie booking transactions. Users
during the affected period. are likely abandoning their bookings if they
can't avail the discount they were expecting.
Candidate: Finally, at the checkout page, the
user is prompted to enter the promo code to Interviewer: What steps would you
avail the offer which was rolled out this recommend to address it promptly?
month. This is where user might have issue
with applying the discount. Candidate: I suggest prioritizing the resolution
of the promo code field's responsiveness
Interviewer: Yes, that's correct. Users are issue. This may involve a quick bug fix or
unable to enter or apply the promo code, update to the app.
preventing them from availing the discount.
Interviewer: That's a comprehensive
Candidate: Therefore, the inability to apply approach. Thank you.
43
Fall in Disney Subscription -tions in our competitors’ pricing and
offerings?
Interviewer: You are a product manager for Interviewer: Nothing significant. Let’s see
Disney. For the past one month, we have seen what we have in internal categories.
a decline in the number of new subscription
renewals. Candidate: Sure. Do you want me to focus on
any one of the categories I listed, technology,
Candidate: Got it. Just to confirm, by user journeys and strategies?
renewals, we mean the ratio of accounts
renewed to total activated accounts? Also, did Interviewer: Let’s see what a user journey
we see the drop across all subscription plans? looks like.
Is it specific to a particular region? Is it across
all devices? Candidate: There are two possible journeys
here. One includes the process of renewing
Interviewer: Yes you are correct about the plan and second is using the Disney
renewals. Our new subscriptions are also platform for content. The first journey starts
going down. We have seen the drop across all with going to profile > clicking renew/
plans and devices and all over India. subscribe > choosing plan > selecting
payment method > making payment.
Candidate: Okay I’ll take a minute before The second journey includes login > searching
going ahead. I’d like to start with the external for content > ads (depends on plan) >
and internal causes and further break them watching the content > interacting with
down into different categories. With external, features like quality/ subtitles/ language/ next
I’d consider the macroeconomic factors and episode > and finally exiting the platform.
competitors. With Internal, I’d like to consider
Technology, User Journeys, and Business Interviewer: Impressive. When you talked
Strategies. about plans, what all is included in the
offerings?
Interviewer: Sounds good. Let’s start with
external first. Candidate: Some of the features we cover are
ads, no. of screens, audio/ video qualities.
Candidate: So considering macro factors first,
are there any regulatory or legal constraints Interviewer: Not features. Based on what
introduced on the platform? Or has there offerings will a customer subscribe to us?
been any sort of negative PR with respect to
our platform? Candidate: I think the price point, content on
platform and in case of disney, rights to host
Interviewer: No, nothing of this sort has sports tournaments are some of the offerings.
happened. Let’s move ahead.
Interviewer: You are right. Our content library
Candidate: Fair. Thinking about competition, has changed and we need fresh options for
do we have any new players in the market our users. That’s all from my end. Thank you.
where people have shifted to or any modifica-
44
Decrease in New Bank Accounts individual and business bank accounts.
Candidate: Okay, thank you for the

Interviewer: A major bank in India has been information. Given these details, several
seeing a sudden decrease in the opening of factors may contribute to the decrease. I'll
new bank accounts. What do you think could begin by exploring potential external factors.
be the reasons behind this and how would
you address the problem? Interviewer: Okay, sounds like a good
approach, please go ahead.
Candidate: Okay, just to make sure that I have
understood the question correctly, there is a Candidate: Have there been any recent
reduction in the number of people opening economic changes or uncertainties that might
newer bank accounts in the bank. Are we impact people's decision to open new bank
focusing on the digital way of opening bank accounts?
accounts or in branches?
Interviewer: No, nothing as such, the
Interviewer: Yes, you are correct. We are economic conditions have remained relatively
focusing on the digital way of opening bank stable in India and there haven’t been any
accounts. significant changes.
Candidate: Okay, before I proceed with the Candidate: Have there been new offerings or
analysis, I want to request some additional promotions from competing banks attracting
details regarding the same. potential customers away from our bank?
Interviewer: Yes, please go ahead. Interviewer: We haven't noticed any major

