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Product sensestandard
How would you improve Instagram for small business owners?
How to approach it
Separate kinds of small businesses (a bakery, a freelance designer, an online shop) and ask which goal they share: getting customers, not followers.
How a strong answer opens
“Small businesses on Instagram want customers, not followers. I'd like to pick one kind, say a local bakery, and look at how the owner actually spends their week on the app.”
Outline of a strong answer
Try answering out loud for a few minutes before you open this.
- Clarify the goal: business success on the platform, which drives retention and ad spend
- Segment owners: local shops, online sellers, service providers
- Pick local shops and map their week on the app
- Pain points: no time to post, unclear return on posts, missed customer messages
- Ideas: post scheduling, inquiry inbox, simple results dashboard
- Measure weekly active business accounts and customer inquiries per account
Where this question usually goes wrong
Treating all businesses alike and optimizing for followers or likes when owners judge the app by inquiries and sales.
Learn the method
Pick a user and find real pain points in Module 1, Product sense and design.
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