"Clarify
"What do you mean by favorite product? Are you thinking specifically hardware, software, or a feature within those, or something non-electronic? Dealer's Choice.
"Are you asking why I love this product, or to explain why this product is a market leader independent of how i feel about it? Talk about why YOU love this product.
Rephrase Question
With all that in mind, i want to rephrase the question. "What is your favorite software product and what features in this product"
Tim W. - "Clarify
"What do you mean by favorite product? Are you thinking specifically hardware, software, or a feature within those, or something non-electronic? Dealer's Choice.
"Are you asking why I love this product, or to explain why this product is a market leader independent of how i feel about it? Talk about why YOU love this product.
Rephrase Question
With all that in mind, i want to rephrase the question. "What is your favorite software product and what features in this product"See full answer
"My approach to dealing with difficult stakeholders has always been:
Engage - Directly engage with the stakeholder, meet or chat
Listen - Listen to what they have to say, patiently.
Understand - Understand their POV, even if it is impossible at some times
Ask - Ask clarifying questions. Why? When? What?
Engage again - Keep them in the loop until there is closure
For example, we were in the final stages of a very important, strategic project for our organization. I was leading th"
Jane D. - "My approach to dealing with difficult stakeholders has always been:
Engage - Directly engage with the stakeholder, meet or chat
Listen - Listen to what they have to say, patiently.
Understand - Understand their POV, even if it is impossible at some times
Ask - Ask clarifying questions. Why? When? What?
Engage again - Keep them in the loop until there is closure
For example, we were in the final stages of a very important, strategic project for our organization. I was leading th"See full answer
"Let me tell you about a time where a website I managed suddenly showed slow performance and the mistake on our side was it was unnoticed until a user reported the issue to management. As a PM for that project, I took full responsibility of the situation and worked with the engineering team to quickly resolve it. This mistake taught me the importance of focusing and monitoring non functional requirements as well in addition to new feature development /adoption where I was mostly spending my time"
Sreenisha S. - "Let me tell you about a time where a website I managed suddenly showed slow performance and the mistake on our side was it was unnoticed until a user reported the issue to management. As a PM for that project, I took full responsibility of the situation and worked with the engineering team to quickly resolve it. This mistake taught me the importance of focusing and monitoring non functional requirements as well in addition to new feature development /adoption where I was mostly spending my time"See full answer
"I most want to communicate a few principals of conflict resolution that I believe were integral in this situation, which are mutual respect, a results orientation, an unwavering focus on the user.
To that end, here’s how I’d like to structure this answer: First, I’ll tell you about the project we were working on, to provide some background for you. Second, I’ll describe the disagreement. Third, I’ll describe how we arrived at a solution, and finally, I’ll discuss how those 3 conflict resolut"
Ross B. - "I most want to communicate a few principals of conflict resolution that I believe were integral in this situation, which are mutual respect, a results orientation, an unwavering focus on the user.
To that end, here’s how I’d like to structure this answer: First, I’ll tell you about the project we were working on, to provide some background for you. Second, I’ll describe the disagreement. Third, I’ll describe how we arrived at a solution, and finally, I’ll discuss how those 3 conflict resolut"See full answer
"Clarification
Define rush hour?
hours leading up to the work day 8-10am and after the work day 5-7pm
Are we focused on specific types of drivers?
American commuters. Private drivers going to and from work
What is Google's goal?
Increase engagement with google services
Roadmap for interviewer: User--> Pain Points-->Solution--> Vision-->Features-->Tradeoffs
User
American commuters. Private drivers going to and from work
Can't be too distracted even durin"
Kwabena B. - "Clarification
Define rush hour?
hours leading up to the work day 8-10am and after the work day 5-7pm
Are we focused on specific types of drivers?
American commuters. Private drivers going to and from work
What is Google's goal?
Increase engagement with google services
Roadmap for interviewer: User--> Pain Points-->Solution--> Vision-->Features-->Tradeoffs
User
American commuters. Private drivers going to and from work
Can't be too distracted even durin"See full answer
Product Design
🧠 Want an expert answer to a question? Saving questions lets us know what content to make next.
"We had a huge launch on September 1st of this year where we completely redesigned our application from the grounds up and also migrated to a new platform (React.JS). This project took us 8 months and the launch was a huge deal for the team.
Unfortunately the launch wasn't as smooth as we expected and despite doing multiple rounds of QA, some major issues cropped up in the core part of the app right after launch and our client was quite upset since it was disrupting their day-to-day workflow.
"
Aabid S. - "We had a huge launch on September 1st of this year where we completely redesigned our application from the grounds up and also migrated to a new platform (React.JS). This project took us 8 months and the launch was a huge deal for the team.