changes in competitor offerings that would
Candidate: Since how long are we facing this explain the decline.
problem? Are we seeing a sudden decline in
the new bank accounts? Candidate: Has the banking sector undergone
any recent regulatory changes that could
Interviewer: We have been facing this impact the account opening procedure?
problem for the past 3 months and yes, we
have been seeing a sudden decline in opening Interviewer: No noteworthy regulatory
of new bank accounts. modifications have been made that could
affect the account opening procedure.
Candidate: Is this problem related to specific
branches or locations? Are there any specific Candidate: Okay, it seems that there are no
customer segments or account types that major external factors affecting the decline in
seem to be more affected? new bank accounts as of now. I want to ask a
few questions related to internal factors. Is it
Interviewer: No, this isn’t related to any fine?
specific location or branch as such. We have
been facing this problem all over India and the Interviewer: Sure, proceed.
decline has been noted across all kinds of
45
Candidate: Have there been any bug reports be a valid consideration. What would be your
or technical faults associated with the recommendations for the problem?
customers digital onboarding? Are we seeing
the decline in mobile application or website as Candidate: Sure, these can be the
well? recommendations according to me.
Conduct an in-depth analysis of customer
Interviewer: No, our digital onboarding feedback related to the account opening
process has been considered efficient and we process to identify pain points and areas
haven’t reported any technical glitches as for improvement.
such. We are seeing the decline with mobile Collaborate with the operations team to
applications. streamline and improve the experience of
the account opening procedure.
Candidate: Have there been any changes in Develop an interactive onboarding tutorial
our marketing strategies or campaigns related that guides users through key features
to promoting new account openings? Have we and functionalities when they first launch
introduced any new privacy policy? the application. This can help users
understand how to navigate and use the
Interviewer: No, we have continued with our app effectively.
regular marketing strategies, and we haven’t Ensure that the navigation menu is clear,
made any changes to the privacy policy. organized, and easy to understand. Use
familiar icons and labels to represent
Candidate: Is there any feedback or data different sections or features of the
suggesting a decline in overall customer application. Consider implementing a
experience during the account opening straightforward hierarchy that aligns with
process? Have we introduced any updates to user expectations.
the mobile application that might be affecting
smoother user navigation? Interviewer: Thank you for the insights and
recommendations.
Interviewer: Yes, we have launched a new
update for the mobile application, and it might Candidate: Thank you
46
Falling PhonePe Transactions new PR campaigns, ads, or promotion
strategies in the recent past that have
gathered unusual attention?
Interviewer: We are seeing a 12% drop in
transactions on Phonepe. Please try to find Interviewer: Nothing significant. In fact,
out the possible root cause. Google Pay has witnessed higher-than-normal
growth in their transactions
Candidate: When we say transactions, do we
mean the value of the transactions or the Candidate: Have we had any major updates
number of Total transactions? Also over what recently?
period was the drop observed?
Interviewer: Yes, we did roll out an update
Interviewer: It is a drop in the number of Total two weeks ago. We didn’t make any changes
transactions and it has been observed over to the UI, but fixed some bugs. We started
the past 2 weeks. noticing the decline after this update.
Candidate: Okay 12% over 2 weeks seems Candidate: Then I’d like to chart out the user
significant. Does the data suggest any major journey and try to pinpoint sources of pain
variations in this drop across operating points.
systems or across user categories? In Phonepe there are multiple ways to make a
transaction. To initiate a transaction you can
Interviewer: Can you elaborate on what you either scan a QR code, enter a phone number,
mean by user categories? or enter the UPI ID. There are also other
Comment: Interviewer may be indicating that you’re functionalities like payment using bank details
trying to get answers from the panelist by asking but I think I can rule that out considering the
such broad questions instead of getting to them problem statement only talks about UPI
yourself transactions. Are we seeing any drops in
these individual user journeys?
Candidate: Sure, I mean that higher
deviations could be observed in a specific Interviewer: No we haven’t seen a significant
category that might be relevant to this metric. drop in these particular Journeys. Do you
1) Old users vs Newly onboarded users which think you missed out on any other way to
can give us an indication about a buggy app make payments?
version 2) Geographic Categories. A drop in a
specific city can indicate abnormal social Candidate: Oh yes I completely missed third-
conditions in that area party app transactions using Phonepe.
Usually, when we want to purchase
Interviewer: Okay, fair enough. The drop has something on an app, after adding it to the
been observed uniformly across Platforms cart we proceed to payment. Then we see the
and the categories you mentioned. various payment options that are available to
us. If we want to pay using Phonepe we select
Candidate: Has Phonepe or its major the option post which we get a notification
competitors like GPay and PayTM had any saying “This app has requested X amount on
47
Phonepe”. We can click on the notification the previous period a new bug was introduced
and click pay within the popup that PhonePe where users were not able to see the popup
gives us. We enter the UPI pin, the and hence would abandon transactions. They
transaction gets completed and we get then switch to other apps like Google Pay
redirected back to the third-party app which is why they are seeing an increase in
transactions.
Interviewer: Yes, actually, we are seeing a Great, we can conclude here then.
drop in transactions in this channel. We found
that In the update we rolled out which was Candidate: Thank you for the opportunity.
aimed at fixing the bugs that we reported in
48
Comment: Interviewer may be indicating that you’re
Returns Increase of Nykaa
trying to get answers from the panelist by asking
such broad questions instead of getting to them
Interviewer: Order returns at Nykaa have yourself
been up by almost 20% for the past 2 weeks Candidate: Ok, understood, has there been
can you help us diagnose what may be any change in the competitive landscape of
happening. the beauty e-commerce industry or any kind
of macro-factor that may have affected us?
Candidate: Surely, but before I start I would
like to clarify some things. Since Nykaa has Interviewer: Can you elaborate on what you
both Fashion & Beauty in its portfolio have we mean by macro factors?
seen this trend in any specific segment or all
across? Candidate: Yeah sure, I mean has there been
any legal change, political movement or social
Interviewer: We have been seeing this trend media wave that may have affected
for Nykaa Beauty across all beauty segments. consumers' perception & habits concerning
the brand?
Candidate: Are we seeing this spike on any
specific platform like the web or app, Android Interviewer: No there have been no macro-
or Apple? environment changes that can affect the
returns in such a way & the competitive
Interviewer: Our majority of sales occur landscape has been stable enough.
through mobile applications so we do see a
jump across the mobile app which gives users Candidate: Understood & have our other
greater functionality & features. competitors faced the same issue for returns
increasing?
Candidate: Is there any specific segment of
users like age group or gender that has led to Interviewer: or now it seems this issue is
this increase? specifically affecting Nykaa.
Interviewer: We have a high percentage of Candidate: Ok so it seems that the root cause
female users & the issue seems to persist lies within Nykaa & not due to the external
across all demographics within the beauty environment around us.
segment.
Interviewer: Yes, it is fair to say that the
Candidate: are we concerned about order issue lies within our walls.
cancellations both before & after this 2-week
window? Candidate: Has there been any new strategy,
scheme, marketing, or sale in these past few
Interviewer: No, the cancellation rates have weeks or is there a sale about to happen that
come down after this particular 2-week period may prompt users to return their products in
but you can consider a week before & after as the hope of discounts later on?
your scope.
49
Interviewer: Good thinking, we do see some Comment: The interviewer could have also asked at
spikes during the sales season or when we the start if there was a jump in the orders placed as
give seasonal discounts but none would well which could have led to arriving here quicker.
explain such a high jump in returns, but there
have been no major strategic initiatives during Candidate: Has the AR tool been working as
this time. expected or have there been some issues with
the tool?
Candidate: Has there been any major
application update both technical or on the Interviewer: The AR tool has been working
front end during this period? quite well in internal testing but we do seem
to have some complaints from customers that
Interviewer: We had a bug-fixing update the color of the products is not a perfect
during the spike & another with technical & replica in real life.
UX changes 1 week before the spike.
Candidate: Could the bug in the AR Tool be
Candidate: Can you tell me what the the reason for the increased product returns?
Technical-UX, bug-fixing updates included?
Interviewer: It could be but how would you
Interviewer: The major upgrade had some explain the time lag between the launch of the
minor UI tweaks that had no impact on the AR Tool & the spike of cancellations?
customer flow but we did upgrade our
Augmented Reality tool in the upgrade which Candidate: Delivery time! When the feature
allows the customer to see how the products was launched people started ordering the
would look on them in real-time products on what they saw in the AR Filter but
after a week or so when they got the product
Candidate: Can you tell me how the AR Tool in their hands they realized it was not the
works & its value to the customer? same color as in the app, so they returned it. I
would assume that the bug fixing update took
Comment: Just like in this case if you do not care of the issue hence the spike dropped.
know what exactly a particular feature is or
how it adds value do not hesitate to ask your Interviewer: Great! That’s exactly what
Interviewer, it’s better to have your doubts happened, our team caught the mistake &
clarified than be exposed later on rolled the fix soon. We can conclude this RCA
here.
Interviewer: So the AR tool is something
Nykaa built in-house to allow our customers Candidate: Thank you so much for the
to see how the specific product would look on opportunity.
them & the update allowed it to work in
Comment: This RCA is unique in the sense that we
different lighting conditions so the customer have to consider the lag between the app update,
can see how the product looks in real life fix & the delivery time which makes it seem that the
which was very well received by our issue & updates are not in sync & occur on 2
customers. separate timelines.
50
Spotify session time is decreasing causes into 2 ways, one is internal changes in
the company or the application that has
caused this issue. And the other is the
Interviewer: Consider yourself as the product external causes. Let me start with the
manager at Spotify. Currently, Spotify is external causes. Was there any new
experiencing a decrease in the session time. competition or new price change from the
Find out the root cause of this issue. competitor side?
Candidate: Just to make sure that I ·Interviewer: No, the competition remains the
understood the problem statement correctly, I same. You can safely ignore the external
would like to reiterate it. So, Spotify’s session factors and proceed with the internal factors.
time is decreasing, and I’m here to find out
why. So, what exactly is session time? Is it the Candidate: OK, so has Spotify made any
average time spent by the users in the app? changes to the application? Were there any
UI changes or any major updates?
Interviewer: Yes, that’s exactly what session
time is. Interviewer: Yes, there was an update that
introduced a feature to browse and play
Candidate: Before I dive in, I want to know media on the phone's local storage.
some more specific information. Is this issue
globally prevalent, or is it there in any specific Candidate: To track where the problem
regions? occurs, I would like to draw out a user journey
specifically for this feature. So, initially, I hope
Interviewer: This is not exactly geography- the login doesn’t change. Then the user would
specific, but this issue is a little high in some be opening the app every time they use it.
regions. But for this case, you can ignore the Once they open it, they would be going to the
geography. locally stored files, for which they would
require storage permission. Is the Storage
Candidate: Oh, ok. I would not be considering permission granted? And is the problem
the geography right now. But what about the specific to any of the steps of the user
platform? Is it platform-specific? journey mentioned above?
Interviewer: Yes, this issue is only present in Interviewer: The Storage permission is not an
the mobile and especially in the Android issue here, and there is no specific problem in
segment. any of the steps of the user journey, the
whole application is crashing frequently.
Candidate: Great, and how about the divide
between free and premium users? Is the issue Candidate: Oh, the main problem is that the
prevalent between both customers? application crashes frequently, and users
cannot use the application for a longer
Interviewer: Yes, this is common between duration, which in turn decreases the total
both customers. session time. So, shall I dive deep into the
root cause of this crashing?
Candidate – OK, Now I can divide the possible
51
·Interviewer: Yes go ahead. Interviewer: Yes you are right, due to the
· addition of this functionality the size of the
Candidate: Since you have mentioned that the app increased. In turn, it affected lower-end
issue is prevalent only on the Android Android phones in which the app started to
segment and then here there are crashes, one crash hence decreasing the user engagement
of my guesses is that the lower-end segment for that particular user base. Great work!
users of Android phones are experiencing this
issue, and their phones are not able to
support the newer updates as they would be
requiring more power and storage. Is this
correct?
52
App Critique
App Critique Theory
An App Critique entails analyzing design Common app critique mistakes to avoid
choices, sharing your objective opinions, and during interviews:
providing constructive feedback about a given Focusing on aesthetics over functionality:
app. This is a way for interviewers to evaluate It's easy to get caught up in pointing out
your product thinking, user experience, visual visual flaws in the UI. Aesthetics alone
and interaction design skills, communication won't matter if the app fails to fulfill its
skills, and ability to give feedback. core purpose.
Rigidity in Approach: If you've pre-
A basic framework such as the one below can selected an app for critique, be prepared
be kept in mind when facing app critique to adapt your approach based on the
interviews. interviewer's prompts. Display flexibility
What is the App’s Value Proposition? and a willingness to consider various
Who are the Target audiences of the App? methods.
Identify the app's features and user flows, Superficial praise without substance:
focusing on the impact of the selected Overwhelmingly positive comments may
feature on the company’s business and indicate an inability to analyze the work
user problems. Assess whether the critically. Demonstrate ability to identify
feature contributes to user acquisition, both strengths and weaknesses for a
retention, engagement, etc., and how it more well-rounded assessment.
aligns with the company's business model. Overemphasis on UI Description:
Explore whether the feature encourages Spending too much time describing the UI
users to invest money or time in the app. without delving into the reasoning behind
your observations can be a pitfall.
We can also use the Standard Usefulness, Interviewers are interested in your
Efficiency, Innovativeness and Improvements thought process, not a laundry list of UI
framework to perform app critiques. Before elements.
delving into app analysis, give a little brief
about the Product’s value proposition, their Explore what makes certain aspects effective
business model and target audience. The aim or ineffective. Employing a structured critique
here is to give a precursor to what is the value framework helps maintain objectivity and
that the users derive from the product. guides your evaluation. Additionally, consider
comparing the app in question with similar
apps.
54
App Critique 1
Splitwise of transaction, custom notes, and even
adds scanned bill receipts (Splitwise pro
Value Proposition: feature)- Extremely useful when you refer
Splitwise is a financial management app back to track your expenses after a while.
designed to simplify and streamline the Splitwise provides flexible bill splitting
process of splitting expenses among friends, options like splitting expenses equally,
family, roommates, or colleagues. Its primary Manual allocation, Percentage,
value proposition lies in easing the Add/subtract share amount etc. It is
complexities of shared expenses, ensuring extremely useful when you want to play
transparency, and promoting fairness in around with how you want to share the
financial transactions among groups. expenses among your group.
Group Options: Making groups with
Business Model frequently contacted persons is an
Splitwise operates on a freemium business extremely useful feature as it simplifies
model, offering both free and paid premium the expense management and bill splitting
services to its users. process. Also it provides additional
features like charts and currency
Target Audience conversion (Splitwise Pro features),
The App is mainly targeted towards users who Spending summary of group etc.
want to track their shared expenses during a The “Settling Up” feature simplifies
trip, vacation etc., Also it is highly beneficial calculations so people can easily track
for people living together in rented individual expenses.
accommodations, Students etc.,
Efficiency:
Major needs of these users include: The bright, green "+" button for adding
To Effortlessly track expenses with expenses is easily discoverable and
friends during outings, eliminating the enhances accessibility.
need to deal with bill-splitting and All main functionalities such as Friends,
calculation hassles. groups, Activity are neatly listed on the
To Avoid forgetting shared expenses to home page, ensuring a simple and
prevent confusion straightforward user experience.
Comment: Try to relate to the needs of user
personas rather than your own views. You’re Innovativeness:
going to be designing products for users and "Simplify Debts" feature minimizes
not for yourself, so make sure to keep transactions and avoids confusion. It is
personal biases aside, and analyze how the extremely innovative and helpful in
app is solving user’s problems. avoiding excessive transactions. It does
Usefulness: not change the total amount that anyone
Splitwise follows a minimalistic but owes, but it makes it easier to pay people
effective UI which does the job with back by minimizing the total number of
consistent and simple use of colours. payments. The option to turn it on/off is a
Expense Management: Captures expenses plus.
with detailed information, including date Splitwise Pro’s innovative features like
55
App Critique 1
scanned bill receipts and currency digital payment platforms such as Google
conversion enhance user experience. Pay and Paytm (Paytm integration
unavailable for ios) etc., Collaborating
Improvements: with other widely-used digital products
The home page can be made less like BookMyShow, Goibibo, MakeMyTrip,
cluttered by removing “settle up” Zomato/Swiggy, and similar booking
information and allowing users to navigate platforms could further enhance the user
to the required buttons to view them. experience
Lack of payment verification in "Settle Up" Reminder to settle debts: A reminder
can lead to discrepancies in verifying the notification to all the concerned people to
authenticity of payments. As the pending settle their debts by a particular date is
payments are converted to settled on needed. This feature can be enabled at
based on any one stakeholder’s input. the group level as well, making sure users
Implement verification feature for "Settle remember to repay their debts, one group
Up" payments. Feature to ensure that at a time.
both parties agree before balances are
settled. Admin feature: In such cases, the Comment: Check with the Interviewer and try
user who creates the group can be made to summarize the whole critique at the end of
an admin who can approve transactions in the Interview.
cases where users in the group settle a Summarizing the critique, Splitwise excels in
payment. user-friendly expense management, offering a
A possible solution to Increase minimalistic UI with effective use of colors. Its
discoverability of “Simplify debts” can be flexible bill splitting options and group
to place the feature next to the group features simplify expense tracking. However,
name, providing users with ease of access the lack of payment verification in "Settle Up"
to this functionality. can lead to discrepancies. The app's
innovative "Simplify Debts" feature minimizes
Possible Additional features that can be transactions but could improve
added: discoverability. Potential improvements
Integration with other apps: Currently include a less cluttered home page and the
Splitwise does not provide payment addition of features like payment integration
option within the app. Splitwise has the with popular platforms and debt settlement
potential to broaden its user base reminders.
significantly by integrating with popular
56
App Critique 2
Slack easy navigation.
The clean and organized layout ensures a
Value Proposition: user-friendly experience.
Slack is a team collaboration platform The threaded conversation feature helps
designed to simplify communication and maintain context within discussions.
enhance productivity in professional settings.
Its primary value proposition lies in providing Efficiency
a centralized and organized space for team File sharing and collaboration: Enables
communication, file sharing, and users to share documents, images, and
collaboration, ultimately reducing the reliance other files seamlessly within the platform,
on scattered emails and improving overall also the button placements are efficient to
workflow efficiency. use
App integrations: Allows integration with a
Business Model: wide range of third-party apps to
Slack operates on a freemium business streamline workflows. Slack seamlessly
model, offering both free and paid premium integrates with top apps like JIRA,
services to its users. The premium services Clockwise, Google Drive, Zendesk,
include advanced features such as unlimited Dropbox, and GitHub. With over 1,500
message history, advanced app integrations, apps available in its directory, Slack
and greater storage capacity. provides extensive integration options.
Target Audience: Clear notification system for messages
The app is targeted towards businesses and and mentions, reducing the chances of
teams of various sizes seeking a more missing important information.
efficient and organized way to communicate
and collaborate. It caters to professionals in Innovativeness:
different industries who need a centralized Channel-based communication: Provides
platform for real-time communication and file a structured way for teams to
sharing. communicate based on topics or projects.
The Thread feature in Slack is useful. It
Major needs of these users include: lets you continue different conversations
Efficient team communication without the in separate threads, reducing clutter and
clutter of emails. making it less likely to miss important
Centralized storage and easy retrieval of messages.
shared files and documents. Search feature: Slack keeps everything in
Seamless integration with other one place so you don't lose info. It saves
productivity tools. messages with time stamps, tracks shared
files, and helps you find stuff easily with a
Usefulness smart search system. It scores better than
Slack employs a clean and modern UI with competitor apps like teams in this area.
a predominantly white and purple color
scheme. The design is intuitive, with Improvements:
channels, direct messages, and apps The "Do Not Disturb" feature might be
prominently displayed on the sidebar for ignored due to low discoverability, leading
57
App Critique 2
to potential disruptions during focused tablets or smartphones. This feature is a
work periods. Visibility can be enhanced, must need and can be introduced for
perhaps with a more prominent icon or android and IoS.
notification. Enhanced analytics: Introduce more
Provide more granular controls over robust analytics tools for team leaders to
notification preferences to allow users to track communication patterns and
customize their alert settings further. productivity metrics.
The learning curve for new users can be Summarizing the critique, Slack excels in
steep due to the multitude of features, but providing a robust communication and
the guide/help feature can be improved. collaboration platform, but potential
improvements lie in UI customization,
Possible Features That Can Be Added: onboarding, and enhanced notification
Interactive calendar integration: A feature controls. Additionally, exploring new
allowing users to schedule and manage features such as interactive calendars and
meetings directly within the Slack advanced analytics could further elevate
platform. the user experience.
Screen Sharing feature does not work on
58
App Critique 3
PhonePe and bill payments prominently displayed
on the home screen.
Value Proposition: Clear and straightforward navigation for
PhonePe is a mobile payment and financial core services. All major features such as
services platform that aims to simplify digital credit, Insurance and basic payment
transactions and provide users with a features are easily discoverable in the
seamless and secure way to manage their home page.
finances. Its primary value proposition lies in Integration of various financial services
offering a one-stop solution for various such as insurance, mutual investments
financial needs, including peer-to-peer etc in one app is very useful.
payments, bill payments, recharges, and Clear transaction history and details for
online shopping, all within a user-friendly users to track their spending.
mobile app.
Efficiency:
Business Model: Peer-to-peer payments: Enables users to
PhonePe operates on a digital wallet and UPI- send and receive money seamlessly using
based payment model, allowing users to link UPI or digital wallets.
their bank accounts for easy transactions. Bill payments and recharges: Allows users
The app generates revenue through to pay bills, recharge mobile phones, and
transaction fees and partnerships with top up DTH services directly through the
merchants. Additionally, PhonePe offers app.
various financial products like insurance and
mutual funds, contributing to its revenue Innovativeness:
stream. Financial products: Offers services like
insurance and mutual funds for users
Target Audience: looking to invest or manage their finances.
The app targets a broad audience, including PhonePe Switch: This feature allows
individuals who prefer the convenience of users to seamlessly switch between
digital payments, online shoppers, and those multiple apps such as swiggy, makemytrip
seeking easy access to financial services etc., from within phonepe, simplifying
through their smartphones. transaction management and purchases.
Major needs of these users include: Check Credit score:The ‘Credit’ section
Convenient and secure digital payment enables users to view their credit bureau
options. score without any additional cost. This is
Efficient bill payment and recharge an innovative feature and Phonepe has
facilities. pioneered it among its competitor UPI
Usefulness Apps.
PhonePe features a vibrant and intuitive
UI with a purple and white color scheme. Improvements:
Tweaking the logo to imitate INR is very Introduce a feature for group payments or
intuitive. bill splitting, catering to users who often
The design is user-friendly, with essential share expenses with friends or family.
features like money transfer, recharge, In-app tutorials or guides for users
59
App Critique 3
unfamiliar with certain financial products. Collaborate with merchants to integrate
As basic users might be able to benefit loyalty programs, offering users additional
from these guides. benefits for transactions within the
app(Similar to Gpay).
Possible Features That Can Be Added:
Expense tracking: A feature that allows Summarizing the critique:
users to categorize and track their PhonePe excels in providing a convenient
expenses for better financial and secure platform for digital payments
management. Dashboards such as pie and financial services. Potential
graphs showing the expense segregation, improvements include enhancing
investments, savings, etc can be helpful. educational features, introducing group
expense management.
Possible Features That Can Be Added:
Integration with loyalty programs:
60
App Critique 4
Flipkart (Mobile App) The e-commerce giant has been generating a
lot of money from paid ads since. It launched
Flipkart is an Indian e-commerce giant, a digital ads platform in 2015, which attracted
founded in 2007. It started as an online businesses quickly.
bookstore but has since expanded to become
a leading online marketplace offering a wide App analysis :
range of products, from electronics and UI design :
fashion to groceries and furniture. The ‘brand’switch, at the top of the home
Flipkart’s value offering is a wide variety of page is ambiguous to say the least. The
products at a cheap price, with convenience functional implications of that button are not
as their priority. Currently, they have being communicated to the users. Only on
expanded their portfolio to traveling search closer observation, it can be found that the
engine via Flipkart hotels, grocery shopping rolling banner is to denote the ‘brand’
through flipkart grocery and online pharmacy attributes.
i.e. flipkart health plus. The search button within the search bar
works as a good affordance for the search
Revenue streams : bar. For an organization, as established as
Commisions: flipkart, they are bound to focus on the
Flipkart makes a percentage cut whenever monetization. This is at play here, which
someone sells their product to a displays series of paid ads for products taking
customer. Commissions are usually up almost half a page of the screen when app
deducted from the original transaction is opened. The rest of the page is occupied by
value prior to paying out the seller who all the new promotions of flipkart.
sold the item. Only after further scrolling in home page,
other products are visible. It’s a safe
Shopping fees (Flipkart plus program): assumption to make, that flipkart are
Flipkart Plus is a subscription program aggressively promoting their newer revenue
offered by Flipkart that provides streams. It’s not an easy task for the users to
members with various benefits and go around, when the core business starts of e
privileges to enhance their online commerce site getting overshadowed in the
shopping experience through super coins, home page.
exclusive offers, free delivery etc. The interesting observation in search page is
that, there’s a section to display the
Own shipping subsidiary – Ekart: recommended products based on history with
It is a department that makes all the bigger emphasize on image of product and the
deliveries of goods to the concerned title below.
consumer. But the recommended section itself is below
Flipkart also makes money using Ekart to another section called related searches which
ship products of other retailers who have includes sponsored products related to the
customers in India but lack logistical search. Here promotion is placed over user
capabilities. convenience. The related searches section
has irregular gaps in it with unutilized uneven
Paid ads : spaces.
61
App Critique 4
Usefulness :
The flipkart grocery module is integrated into
the e commerce app itself. In order to
encourage the usage of grocery, the menu is
placed right at the top with the other option
for flipkart itself. Although, cluttery in its
positioning, the menu does help in
accessibility of groceries.
The product listing page has a simplistic
design with emphasis only on the product
with no other highlights. The different filters
available by default at the top are prominently
used ones, making it convenient for the user
to apply them.
Efficient :
The search bar in itself is fine with the right
affordances and signifiers to indicate the
presence of the bar. Search history is
automatically displayed one by one which can
Figure: Home page help the customers looking to do repeat
purchases with a single click.
The default view of the product is the most
advanced one (360 degree view), which
easily enables users to exploit it so that they
get the best experience possible. There is
clear indication of the available models
beneath the images of the product.
Figure: Search page Figure: Product Listing Page Figure: Accounting Page
62
App Critique 4
Innovation : as the ‘home’ page wherein crucial destined
Flipkart’s own AI chatbot ‘flippi’ is accessible information of the respective page are
from the home page with a right swipe, which overshadowed by other promotions. It can
has continuous animation of search become difficult for users to navigate around
suggestions being displayed. It gets more in cases like this.
interesting with the ability to access this from Since the entire product display page is very
any product page, wherein the chatbot will minimalistic in design with no clear visual
answer product specific questions. distinction between each sections, it can be
Flipkart also aboard the ‘story’ trend of social difficult for an early adopter to scroll through
media apps with the ‘Vibes’ section which can various information available.
be accessed with a single swipe from the
home page. This section promotes the
products available within flipkart in form of
short videos and stories similar to Instagram,
with immediate access to all the products
showcased in those short videos.
Improvement :
The presence of notification button in the
navigation at the bottom of the page is
questionable. The only function it serves is to
redirect to notification page, which can be
simply achieved by attaching number icons
with other menu options.
Also in the search page, there is no option to
remove the search history and also the
presence of an ‘arrow’ option to the right of
each search entry gives no indication of its
affordances.
First listing in the product listing page at the
top is a sponsored one but there’s no special
signifier on it, but similar position as the other
listing. This may lead users directly to the
sponsored product’s page, which might be the
goal here.
In accounts page of the app, apart from a
section for basic details which looks clean,
the second one is a credit offering section
from flipkart which has nothing to do with the
account of the user. But this is yet another
example of newer promotions being put on
display, an indication of flipkart’s push for
monetization. This page has the same issue Figure: Product display page
63
App Critique 5
Google Calendar Efficiency:
Seamless integration with other Google
Google Calendar is a widely-used online services, such as Gmail and Google Meet,
calendar and scheduling service developed by made it convenient for users to create events
Google. It provides users with a digital and set up video conferences directly from
platform for managing and organising their the app. Users can share their calendars with
events, appointments, tasks, and reminders. It others, enabling easy scheduling of group
is a versatile and widely-used tool for events or meetings. You can set permissions
personal and professional scheduling, offering to control who can view, edit, or manage your
a range of features to help users stay calendar.
organised and manage their time effectively.
Its integration with other Google services and Innovation:
its cross-platform compatibility make it a Few of the innovative features are that you
popular choice for many individuals and can directly create events from Google Chat
organisations. without leaving the chat and all the chat
members will be added to the event as
Target Group: attendees. You can use Find a Time feature to
Students, Professionals and for personal use schedule meetings and this smart feature
across groups would check the available slots of your
attendees and suggest a suitable time. You
can also leverage your Google Calendar and
Analysis bookable appointment schedules for business
purposes which requires payment.
UX & UI Design:
Google Calendar featured a clean and Improvement:
uncluttered design. The UI was responsive While the app was user-friendly for those
and adapted to different screen sizes, familiar with calendar apps, new users might
including desktop, tablet, and mobile devices, find it slightly complex, especially when
ensuring a consistent user experience. dealing with advanced features like event
scheduling with multiple attendees, bookable
Usefulness: appointments which require payments, etc.
Users can create events by specifying details Calendar app icon always shows 31, instead it
such as the event title, date, time, duration, can show the current date of the month.
location, and description. They can also set Google Calendar is not well integrated with a
recurring events, which is useful for daily, few non-Google productivity tools. A new
weekly, monthly, or custom recurring feature can be added where we can drag and
schedules. While Google Calendar primarily drop events between days and in order to
operates online, it offers limited offline reschedule it.
access, allowing users to view and edit events
even without an internet connection, with
changes syncing once a connection is
reestablished
64
App Critique 6
Zomato multiple restaurants at the same time. It also
offers a mix of cash and cashless payment
Zomato is the go-to companion for all things options. You can avail of advanced online
related to food and dining, whether one is a payments options like UPI, Phonepe, Paytm,
food enthusiast looking for the latest culinary and GooglePay.
trends or a hungry individual in search of a
great meal. Zomato's mission is to connect Innovation:
people with great food experiences, and it has Zomato provides you with a feature that you
become a trusted source of information and can order your food online and pick it up from
services for foodies and culinary the restaurant by yourself. Zomato provides
establishments alike. an option for foodies to follow their friends so
that they can know what their friends eat and
Target Group: what they like.
Families, Office going bachelors
Improvement:
The app's filtering and sorting options were
Analysis comprehensive but could be overwhelming for
some users. Enhanced localization features,
UI Design: including menus and descriptions in local
Zomato's UI featured a clean and visually languages, could improve accessibility for
appealing design with high-quality images of users in non-English-speaking regions.
dishes and restaurant interiors. The app had a Improving offline functionality, especially for
straightforward navigation menu that made it viewing saved information like menus and
easy to access different sections, including addresses, could benefit users in areas with
Home, Explore, Orders, Bookings, and User limited connectivity.
Profile.
Usefulness:
The app excelled in helping users discover
new restaurants and dining options, with
advanced search filters, user reviews, ratings,
and high-quality images of dishes and
restaurant interiors. The app facilitated online
food ordering as well as table booking with a
straightforward process, including menu
browsing, item selection, and secure payment
options. Real-time order tracking enhanced
the user experience.
Efficiency:
Zomato allows users to place orders from
65
App Critique 7
Spotify Innovation:
Spotify's algorithm creates personalised
Spotify is an all-in-one destination for music playlists like "Discover Weekly" and "Release
and audio entertainment. With its easy-to-use Radar" based on your listening habits,
app, you have instant access to an extensive ensuring a constantly evolving music
catalogue of songs, podcasts, and playlists experience. People can share their favourite
from artists around the world. With a wide songs and playlists with friends on social
array of features and customization options, media or collaborate on playlists with others.
Spotify caters to music aficionados seeking a People can also share their favourite songs
personalised and convenient listening and playlists using Spotify Code which is a
experience. generated QR code.
Target Group: Improvement:

