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Product sensestandard
How would you improve Spotify for people who listen to podcasts more than music?
How to approach it
Split podcast-first listeners into segments by how and when they listen, because a commuter catching up on news and a binge listener of true crime want different things.
How a strong answer opens
“Podcast-first listeners aren't one group, so I'll split them by when and how they listen. A commuter catching up on news and a weekend binge listener want different things from the app.”
Outline of a strong answer
Try answering out loud for a few minutes before you open this.
- Confirm the goal: more listening time, retention, or creator growth
- Segment podcast listeners (commuters, learners, binge listeners, background listeners)
- Pick one segment and describe a typical listening week
- Find pain points: losing your place across shows, discovery outside the charts, saving a moment to revisit
- Propose solutions such as clip saving, smart queues and chapter search
- Prioritize one and measure it with weekly podcast hours per listener and retention
Where this question usually goes wrong
Treating all podcast listeners as one user and proposing generic discovery features that music-first listeners would want just as much.
Learn the method
Pick a user and find real pain points in Module 1, Product sense and design.
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