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Product sensestandard
Tell me about a product you use every day that you think is badly designed. How would you fix it?
How to approach it
Separate a genuine design flaw from a personal annoyance by asking who the product is for and whether the flaw hurts them, not just you.
How a strong answer opens
“I'd pick my building's laundry payment app, which makes me reload a balance before every wash. Before I fix it, I want to be fair about why it might have been built that way.”
Outline of a strong answer
Try answering out loud for a few minutes before you open this.
- Name the product and the moment where it lets you down
- Explain why the team may have designed it that way (cost, legacy, another user group)
- Show who is hurt by the flaw and how often it happens
- Offer two or three fixes, from cheap tweak to bigger rework
- Pick one and name what it costs or risks
- Say what you would measure to prove the fix worked
Where this question usually goes wrong
Venting about a personal annoyance without asking why the team built it that way or whether the flaw hurts the users the product is actually for.
Learn the method
The favorite product question in Module 1, Product sense and design.
The full kit has worked answers in full, start to finish, for every round type. $129 once.
More product sense questions
- What is your favorite product, and why?
- Pick an app on your phone you love. How would you improve it for someone opening it for the first time?
- How would you improve Spotify for people who listen to podcasts more than music?
- Design an alarm clock for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- Design a refrigerator for a family of five.