Music lovers and enthusiasts Translation of the lyrics of regional songs can
be made available in English or in other
languages. Recommendation lists often
Analysis include songs which we have already listened
to or are in our liked songs list instead of new
UI Design: songs. No feature to club different playlists or
The UI of Spotify is too cluttered with multiple albums under a single catalogue and create a
playlists and suggestions and liked songs and new playlist instead needing to add the songs
playlists. Premium buy icon is present on the individually. Users with extensive libraries of
navigation tab at the bottom instead of the saved songs and playlists found it
account icon. cumbersome to organise and manage their
content effectively.
Usefulness:
In some regions, you can view song lyrics in
real-time as you listen, enhancing the music
experience. Premium users can download
songs and podcasts for offline listening.
Spotify's integration of podcasts provided
users with a wide range of audio content,
from entertainment and education to news
and storytelling.
Efficiency:
Premium users can adjust the audio quality to
suit their preferences, whether they're
streaming over a cellular network or using Wi-
Fi. Premium users can adjust the audio quality
to suit their preferences, whether they're
streaming over a cellular network or using Wi-
Fi
66
App Critique 8
Amazon Prime Video movies, series, and channels that can be
rented or subscribed to.
Amazon Prime Video offers a diverse and
constantly expanding selection of content, Innovation:
making it a go-to choice for entertainment Users could create multiple profiles within a
enthusiasts. With its combination of original single Amazon Prime account, allowing family
productions, classic titles, and user-friendly members to have personalised
features, it provides a comprehensive recommendations and watchlists. The app
streaming experience for subscribers of offered parental controls to restrict access to
Amazon Prime. certain content based on age
appropriateness, providing a safe viewing
Target Group: experience for children.
Across all groups
Improvement:
While the app had a search bar and filters,
Analysis there can be improvements in search
accuracy and navigation, especially when
UI Design: searching for specific content. On homepage
The UI of Amazon prime is cluttered with placement of the content categories is fixed
multiple shows/movies suggestions based on and cannot be personalised as per user
genre, languages and shows available on preferences. There can be a new feature in
other platforms which are collaborating with the parental control where parents can block
Amazon prime video but one needs to certain kids shows they don’t want their kids
subscribe to those platforms individually. to watch. On going back and trying to rewatch
the shows it takes back to the newest season
Usefulness: catalogue instead of showing the season you
Users could create multiple profiles within a were currently watching.
single Amazon Prime account, allowing family
members to have personalised
recommendations and watchlists. Amazon
Prime Video offered personalised
recommendations based on a user's viewing
history, preferences, and ratings, enhancing
the content discovery experience. The app
also offers offline download features for the
online content.
Efficiency:
Amazon prime has a “Store” section in its
navigation menu and its primary page will
serve as a single destination from which
customers can explore the entire catalogue of
67
App Critique 9
Kindle with a simple tap while reading. The app
allows users to search for specific content
The Kindle app is a versatile and user-friendly within e-books and access Wikipedia for
platform that brings the joy of reading to a additional information without leaving the
digital format. Whether you're an avid reader, app.
student, professional, or simply looking to
explore new literary horizons, the Kindle app Innovation:
offers a rich and customizable reading Kindle supports text-to-speech technology,
experience on a wide range of devices. enabling users to have e-books read aloud to
them, which is particularly helpful for those
Target Group: with visual impairments or multitasking. The
All book lovers X-Ray feature provides insights into e-books
by offering character profiles, important
terms, and key passages, enhancing
Analysis comprehension. Kindle's "Popular Highlights"
feature underlines text in ebooks when more
UI Design: than ten people have highlighted the passage.
The Kindle app's homepage typically featured This works with a service called "OverDrive”
a library view where users could see covers of that allows users to get free eBooks from their
their downloaded e-books and content local library right on their Kindle if they own a
organised in a grid or list format. library card.
Usefulness: Improvement:
Users can personalise their reading Expanding discovery features, such as
experience by adjusting font sizes, fonts, line personalised book recommendations and
spacing, and background colours to suit their better genre categorization, could help users
comfort and reading conditions. Users can discover new titles more effectively. Adding
personalise their reading experience by features like book clubs, discussion forums,
adjusting font sizes, fonts, line spacing, and or social sharing could foster a sense of
background colours to suit their comfort and community among readers. A large selection
reading conditions. The X-Ray feature of books that are supposed to have audio
provides insights into e-books by offering integration, where it will read aloud as one
character profiles, important terms, and key goes through the book, either does not
passages, enhancing comprehension. If users integrate well, or will not allow you to buy or
own both the e-book and audiobook versions listen to the audiobook. There are a few
of a title, Whispersync for Voice allows them inconsistencies in the user interface across
to switch between reading and listening different platforms, suggesting the need for a
seamlessly. more uniform experience.
Efficiency:
The app features a built-in dictionary,
allowing users to look up word definitions
68
Guesstimates
Guesstimate 01
Estimate the number of watch population as our customer base, as the
subscription is priced such that it targets
hours in a day for Disney+Hotstar. primarily the urban population. Focusing on
Candidate: Just to get a better understanding,

