Product Sense Interviews

Product sense interviews evaluate structured thinking, user empathy, and decision-making ability. The interviewer assesses the reasoning process, not the specific solution proposed.

Answer Structure

Product sense answers follow a consistent structure:

Step	Duration	Purpose
Clarifying questions	2-3 min	Avoid assumptions, scope the problem
User selection	2-3 min	Define the target user segment
Problem identification	3-4 min	Identify the underlying pain point
Solution brainstorming	5-7 min	Generate 3-5 distinct solutions
Solution selection	3-4 min	Choose one solution with clear rationale
Success metrics	2-3 min	Define how to measure success

Total time: 20-25 minutes.

Step 1: Clarifying Questions

Ask 2-3 questions to establish scope and context. Avoid excessive questioning.

Example clarifying questions:

• Platform focus (mobile, web, or both)
• Geographic scope
• Target user demographic
• Business goals (growth, retention, revenue)

Step 2: User Selection

Select a specific user segment. Avoid designing for "everyone."

Weak User Definition	Strong User Definition
"Busy professionals"	"Working parents with children under 5 who lack reliable childcare"
"Young people"	"College students living off-campus without personal transportation"
"Users who want to save money"	"First-time homebuyers with $50K-$100K household income"

Selection criteria for user segment:

• Segment with the most acute problem
• Segment the interviewer's company likely prioritizes
• Segment where you have domain knowledge

Step 3: Problem Identification

Identify the underlying pain point, not a feature request.

Surface Request	Underlying Problem
"Users want faster load times"	Users abandon tasks when perceived wait exceeds expectations
"Users want more filters"	Users cannot find relevant content efficiently
"Users want notifications"	Users miss time-sensitive information

Step 4: Solution Brainstorming

Generate 3-5 solutions that address the identified problem. Solutions should be distinct, not variations of the same approach.

Step 5: Solution Selection

Select one solution and provide clear rationale. State the decision explicitly.

Weak Conclusion	Strong Conclusion
"It depends on company priorities"	"I recommend Solution A because it directly addresses the core problem with lowest implementation complexity"
"All of these could work"	"Solution B is my recommendation. It differentiates from competitors and aligns with the company's mobile-first strategy"

Step 6: Success Metrics

Define 1-2 metrics that capture whether the solution achieved its goal.

Solution Type	Primary Metric	Secondary Metric
Engagement feature	Weekly active users	Sessions per user
Conversion improvement	Conversion rate	Time to conversion
Retention feature	Day 7/30 retention	Churn rate

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Description
Jumping to solutions	Proposing features before establishing user and problem
Generic users	Designing for "users" instead of a specific segment
No decision	Listing options without selecting one
Feature list	Proposing many features instead of 2-3 thoughtful solutions
Scope creep	Attempting to design the complete product instead of v0.1

Question Types

"Design a product for X"

Build from scratch. Prioritize user and problem definition before features.

"Improve Y"

Improve an existing product. Analyze current problems before adding features. Consider removing features or fixing flows.

"Favorite product"

Select a product with specific, defensible opinions. Avoid generic selections (Spotify, Notion) with generic praise.

"Should company X do Y?"

Strategy question format. Frame around company goals, user needs, and competitive position.

Worked Example

Question: "Design a product to help people learn a new language."

Clarifying questions:

• Platform focus? (Mobile app)
• Specific language context? (Interviewer's choice)

User selection: "Working professionals learning a language for career advancement. Motivated but time-constrained, with approximately 15 minutes available during commute. High commitment but competing priorities."

Problem identification: "The core problem is consistency maintenance. Existing apps feel like obligations. Missing a day creates guilt that leads to app abandonment. The failure mode is not learning difficulty, but life interference without recovery mechanisms."

Solutions:

1. Context-relevant lessons - Learning tied to real work situations rather than abstract exercises
2. Flexible streaks - User-defined cadence (3x per week) instead of mandatory daily use
3. Passive audio content - 5-minute morning briefings for low-effort progress
4. AI conversation practice - Real conversation practice on work-relevant topics

Recommendation: "Context-relevant lessons. This approach differentiates from competitors, directly addresses the motivation problem, and is technically feasible. Flexible streaks is low effort and should be included. Audio briefings are a v2 consideration."

Metrics:

• Primary: Weekly active learners (matches target cadence)
• Secondary: Lessons completed per user per week
• Guardrail: Week 4 churn rate

Company-Specific Product Approaches

Stripe

Focus on developer experience. Product decisions prioritize minimal friction over feature breadth. API simplicity is the product.

Airbnb

Uses "11-star experience" brainstorming. Escalating experience quality (5-star, 7-star, 11-star) reveals underlying user needs rather than stated feature requests.

Amazon

Works backwards from press release. Product proposals begin with the customer announcement, not the implementation plan. Boring press releases indicate weak product concepts.

Spotify

Jobs-to-be-done framework. Users hire Spotify for specific tasks: focus during work, energy during exercise, mood regulation. Discover Weekly succeeded by addressing "find new music I like without effort."

Instagram (historically)

Single core action focus. Every decision evaluated against "does this make posting a photo easier or harder?" Features conflicting with the core loop were eliminated.