should I focus only on subscribers or free
users as well? Should I focus only on India?
Also do you want me to focus on a particular
day from weekday/weekend?
Interviewer: Let’s take into account the the 40% urban population, we can break it
subscribers of India. And you can pick any down further into income groups. 40% as
day you want. lower income, 50% as middle income and 10%
as upper income groups. For each group we
Candidate: Okay I’ll take a minute to build a can assign factors of affordability (which
framework before proceeding. considers access to internet and
I am assuming that it is a usual weekday with smartphones/ smart TVs) and penetration of
no seasonality or holiday, and there is no disney + hotstar. Summing up these numbers
specific event like the World Cup, etc. will give us our subscriber base. We can
Comment: Critical to clarify external or situation- multiply this with (2) and (3) mentioned
specific factors in such guesstimates, where previously to reach the number of watch
users/footfall, etc. can vary and depend on multiple hours per day. Do you want me to calculate
factors. the numbers for you?
So to estimate the watch hours, I’ll need: Interviewer: No, this approach sounds good to
me. We can leave it here. Thank you.
Number of subscribers (1) x % subscribers
watching disney / day (2) x average number
of hours/ day (3)
Let’s assume (3) as 2 hours/day. For (2),

based on what I have experienced, not every
subscriber uses the same platform everyday.
About 2 in 5 subscribers, i.e. 40%, access
Disney in a day. For (1), we can start with
population, go into rural-urban splits and go
further into them. Does this sound good?
Interviewer: Yes, it sounds good. Let’s

estimate the number of Disney subscribers.
Candidate: Assuming 1.4 billion as India’s

population, we can ignore the 60% rural
70
Guesstimate 02
Estimate the number of trainers Lakh students in classes 9-12 in public
schools. Considering a ration of 1 teacher per
for Haryana public school teachers 30 students, we need to train 33,000
teachers.
Interviewer: How many trainers would be
required to train public school teachers in
new ed-tech software deployed by the state
government of Haryana?
Candidate: Before we begin, I would like to

start by asking a few clarifying questions - Do
we know the number of teachers or is that
something that we need to estimate as well?
What is the training duration required for the
training? And, in what timeframe would we
like to complete the training?
Interviewer: We need to estimate the number

of teachers as well. The training will be of 4
hours spread across 2 days and we are
looking to complete training for the whale Interviewer: This sounds fair. How will you
state in 1 month. Also, we only need to train estimate the number of trainers required?
teachers teaching 9h class students.
Comment: Sometimes guesstimates can be two-
Candidate: Assuming 1 trainer can train 10
fold, like here we calculate the number of teachers teachers at a time and will require 2 days,
and then the trainers required. It is critical to clarify he/she will train 150 teachers in a month.
the need with the interviewer. Thus the number of trainers required to
complete training in a month will be
Candidate: Okay, thank you. I would first like 33,000/150 = 220
to estimate the number of public school
teachers in Haryana. I will start with Interviewer: Great, that seems like a fair
Haryana's population, estimate the children in number.
public schools and the number of teachers
required to teach them. Does this sound fair?
Interviewer: Sure, you can go ahead.
Candidate: Considering Haryana’s population

to be 3 crore, 25% will be 0-18 yrs of age i.e.
75 lakhs. Of these 20% will be in classes 9-12
i.e. 15 Lakhs. Next we can consider a 2:1 split
in public and private schools. This gives us 10
71
Guesstimate 03
Estimate the number of messages we are looking at the age group of 18-50, the
percentage of people using WhatsApp for
sent in Kolkata everyday communication will be greater in rich section
group. I will take 70% usage rate among rich
Interviewer: A startup based out of Joka is folks and 60% among the middle section. That
considering selling products on WhatsApp via gives WhatsApp users among rich and middle
advertisements. Guesstimate the number of to be .7*.2*15 =2.1 M and .6*.5*15=4.5 M
messages sent in Kolkata everyday so they respectively. Total users=6.6 M
may estimate the total market volume.
Candidate: Before beginning, I would like to

understand the definition of a message. Do
we consider it to be text or do we include any
media sharing (gifs/images or video) as a part
of a message?
Interviewer: Consider texts as the only form

of message. Assume a text to be one message
whenever the user presses the send button or
hits ‘enter’ regardless of the length of the
message.
Candidate: What demographic is our startup

aiming at? Will our services/ products be
availed by all residents or are we looking at
any specific group?
Interviewer: It would primarily be catering to

the needs of adults in the age range 18-50.
Candidate: Okay. I would like to assume the Among the income group, I would like to
population of Kolkata to be 15 million. Further classify users depending on their messaging
I would like to divide the total number of frequency.
individuals using WhatsApp by income
approach. Does this sound reasonable? They could be classified as heavy, medium
and light. The heavy users will be the younger
Interviewer: Yes, proceed. age group who use WhatsApp for chatting
with their friends/ batchmates and various
Candidate: I would split the population into class/interest groups. The medium users of
three groups: low, middle and high income WhatsApp would be the working population in
with a percentage split of 20, 50 and 30% the age group of 25-35 (say) who would be
respectively. The poor income group are busy in their work and have less time to
assumed to not use WhatsApp. Further, since devote to informal chats. Light users would
72
Guesstimate 03
form an age group of 35+ who spend less time Interviewer: This looks good. We can close it
on app and their major messaging happens here.
via family groups and close friends. Does this
assumption sound reasonable? Comment: We could alternatively calculate
population distribution of the respective age
groups(18-24, 25-35,35-50) in a high, medium and
Interviewer: Sure, we can proceed. How
low frequency messaging basis. Every age group
would you estimate the number of messages would have a different percentage split across
sent by these users? three modes of frequency usage. The number of
messages sent across the 3 age groups and 3
Candidate: For heavy users , who would be modes of frequency would also be different. We
primarily the younger group, I would estimate would end up with 9 unique entries for an age
the number of hours spent on smartphones to group- mode combination. (e.g. 18-24 High).
be 14 and assuming 50 messages sent per Multiplying no of users and messages sent daily for
hour on average, that would be 14*50=700 each such 9 combination and adding it up would
give us the total number of WhatsApp messages
messages per heavy user a day, I would take
sent every day in Kolkata.
medium and light users to send .7*700 =490 ,
(say 500 for calculation) and 200 messages
respectively per day. For the user split I would
assume a 40,40,20 percentage split across
heavy , medium and light users for the 6.6 M
WhatsApp users. This would give us the
number of messages sent per day to be:
.4*6.6*700 + 0.4*6.6*500 +0.2*6.6*200=
3432 M messages.
73
Some more guesstimates
Estimate the bandwidth (internet) Amount of bandwidth required differs for
high, medium and low usage customers.
required at Kolkata Airport. College students (video call, streaming),
office workers/middle age group (WhatsApp
The bandwidth required can be estimated as: calls, office work), senior people (internet
Number of passengers on 1 day at airport * messaging).
Max usage per customer per second
Number of runways at the airport = 1 Video call takes 500MB for 5min
Total time = 24 hours Audio call takes 100MB for 5min
Maintenance time = 4 hours (assumption)
Time to take-off per flight = 5 minutes Internet messaging takes 500KB for 1min
(assumption)
Number of flights in one day
= (20*60)/5 = 240 flights The highest usage will be for video call, so
bandwidth required = number of people *
Flights can be segmented as domestic and maximum bandwidth = 22000 * 100MB per
international. Let us take 30% international min = 22000 * 100MB/60 sec ~ 36666MB per
and 70% domestic flights. sec
Number of seats in international flight

= 9 columns * 30 rows = 180 seats
Calculate the number of tickets
Number of seats in domestic flight booked in Kolkata from
= 6 columns * 20 seats = 120 seats BookMyShow
Occupancy for each flight will be decided by First discuss the approach and then go on
the time of the day. Flights can be segmented doing calculations and arrive at the final
based on high, medium and low traffic time. answer.
International and domestic flights will be
different for the 3 time slots. Number of malls in Kolkata = Area of Kolkata
(200)/Area served by a mall (25)
[Use it to distribute the number of Total number of seats available in Kolkata =
international and domestic flights in high, No. of malls x No. of screens (4) x No. of seats
medium and low traffic times but was told to in a screen (200)
consider a uniform distribution.]
Calculating % of seats booked by
For domestic, consider 90% occupancy in BookMyShow using internet penetration rate
high, 70% in medium and 50% in low traffic in Kolkata (60% internet penetration) x (50%
time. For international, take 80% in high, 60% booked on BMS)
in medium and 40% in low traffic time
Calculating average occupancy rate based on
Number of people visiting the airport in 1 day = the day of the week (70%)
(240 * 0.3 * 180 *0.6) + (240 * 0.7 * 120 * 0.7) Total bookings in a day = No. of seats x
= 7776 + 14112 = 21888 (approx. 22000) occupancy rate
74
Some more guesstimates
Estimate the number of parking Estimate the water consumption in
spaces that are required at the an apartment building
Bangalore airport
Water is used for these primary functions –
Identify the different types of vehicles that cooking, bathing, cleaning, drinking.
can come at the airport like airport authority
vehicles, government authority vehicles, Estimate the daily water requirement for
Uber/Ola cabs, normal cabs, personal cooking, bathing and drinking for a child and a
vehicles, luggage transport vehicles. grown up, and the water requirement for
cleaning a 1500 sqft of space which can be
Given by interviewer: Ola/Uber cabs assumed to be the average size of a flat.
Approach: Estimate the throughput of the Next assume a medium sized apartment
cabs from Bangalore airport at the busiest complex with 50 flats with different types of
hour and based on average waiting time for families – 4 and 8 people respectively. Next
each cab, calculate the number of cabs that calculate the total consumption by multiplying
will be parked in that hour. Either looking at individual usage by total number of residents.
departure or arrival numbers would work
since Bangalore airport is quite far from the Finally add some overhead for common
city, any cab visiting the airport will leave the building consumption.
airport with a ride only.
How many photos are uploaded on
Consider the busiest hour and checked
facebook on a monthly basis?
the number of people that would come at
that hour.
Clarify the user scale and segment them
Check the percentage of people requiring
based on frequency of uploads and the
cabs. Assume cab sharing and private cab
percentage of photos among uploads.
model and estimate average number of
Assume seasonality and clarify on every step
passengers per cab. Calculate number of
whether the approach makes sense or not.
cabs that will be coming to/leaving the
Interviewer can ask to calculate the exact
airport in that hour.
number and compare it with the number he
So number of parking spaces required at
has by the end, so make sure to have basic
any given time for cabs = Number of cabs
numbers crunched for top down approach.
going out in any time period (hour for the
case) * (Cab TAT/time period)
75
Go-to-Market
Cases
GTM Case 1
You are PM at the Myntra building We can emphasize the authenticity, quality,
and health benefits of home-cooked food.
for India. You’re tasked to come up Additionally, our platform can offer
with a Go to Market strategy for a customization options, allowing users to tailor
home-cooked meal delivery their meals to their dietary preferences and
requirements.
application that Myntra has come
up with. Interviewer: That sounds promising. How
would you propose launching this service?
Candidate: Thank you for the context. To
start, could you clarify if the goal is to launch Candidate: I'd suggest dividing the Go to
this home-cooked meal delivery application Market strategy into three phases: Pre-
nationwide in India? launch, Launch, and Post-launch.
1. Pre-launch: We should begin by
Interviewer: Yes, your task is to devise a conducting a soft launch in a few major
strategy for a nationwide launch. cities to test the market's response and
gather user feedback. This will help us
Candidate: Great. I'll begin by analyzing the fine-tune the platform and build initial
current landscape for home-cooked meal awareness. We can also start partnering
delivery services in India. Currently, there's a with local home chefs in these cities.
growing trend toward online food delivery 2. Launch: For the nationwide launch, we
platforms, including cooked meals. We have should organize a virtual launch event.
established players like Swiggy and Zomato, Given Myntra's fashion expertise, we can
which offer a variety of restaurant food. host a fashion-meets-food event,
However, there's a noticeable gap in the collaborating with renowned designers
market for homemade, healthy, and and home chefs. This will create buzz and
customizable meals delivered to consumers' generate media coverage. We should also
doorsteps. This presents an opportunity for launch a marketing campaign highlighting
Myntra to leverage its brand and platform. the benefits of homemade meals,
healthiness, and customization.
Interviewer: How does Myntra's brand fit into 3. Post-launch: After the launch, we should
this market, and what unique value can we focus on user engagement and retention.
offer? Implementing a robust loyalty program
and referral system can incentivize users
Candidate: Myntra's brand is synonymous to keep ordering. Additionally, leveraging
with fashion and lifestyle, and we have a large Myntra's existing customer base, we can
and loyal customer base. Leveraging our cross-promote the meal delivery service
brand recognition and customer trust, we can within the fashion app.
position this service as a fashion-forward,
health-conscious meal delivery platform. The Interviewer: What distribution channels do
key differentiator will be our focus on you suggest for this service?
homemade meals prepared by local home
chefs.
77
GTM Case 1
Candidate: I propose launching this service as personalized recommendations and
a standalone application initially, dedicated promotions tailored to individual preferences
solely to home-cooked meal delivery. We can can also enhance retention.
also integrate it within the Myntra fashion app
as a separate section, targeting existing Interviewer: Thank you for your
Myntra customers who may be interested in comprehensive strategy. Could you please
the service. This dual-channel approach summarize the key points?
allows us to tap into both existing Myntra
users and new customers. Candidate: Certainly. The strategy for
Myntra's home-cooked meal delivery
Interviewer: Lastly, how would you address application focuses on leveraging our brand
user retention and satisfaction? recognition, emphasizing healthiness and
customization, and partnering with local home
Candidate: User retention in the food delivery chefs. It involves a phased approach with a
industry is heavily dependent on the quality of soft launch, a fashionable nationwide launch
service and user experience. We should event, and post-launch efforts to enhance
closely monitor user feedback and ratings, user retention through quality assurance,
ensuring that meals consistently meet loyalty programs, and personalized
expectations. Implementing a review and engagement. This strategy aims to position
rating system for home chefs will help Myntra as a unique player in the Indian meal
maintain quality. delivery market, capitalizing on our fashion-
Additionally, we should offer a loyalty forward brand and existing customer base
program where users can earn rewards for
repeated orders. Regular engagement through
78
GTM Case 2
A tech startup is launching a new them that I can remember of are Gymbal
which offers live interactive workouts using
Virtual Reality (VR) fitness app mobile cameras and wearables, Flexnest
that allows users to experience which combines smart connected equipment
immersive workouts at home. with immersive content for home workouts
and some emerging startups like BeyondFit
Develop a Go-to-Market strategy and VRFit. We must differentiate ourselves
for this app. from them by providing personalized content
based on their lifestyle.
Candidate: Thank you for the context. Just to
clarify the goal is to launch a VR fitness app Interviewer: You can go ahead with that.
that allows users to experience workouts at
home, and can I assume the geography to be Candidate: Okay, then. So, first I would like to
pan India? look at the product and its target audience,
point of differentiation. Then, accordingly
Interviewer: Yes, your task is to devise a tailor the GTM strategy.
nationwide launch in India.
Interviewer: What do you have in mind for the
Candidate: Got it. Can you please provide product?
some differentiating factors or unique
features of the VR fitness app that Candidate: An immersive and tailored app for
differentiate us from the competitors? catering to the demand of the Indian audience
should keep the following in mind, in India,
Interviewer: The app boasts many immersive there is a low penetration of VR headsets, and
workouts, from virtual environments to it is a data usage-sensitive market. We must
personalized training programs. It also invest highly in content creators to develop
integrates with various VR headsets for a niche content around fitness.
more engaging experience. Target Audience:
Fitness enthusiasts aged 18-35 in urban
Candidate: Okay, and do we know how the and semi-urban areas.
market is performing, and whether it is Data-conscious and value-seeking
growing? consumers who are open to new
technologies.
Interviewer: In India, the fitness market is Subgroups within the target audience
experiencing an increasing demand in India based on fitness goals, preferred workout
with a CAGR of 14.3%, India's VR market is styles, and language.
expected to reach $5.3 billion by 2027, with
affordable VR headsets like JioGlass gaining Unique selling features:
traction. A tailored app that provides customized
fitness routines for customers based on
Candidate: Understood. Do we have any their lifestyle.
information about the competitors? A few of Available in various languages catering to
79
GTM Case 2
different cultures. personas.
Offers personalized training, VR/AR Host live events and workshops with
experiences, and a vibrant community. Indian fitness celebrities and VR/AR
Does that sound fair? experts.
Continuously update content with new
Interviewer: That sounds promising. So, how workouts, VR environments, and
would you devise a strategy to enter the features.
market?
Distribution Channels: For distribution, I
Candidate: Here is the strategy: propose leveraging both online and offline
1. Pre-launch: channels. We can launch the app on popular
Generate buzz through social media app stores for easy accessibility. Additionally,
contests, influencer partnerships, and partnerships with VR headset manufacturers
collaborations with local fitness can ensure pre-installation or exclusive
brands and VR startups. promotions.
Create hype with teaser videos
showcasing immersive workouts and Pricing: To encourage adoption, I recommend
local cultural integration. a freemium model. Users can access basic
Build an email list for early access and workouts for free, with an option to unlock
exclusive offers. premium content, personalized training plans,
2. Launch: and advanced features through a
Partner with affordable VR headset subscription-based model. This ensures
brands like JioGlass for bundled offers accessibility while generating revenue from
or free trials. dedicated users.
Secure media coverage in fitness and
tech publications, targeting relevant Metrics for success:
Indian outlets. App downloads, active users, and
Launch on major app stores with engagement rate.
regional language support and Conversion rate from free to paid
localized visuals. subscriptions.
Offer a freemium model with limited User feedback and reviews.
features and paid subscriptions for Brand awareness and social media
premium content and personalized mentions.
plans. Growth in community participation and
3. Post-launch: local user base.
Leverage user data to personalize
recommendations and content. Interviewer: That is a comprehensive
Foster community engagement strategy. So, what do you think could be
through challenges, leaderboards, and challenges that we could face while tapping
group workouts. into the Indian market?
Run targeted ads on social media and
mobile platforms based on user Candidate: Sure, here are the few challenges
80
GTM Case 2
we can face. As VR penetration in India is not Comment: As you see, this GTM has been
so high, we must educate the market about discussed in much more depth than the first one.
immersive fitness and VR/AR technology. We Not all factors may be discussed, and candidate
have to optimize data usage concerns, must take cues from the interviewer. These must
building trust and awareness in a competitive be mentioned to the interviewer before going in
depth.
market would also be a problem. We would
have to ensure affordability and accessibility
for diverse income levels and need to
constantly adapt to changing scenarios like
contents and regional variations and
languages.
Interviewer: Okay, thank you for the

comprehensive strategy.
81
GTM Case 3
Netflix wants to enter the sports rules of the sport are designed in a way that
advertisements can be shown. For example,
streaming market in India. You are the time outs and breaks in cricket are an
appointed as the product manager opportunity for the broadcaster to show
to plan a strategy for market entry. advertisements. So, I will assume that Netflix
will move away from its traditional business
What would you do? Should models. Is that ok?
Netflix enter the sports market in
India? Interviewer: That's fine.
Candidate: Do I need to focus on any sport to Candidate: Let me start with competition
start with? analysis:
Competition Analysis - Hotstar is the market
Interviewer: You don't have any restrictions. leader in sports OTT followed by Sony Liv.
Please state your assumptions and propose a Hotstar has the rights to ISL (Indian super
strategy. league football), Indian kabaddi league, and
EPL (English premier league football). It had
Candidate: Is there a customer segment or the IPL cricket rights and Formula 1 races.
geography you have in mind? Now Jio Cinema is aggressively entering
sports with winning bids for the FIFA world
Interviewer: As I said, you are free to propose cup and IPL. Formula 1 governing body FIA
these and state your reasons behind them. has started its own streaming app.
Market Sizing - Do you want me to estimate
Candidate: Thank you. Can I take a couple of the market size.
minutes to gather my thoughts?
Interviewer: Do not worry about the market
Interviewer: Sure. size. Please assume the market is attractive.
Go ahead and focus on the strategy part.
Candidate: Netflix is known for three things.
(i) No advertisements (ii) They like to own Candidate: Thank you. Let me continue with
their content (iii) They are truly global. the strategy. I will propose a target sport and
Unfortunately, sports do not fit in either of pricing strategy.
these 3 criteria. Sports revenue relies heavily Target Sport - The obvious thing in India
on advertisements and sponsors. No media would be to target cricket (IPL or world cup)
company owns sports telecasts. They bid for broadcasting rights.2023 ICC world cup is
TV/ media rights every few years. Except for a over. So, I propose that next year’s IPL 2024
few sports like football(soccer), and Olympic is the tournament Netflix must target. IPL
sports, no sport is truly global. Every country/ 2024 rights are also already given. But for the
region has a different sport that is popular. sake of this case, I will assume Netflix can bid
For example, in the USA, American Football, for it.
Baseball, and Basketball are popular. In India, Pricing - I propose not to increase the
Cricket is the most popular sport. Also, the subscription cost. The strategy is to onboard
82
GTM Case 3
new users and get them hooked to Netflix Candidate: 6 Million is 60 Lakhs. I will
with the wide range of other content Netflix assume that another 40 Lakhs will subscribe
has. Also increasing the pricing will not go to Netflix during the IPL season. To be
well with the existing customers. conservative, I assume they take the mobile-
only plan (INR 149 per month). I assume 5
Candidate: I would now move to the business Lakh people will continue using Netflix
case and profitability. How much does an OTT because of the other content Netflix has, and
player pay BCCI for IPL rights? not interested in sports. Is that a fair
assumption?
Interviewer: Please assume about INR 5000
Crore for 5 seasons. Interviewer: Yes. That's fine.
Candidate: How much does an OTT platform Candidate: Total revenue per year from new
make in revenues from an advertisement? Do subscribers during the IPL season only= 35
you want me to estimate or propose a pricing Lakhs X INR 149 X 2 months. For ease of
strategy for advertisements? calculation, I will assume 150 INR as the
monthly subscription fee. Total revenue per
Interviewer: You can assume revenue of INR year from new subscribers during the IPL
1200 Crore per season for advertisements. season only = INR 105 Crore
Total revenue per year from new subscribers
Candidate: Just with the numbers above, the who will continue for the rest of the year= 5
cost for 5 years is INR 5000 Crore. There Lakhs X 150 INR X 12= INR 90 Crore
could be additional costs. Inviting experts (ex- Total revenue because of new subscribers for
cricketers/ commentators) to analyze the 5 years= INR 195 Crore X 5= INR 975 Crore
inning break or pre and post-match shows.
Promotion costs on various platforms- online Total Revenue= INR 6000 Crore
(YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) and (Advertisements)+ INR 975 Crore= INR 6975
offline (newspapers, TV ads) that IPL will be Crore
telecast on Netflix. Can I assume INR 100 Total Costs= INR 5500 Crore
Crore per season? The gap between revenue and costs is high,
so it will be a great move for Netflix to explore
Interviewer: Sure the sports streaming market in India. They
can generate more revenue and add more
Candidate: Total Costs now for 5 seasons are users to their ecosystem. They should
INR 5500 Crore (5000 Cr+500Cr). The definitely consider entering the sports
revenue for 5 seasons will be INR 6000 Crore streaming market in India.
from advertisements (1200 Cr x 5). Also, we
could have additional revenue because of new
users buying Netflix subscriptions during IPL.
How many subscribers does Netflix have
today in India?
Interviewer: Please assume about 6 Million
83
GTM Case 4
Let us pretend you are a brand- Focus on the Customer. Does this sound
right for you?
new Product Manager at Amazon.
Tell me how you would determine Interviewer: Yes, it does, please go on.
the next big thing for us and then
Candidate: Great. Now, here are some
walk me through your idea for it. markets where Amazon is already successful
in:
Candidate: I would start from Amazon’s core Ecommerce.
competencies. Ideas that start with a Cloud Infrastructure.
company’s strengths are more sustainable in E-books. E-books are interesting, but the
the long-term. Here is a list of the Amazon potential is smaller than e-commerce’s.
products I can think of - Amazon.com,
Amazon Fresh, Amazon Digital Services, Interviewer: What e-commerce opportunities
Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Fire TV, would you consider?
Amazon Web Services, Amazon Advertising,
Twitch, Kindle, and Alexa. Let me know if I Candidate: I can think of a few ideas:
missed any major products. Amazon Games. We need something to
attract developers to develop games for
Interviewer: That looks like pretty the Amazon platform, including Amazon
comprehensive. Fire TV. Phones didn’t succeed because
not enough developers adopted it,
Candidate: I am going to first think about meaning not enough content. Fire TV is
Amazon’s strengths. Building something new doing okay; developing games for it would
is easier when we’re building on top of help. With so many games 250 sold on
strength. Then we’ll think about opportunities, Amazon.com already, this would be a
especially if there are marketplace gaps not great natural fit. Twitch would also
well served by our competitors or us. Lastly, contribute by streaming games and
I’ll outline some potential threats and highlight hosting tournaments. This might seem
past mistakes that should be avoided. Can I trivial today, but video games keep
have some time to brainstorm? increasing in popularity. With ever-more
immersive VR experiences, combined with
Interviewer: Sure Twitch’s distribution platform, 10 years
from now, professional gamers might be
Candidate: Okay, let’s first go over Amazon’s considered in the same breath as
strengths as a company: professional athletes.
Vast Resources and Scale. Amazon Browser. Google is a major
Risk-Embracing Culture. For example, the threat to Amazon. Its search engine and
Kindle was a success while the Amazon browser dominance means that Google
Phone wasn’t. The opposite could have can subvert a user’s journey toward
turned out to be true, but the only way to Amazon. Just imagine, Google can
know was to launch these products. distract Amazon customers with product
Competitive, Business-Savvy DNA. offers and competitive alternatives.
84
GTM Case 4
Amazon is doing a good job building Amazon’s culture is even more business-
customer awareness that commercial oriented than Google’s. I don’t see why we
searches should start with Amazon; a wouldn’t have a shot at this market. Also,
recent study showed that over 50% of Amazon as a company has been successful in
purchase-related searches start on managing multiple distinct businesses, such
Amazon, not Google. By having our own as Amazon.com, AWS, and Zappos. In other
browser, we further protect ourselves. A words, history has shown that Amazon isn’t
browser improves our understanding of easily distracted with seemingly dissimilar
user intent and Internet usage behavior, businesses.
which can improve analytics and ad
targeting. And any information we collect Interviewer: Interesting. But aren’t there huge
is less information that Google collects. risks associated with startup investing?
We can start by making our Amazon
browser the default on Kindles. Candidate: Yes. The biggest risk is that a
Amazon Capital. We mentioned before startup fails, and you lose your entire
that Amazon is a company with deep investment in that company. But here’s the
business roots. Given the number of interesting thing: since Amazon’s portfolio
merchants that sell on Amazon.com and companies are likely to be Amazon customers.
startups that host their products on AWS, So 251 whatever revenue Amazon generates
these customers may be tomorrow’s from AWS or third-party merchant fees
leading businesses. Amazon could use offsets any potential investment loss. Another
their performance data, on either risk is adverse selection. Most investors do
Amazon.com or AWS, to signal which not have a clear and accurate picture on how
companies have the best prospects. From startups are performing. This leads good
there, Amazon can provide equity or debt money to chase after bad companies. Amazon
financing. Is there a specific opportunity can audit a startup’s Amazon services (e.g.
you want me to expand on? AWS) data to verify whether a startup is
performing as advertised. We can never
Interviewer: Why don’t you walk me through completely remove all the risk associated with
Amazon Capital in more detail? an idea, but it does seem that Amazon’s unfair
“data” advantage can help us become a
Candidate: Of course. There are two main successful investor.
ways Amazon could invest in companies:
Loan money for expansion Interviewer: Thank you.
Invest in exchange for equity
It’s hard to predict which one would work
best, so I’d experiment with both to start. Over
time we’ll see which one has the bigger
payoff. Although the concept is new to
Amazon, it’s not totally unproven. Google has
an investing arm called CapitalG; some of
their most successful investments include
Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, and SurveyMonkey.
85
Pricing Cases
Pricing Case 1
How would you price the Kindle First, I’d think about the customer. If they
didn’t have the product, what would they
Fire HD? do instead? How much they would pay for
an alternative or substitute product?
Candidate: My understanding is that Kindle Negotiators call this the BATNA or the
Fire HD is a 7-inch tablet with an HD display. best alternative to a negotiated
I’m not familiar with the tablet market. Do I agreement. Here, I’ll call it the customer’s
mind if ask you a few questions? willingness to pay for the product. It
represents the maximum a customer
Interviewer: Sure, go ahead. would pay for the product.
Candidate: Who are its main competitors? In this case, if a customer couldn’t buy a
Kindle Fire HD, the best alternative device
Interviewer: The main competitors are the (the competition) is the Nexus 7. It has
iPad Mini, Samsung Galaxy Tab, and Google’s specifications, especially screen
Nexus 7. resolution, that’s most similar to the Fire
Candidate: How much do those retail for? HD. The Nexus 7 costs $199, so that likely
is the most we could charge for the Kindle
Interviewer: The iPad Mini retails for $329 Fire HD.
while the Galaxy Tab and Nexus 7 sell for
$199. Next, using the cost-based pricing
method, we look at Kindle Fire HD’s unit
Candidate: What makes Kindle Fire HD cost of $174. We can add an absolute or
standout from its competition? relative markup to the unit’s final price.
Knowing how strategic the Fire HD is to
Interviewer: Kindle Fire HD has a higher selling additional digital content, it’s
resolution than the Galaxy Tab and iPad Mini. possible that Amazon could pursue the
“razor and razor blade” strategy. That is,
Candidate: My last question: How much does sell the Kindle Fire HD at, or below, cost,
it cost to make a Kindle Fire HD and make its profits on future digital
content sales. Given this, let’s say the
Interviewer: a market research firm, iSuppli, pricing lower bound could be $174.
disassembled a Kindle Fire HD and publicly
estimated that each Kindle Fire HD costs $174 After this, I’d like to do some basic checks for
to make. the pricing at hand.
One, we compare prices with what’s already
Candidate: Thanks for the background on the market. The Nexus 7 and the Galaxy
information. There are three different ways Tab are selling for $199.
we can look at pricing:
Customer’s willingness to pay Two, we should evaluate supply and demand.
Competitive pricing Limited supply and high demand might merit a
Cost-based pricing higher price point while the inverse might
I’ll go through each one by one now. merit the reverse. To build a demand curve,
87
Pricing Case 1
we can test different price points. From that and Google Play can sell books. By ceding
data, we can extrapolate the right price to control of the platform, the tablet, Amazon
maximize overall product profits. will find it hard to compete. It’s more
important that Amazon wins market share
Interviewer: So what’s your recommendation? now and create a strong distribution footprint
of tablets. Using the Kindle Fire HD as a loss
Candidate: Given the urgency, there’s no time leader, strong distribution footprint of tablets.
to experiment and derive a supply and Using the Kindle Fire HD as a loss leader,
demand curve. Based on the discussion, Amazon can generate profits on future sales
we’ve got a tight pricing bound from $174 to of digital content.
$199. I would recommend the low end of the
pricing spectrum, $174. Amazon needs to
protect its core business of selling books,
music, and movies. In the digital world, iTunes
88
Pricing Case 2
How would you go about pricing I am going to make some assumptions. Fuel is
around INR 100/litre. A fuel-efficient car has
UberXL? about 20 kmpl. So fuel costs for each km is
INR 5. But fuel prices can go up, there’s car
Candidate: So, first I would like to clarify that maintenance costs, and most importantly,
UberX refers to the Uber service of travelling there’s the driver’s time. So let’s factor that in.
in comparatively more premium cars, I would say we should increase the price to
compared to Uber Go and other services, INR 7.5 to 10 per km as a lower bound.
usually a 6-seater.
Most trips probably take about 15 km. If you
Interview: Yes, that’s the one. combine that with the car coming in and the
time it takes to communicate, it should be
Candidate: Understood. In real life, I would around 30 minutes per trip. Therefore, we are
run a pricing survey with prospects. However, talking 7 to 8 km and 2 trips per hour. Also, a
I imagine you want a back-of-the-envelope driver may not get a passenger every time you
pricing calculation, correct? are done, so to be safe it should be about 1.5
trips per hour.
Interviewer: That’s correct. Nevertheless, So assuming if we did $1.50 per mile and
your pricing survey suggestion is noted. there are 1.5 trips per hour.
Candidate: Okay. So, there are multiple Doing the math brings us to $45. If Uber take
variables we need to think about to price a 30% cut, that’s $31.50 for the driver and
UberX. My top 4 include: $13.50 for Uber. This is the bare minimum,
Supplier Costs: The main supplier is the which is more expensive than the Caltrain.
Uber driver. We need to consider the If it’s rush hour or holidays, it could go up to
driver’s opportunity cost. The driver’s $40 per trip or even $60. This number seems
opportunity cost includes both good.
compensation from alternative work
options and car maintenance costs such Finally, we need to add in a price for starting
as gas and repairs. an Uber ride; otherwise people will try to do
Customer’s Willingness to Pay: Customers really short trips, which is bad for profit. On
have different transportation choices the other hand, that seems unfair to users
including walking or driving their own who take long trips. A compromise would be
cars. They can also take cabs or public to have a minimum ride cost, of say $5. This
transit. way, a driver in a more urban setting who
Uber’s Commission: Uber provides value ends up doing many short rides will maximize
by matching drivers with customers. Just their earnings, but we can still offer great
imagine how hard it would be to complete value to our passengers on long rides.
a transaction if it weren’t for Uber. I am To conclude, I would price it as $1.50 per mile
thinking a 30% commission to start. with $5 as a minimum charge for every ride.
Bonus Rates: There may not be enough
cars, so Uber may need to increase fees to Interviewer: That sounds fine.
attract more drivers. This could double or
even triple during holidays.
89
Unconventional
Cases
Unconventional Case 1
Increase MS Paint users by 6 able to handle large images
Having advanced and customizable
times in 6 months editing options
Workspaces, keyboard shortcuts, and
1. Comprehend the Situation (C): macro creation for personalised
MS Paint is right now seen as a classic workflows
drawing application for children with very
basic features. Though there is an advance Casual Users
version of MS paint i.e. Paint 3D, but it does Preset filters and AI-powered editing
not have the popularity that MS Paint enjoys. Effortless professional look
As we want to significantly increase user base Funny features and filters
(6x) within a short timeframe (6 months) we Easy sharing options
should focus on doing rapid user acquisitions.
Shared Needs:
2. Identify the Customer (I): Offer a freemium model with essential
Stakeholders: Casual Users, Corporate features for casual users and a premium
employees, Digital Artists, College/School version with advanced tools for
students, Art coaching centers. professionals at a competitive price point
User Personals: 4. Cut through Prioritization (C):

1. The Creative Pro As we have already prioritised the target
2. The Casual Creator segments let's perform MASCOW to identify
3. The Nostalgic Reviver feature to build solutions:
4. The Tech-Savvy Explorer
5. The Art-School teacher Must-haves:
6. The School/College Student Precise selection and masking tools
(The personas are identified keeping the Advanced non-destructive adjustments
different needs and behaviours in mind and Efficient batch processing and automation
should be as MECE as possible) Raw image support and noise reduction
One-click filters and presets with diverse
Target audience: styles and effects
As MS Paint is famous for casual usage by Playful stickers, overlays, and text tools
children in school, exploring the photo editing Mobile-optimised interface with touch-
market would be most beneficial to get the 6x screen and stylus support
traction.
So targeting the creative pros and casual Should-haves:
creator user segment and repositioning the Customizable workspaces and keyboard
app as an editing solution. shortcuts
Direct social sharing integration
3. Report the Customer's Needs (R): Hardware integration with styluses and
Pro Users: other input methods
As a pro, I need high-level editing features Regular updates with new features and
Processing precision and time should be bug fixes
91
Could-haves: ages and skill levels. The target audience would
Advanced HDR editing tools be pro users, casual users, creative individuals,
Macro creation educators, kids, thus having a large pool of new
Integration with augmented reality or users.
virtual reality experiences
Active community engagement and 7. Summarise Recommendation (S):
The goal is to boost MS Paint users sixfold in
feedback
six months by repositioning it as a versatile
editing tool. Identified target audiences include
Won't-haves:
creative pros and casual creators seeking
Complicated 3D rendering or animation
advanced editing and effortless, fun features.
features
Prioritised features encompass precise tools,
Comprehensive tutorial library and batch processing, and a freemium model.
community forum Proposed solutions include an intuitive
Storyteller and Animator tool, an AI Image
5. List Solutions (L): Creator, and a Collaborative Editor with Live
Storyteller and Animator Editing. The selected Storyteller and Animator
It will be an in-built feature with a lot of drag solution offers engaging, user-friendly animation
and drop options which will help professionals tools, appealing to a broad audience from
and budding artists to ace their projects with professionals to kids, making it the optimal
the help of MS Paint. choice for rapid user acquisition.
AI Image creator Key metrics to track:

This feature will convert texts to images using Usage Rate: Measure how frequently users
the in-built LLM models and help creators to engage with the Storyteller and Animator
push their boundaries while creating content. feature.
Adoption Percentage: Track the proportion
of MS Paint users actively using this new
Collaborative editor with Live Editing
tool.
This feature is for a team of professionals
Conversion Metrics: Monitor the rate of
who want to work together on creative work
users trying and continuing to use the
and creating original content with live editing
Storyteller and Animator.
features.
Feedback and Reviews: Analyse user
sentiments and reviews specific to this
6. Evaluate Tradeoffs (E): feature.
Selecting The Storyteller and Animator Sharing Frequency: Measure how often
Feature as the best solution as creations from the Storyteller and Animator
It will have easy-to-use animation tools, are shared on social platforms, indicating its
engaging storytelling potential, suitable for all appeal and potential reach.
92
Design a smart table for a order our individual or group orders.
· After we have selected what to order we
restaurant. have to call the waiter and wait for the waiter
to receive the order.
1. Comprehend the Situation (C): · While waiting for the orders, we also had to
Assuming we are a manufacturing company keep the kids engaged.
who wants to create smart IoT products that · Once we finish our meal or even in between
can be used in a restaurant in place of their meals when we want to reorder something,
traditional tables. Right now the restaurant we need to wait for the waiter. And when at
industry majorly has traditional sitting the end the waiter arrives, We ask for the bill
arrangements focusing mostly on luxury and and the preferred payment method and pay
comfort rather than technical advancements. accordingly.
So, our product will give a new flavour by · Sometimes, we also have to wait for the QR
increasing the user engagement and also it scanner or card swipe machine to come.
will be a premium service that can attract new
users. So the major needs identified through the
user journey are:
2. Identify the Customer (I): 1. As a family with kids, all of the members
Stakeholders: our major stakeholders would want easy and hassle-free access to the
be the restaurant, customers, hotels and hotel menu.
chains, where customers are our primary 2. As a family with kids, we need something
stakeholder. to keep the kids engaged.
User Personals: 3. As a family with kids, we need easy
1. Family with kids communication, ordering and payment
2. Budget-conscious friends group options.
3. Tech-savvy foodies 4. As a family with kids, our elders should
(The personas are identified keeping the have easy accessibility and readability of all
different needs and behaviours in mind and the services.
should be as MESE as possible) 5. As a family with kids, we need some
Target audience: entertainment options while waiting for the
As most of the restaurants are family food.
restaurants, focusing on the family with kids
user persona will generate the most reach. 4. Cut through Prioritization (C):
Out of all the needs the most effective would
3. Report the Customer's Needs (R): be to have easy communication, ordering and
To understand the customer pain points and payment option, as it will benefit not only the
needs we can explode the user journey while customers but also the restaurants to improve
visiting a restaurant. service quality
· As a family with kids, when I visit a
restaurant, usually we book a table, then 5. List Solutions (L):
everybody gets seated and waits for the menu To solve the particular pain point the dining
to arrive. table can be equipped with some basic
· Based on the number of menus that we got features of IoT devices, so our proposed
we try sharing the menu within ourselves and solutions are:
93
A table with modular drawers having 1. For Reach taking the total percentage of
interactive touch screen: existing users using the feature Which is scaled
This feature will have individual drawers for down to 1-5.
every seat, and the drawers will have a touch 2. For Impact, 3 = massive impact, 2 = high
screen for seeing the menu, ordering food, impact, 1 = medium impact, 0.5 = low impact,
playing video games, watching movies and 0.25 = minimal impact
3. Confidence is the level of surety on the reach
also paying the bills.
and impact values which is scaled down to 1-5.
A table with a private network facilitating
4. Effort is the number of person-months
all the services through a smartphone:
needed to implement this feature which is
Every table will be equipped with a microchip
scaled down to 1-5.
which can be connected with the customer
Private Network with Smartphone Integration
smartphone using their Wi-Fi, and it will take emerges as the potential frontrunner with a high
them to a private network where they can see overall score of 16.0. Its broad reach (4) and
the menu, order their food, check out the moderate impact (3) are balanced by high
restaurant amenities, check information confidence (4) and relatively lower effort (3) in
about our food and beverage services, watch implementation.
movies which are pre downloaded into the Modular Drawers with Interactive Touchscreens
private network and pay the bill at the end follow closely with a score of 9.0, boasting a
using their smartphones. high impact (4) and potential for a unique
Improvement/Feature Reach Impact Confidence Effort Score(R*I*C/E)
Interactive Touchscreen 3 4 3 4 9
Private Network 4 3 4 3 16
Voice Assistant 3 3 3 3 9
experience but requiring more effort (4) and

A table with a Voice Assistant: facing limitations in reach (3) due to its
This feature will be very similar to an Amazon dependence on specific user demographics.
Alexa, which will have a conversation with the ·Voice Assistant also scores a 9.0, offering a
customer, understand their food preferences, balance between the three factors but its
will explain the food options, and we will try to success could be highly dependent on the
find an order for the preferred food for the chosen technology and implementation quality.
customer by itself.
7. Summarise Recommendation (S):
6. Evaluate Trade-offs (E): To summarise the case we wanted to create a
Here we will use the RICE framework to smart table for restaurants, as our major
understand which of these 3 solutions will be stakeholders are the customers and most of the
the best. restaurants being family restaurants we
Initial assumptions for the RICE framework: prioritised the family with kids user persona
94
to be our primary target. Then we tried 1. Network usage rate: Identify how many
understanding some potential solutions that customers out of the total are actually
will help us to increase user engagement. Out connecting to the private network, higher
of the 3 solutions we tried finding the best percentage will show more engagement with
one using the RICE framework. Through rice the product.
the second solution of having a private 2. Wait time: if the average weight time is
network made most sense, as most of the reducing that will indicate that the feature is
customers will have access to a smartphone working pretty well.
and creating a website is a very low intensive 3. Customer satisfaction: if the average rating
job and the IoT devices that will be connected of the restaurant goes up after this particular
to the table will be also very cheap in this product is introduced it will indicate more
regard where we are just providing a private customer satisfaction through the product.
network. 4. Average order value: if there is a visible
increase in the average order value that will
The key metrics to track this particular give estimation of more customer
feature/product: engagement.
95
List of Practice
Cases
Cases You Can Practise
Product Design App Improvement
How would you design a deferred
Product Design (Software) order feature on Zomato (ie. pre-
Design a Bicycle rental app for IIM ordering so the food arrives at a
Calcutta specific time)
Design an app for carpooling in the How would you improve LinkedIn’s
city of Kolkata network feature to improve user
Design Uber for Kids engagement
Design a walking app for the visually How would you go about adding a
impaired “Recommendations from your friends”
Design an app for the Institute library feature on Netflix
Design an app for events/ concerts/ Design a feature for bargaining on
amusement parks Amazon E-commerce app
Design an app for cultural activities Suggest something to improve the
around people during a pandemic traffic on Inshorts/Finshot
Design a common notes taking app for Improve Amazon Echo for senior
students of a class citizens
Design an alarm app Expand Blinkit into Bangladesh
Design an ERP for IIM Calcutta Improve Tinder for the LGBTQ+
Design a digital solution to prevent community
cyber-crime & cyber bullying How would go about giving
Design a product in matrimony space suggestions to NPCI for UPI
that is geared towards small & How would you improve the calculator
medium businesses. It should be a app on your phone
vertical search engine where users will How would you build an integrated e-
be able to search for any wedding commerce platform on browser from
requirement. The available content scratch which will increase browser’s
has to be indexed by you market share
Design a Software product to reduce How would you use the information on
costs for airlines a person (say person X knows a lot
Design a security solution for a about cloud,works on automation)
museum from intelligence in outlook to improve
Design a feature to increase customer existing microsoft apps
acquisition of Swiggy You are PM of spotify wrapped
Design a product to improve feature, improve the feature
conversational English for 18–25 year- Design an user engagement solution
old people for a food delivery app
Design a music app for the visually Improve Whatsapp’s user experience
impaired if you were the owner for splitiwse &
Design a babysitter app (startup) looking to implement the functionality
Integrate healthcare services in of splitwise as part of the other apps -
WhatsApp How would you do it
Improve the user engagement of
PayTM
97
Physical Product Design Amazon merchants have complained
Design an inflight entertainment that their long-term high selling 4star+
system product sales have dropped for the
Design a smart traffic light past 2 weeks
Design an alarm clock/ computer- When people search on Amazon
compatible keyboard for the blind the products are displayed
Design a smart fridge correctly according to the
Unconventional/Moonshot recommendation algorithm but
MYGA - Make Yahoo Great Again: there is an issue in displaying the
How can we make Yahoo the default stars on the product profile so the
email/office service provider customers skip those products &
Design a Time Machine choose other products. These
Design an app that takes the place of products are also skipped when
Product Managers the user puts in the filter for
Strategize to double the DAU of 4Star+ products. When the user
Zerodha opens the product page the stars
Metrics/Algorithm are displayed correctly.
You’re the product lead of a drone Dunzo has seen on their dashboards
manufacturing startup. Propose some the average order value has suddenly
success metrics to the govt of India to shot down since the past week
get your license approved The metrics definition has
Metrics for recommendation algorithm changed! Earlier the metric had the
for a music platform order value of both executed &
Metrics for a dating app cancelled orders divided by the
Propose Metrics for a stock trading total number of orders executed.
app The new metric now just uses the
Metrics for increased range of service value of executed orders over the
in a food delivery app number of orders. (If the
interviewee skips to check the
RCA validity of data & metrics used you
can guide them by mentioning that
Hints Given there has been no change in the
TATA 1MG has seen increased app but we did upgrade our data &
customer support tickets about order metrics provider)
placement for the last 1 week. Some more examples
1ntegrated with a BNPL provider on You are a PM at Flipkart and have
their Payment Gateway. Due to a tech seen a 30% drop in revenue. What will
backend issue, after the payment gets you do?
completed, the app is not redirecting Paytm transactions suddenly dropped
to the order confirmation page for this by 10% from yesterday
set of users who used the BNPL Customers are not renewing their
option for payment, leading to more Hotstar subscription. Find the cause
customer complaints about orders. and give suggestions.
98
Guesstimates GTM & Pricing
How many people use Swiggy at IIM Develop a freemium model for Netflix
Calcutta daily? India & how would you price it
How many AA batteries are used in How would you price Zomato’s daily
the academic block? meal service
How many tea cups are used in IIM Provide a GTM strategy for grocery
Calcutta daily? subscriptions for BigBasket
How many API requests are made in You are handling Flight booking
Google Maps per day in Kolkata? division of MakeMyTrip. You have
How many cars are there in Kolkata? received a recommendation to provide
Calculate the total addressable an option of free cancellation. How
market for toothbrushes in India would you decide fee for this option?
Hpw many drones would Amazon GTM Strategy for a new medicine for
require for pan-India delivery system? asthma patients in India
Air India launches free inflight wi-fi Suppose you are the product manager
services in domestic flights. Estimate or product marketing manager from
the daily average internet My11Circle. How will you monetize the
consumption. product?
Number of texts sent on WhatsApp How much should MakeMyTrip price
daily its adspace?
99
All the Best!
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Product Management

First and foremost, we express our heartfelt

We genuinely thank our team of collaborators :

1. Frameworks & Methodologies 6

2. Product Design Cases 20

3. Root Cause Analysis 37

9. List of Practice Cases 96

1. Frameworks and Methodologies 6

2. Product Design Cases 20

3. Root Cause Analysis 37

4. App Critique (contd.)

9. List of Practice Cases 96

What is the CIRCLES Method?

Each initiative's value score should consider

Features that induce indifference or

(c) RICE Framework: Why Use RICE Model?

Could-have (C): These are nice-to-have 1. Impact: Measured on a scale of 1 to 10,

Why Use MoSCoW? 3. Ease: This measures the level of effort

Model: Why Use a Weighted Scoring Model?

The idea is to narrow down focus to

Tools for Each Stage

The AARRR framework, popularly known as

Adoption: Focuses on the number of new

How do you select a good product North

*Here, distance is better metric as longer rides are valuable

Interviewer: Agreed. An app is necessary to

Candidate: Sure. I believe the best strategy

*Value for users & Effort by Product Team

Candidate: That’s helpful. I would like to Candidate: I would choose eco-conscious

Based on this analysis, I will prioritise the Cons include:

Interviewer: Well-thought-out solution. What

Interviewer: No specific customer segment as Candidate: Must-haves include alternative

2)adding alerts based on attributes like frequ-

Candidate: Okay, thank you for the

Interviewer: Yes, please go ahead. Interviewer: We haven't noticed any major

Target Group: Improvement:

Candidate: Just to get a better understanding,

Let’s assume (3) as 2 hours/day. For (2),

Interviewer: Yes, it sounds good. Let’s

Candidate: Assuming 1.4 billion as India’s

Candidate: Before we begin, I would like to

Interviewer: We need to estimate the number

Interviewer: Sure, you can go ahead.

Candidate: Considering Haryana’s population

Candidate: Before beginning, I would like to

Interviewer: Consider texts as the only form

Candidate: What demographic is our startup

Interviewer: It would primarily be catering to

Number of seats in international flight

Interviewer: Okay, thank you for the

Interviewer: Please assume about 6 Million

User Personals: 4. Cut through Prioritization (C):

AI Image creator Key metrics to track:

Improvement/Feature Reach Impact Confidence Effort Score(R*I*C/E)

experience but requiring more effort (4) and

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Improvement/Feature Reach Impact Confidence Effort Score(RIC/E)