Unfortunately the launch wasn't as smooth as we expected and despite doing multiple rounds of QA, some major issues cropped up in the core part of the app right after launch and our client was quite upset since it was disrupting their day-to-day workflow.
"See full answer
"Candidate: Before we go ahead I have a few clarifying questions, I’d like to ask.
Interviewer: Sure.
Candidate: What is the exact definition of a restaurant, are we counting coffee shops, bars, street food trolleys, homemade food shops that only has delivery to customers’ place and etc... kinds of a restaurant as well?
Interviewer: let’s assume that we only mean restaurants that people can go inside, order some food and eat. Let’s not consider bars and coffee shops and so"
Jasmin R. - "Candidate: Before we go ahead I have a few clarifying questions, I’d like to ask.
Interviewer: Sure.
Candidate: What is the exact definition of a restaurant, are we counting coffee shops, bars, street food trolleys, homemade food shops that only has delivery to customers’ place and etc... kinds of a restaurant as well?
Interviewer: let’s assume that we only mean restaurants that people can go inside, order some food and eat. Let’s not consider bars and coffee shops and so"See full answer
"A clarifying question: Is this question asking about when I met a tight deadline in a project or how did I manage a project that had a tight deadline?
The answer uploaded to this question is good, I would also add 'creating a critical path from overall project schedule and then making sure that none of the deliverables in the critical path are sacrificed in order to meet the tight deadline' as an action taken."
Ushita S. - "A clarifying question: Is this question asking about when I met a tight deadline in a project or how did I manage a project that had a tight deadline?
The answer uploaded to this question is good, I would also add 'creating a critical path from overall project schedule and then making sure that none of the deliverables in the critical path are sacrificed in order to meet the tight deadline' as an action taken."See full answer
"I work at a startup that makes software for Law Enforcement and the FBI. Our product analyzes calls being made by prison inmates and "listens" for predictors of violence and criminal behavior. Our clients are some of the top state prisons in the country.
Recently one of the largest states in the country decided to evaluate our product for their prison system. I demo'd the product to the officers and they seemed to like everything. During the presentation they asked us if the product was ADA com"
Aabid S. - "I work at a startup that makes software for Law Enforcement and the FBI. Our product analyzes calls being made by prison inmates and "listens" for predictors of violence and criminal behavior. Our clients are some of the top state prisons in the country.
Recently one of the largest states in the country decided to evaluate our product for their prison system. I demo'd the product to the officers and they seemed to like everything. During the presentation they asked us if the product was ADA com"See full answer
"In general, I don't think Google should go into ridesharing market at this point. (06/2020)
I have 3 reasons why Google should not get into ridesharing business at this point and a exception.
Reason 1: Current market
With major players like Uber and Lyft occupying around 90% of the market, current ridesharing business market is already crowded. These companies have been around for 6-7 years and users already formed the user habit of using either Uber or Lyft when they need a car to go some"
Yao X. - "In general, I don't think Google should go into ridesharing market at this point. (06/2020)
I have 3 reasons why Google should not get into ridesharing business at this point and a exception.
Reason 1: Current market
With major players like Uber and Lyft occupying around 90% of the market, current ridesharing business market is already crowded. These companies have been around for 6-7 years and users already formed the user habit of using either Uber or Lyft when they need a car to go some"See full answer
"YT's mission is to give everyone a voice and show them the world. So when a user is sharing their voice with us in the form of a feedback, I would receive it with open mind. I would first determine what the review is about: 1. app/website's performance 2. quality of content they experienced 3. complain about YT being addictive and causing them to lose time 4. difficulty in using the app/website (search, navigation, recent changes negatively affected their experience) 5. complain about other YTbe"
Amit S. - "YT's mission is to give everyone a voice and show them the world. So when a user is sharing their voice with us in the form of a feedback, I would receive it with open mind. I would first determine what the review is about: 1. app/website's performance 2. quality of content they experienced 3. complain about YT being addictive and causing them to lose time 4. difficulty in using the app/website (search, navigation, recent changes negatively affected their experience) 5. complain about other YTbe"See full answer
"As you know, this is the most important question for any interview. Here is a structure I like to follow,
Start with 'I'm currently a SDE/PM/TPM etc with XYZ company.... '
Mention how you got into PM/TPM/SDE field (explaining your journey)
Mention 1 or 2 accomplishments
Mention what you do outside work (blogging, volunteer etc)
Share why are you looking for a new role
Ask the interviewer if they have any questions or will like to dive deep into any of your experience"
Bipin R. - "As you know, this is the most important question for any interview. Here is a structure I like to follow,
Start with 'I'm currently a SDE/PM/TPM etc with XYZ company.... '
Mention how you got into PM/TPM/SDE field (explaining your journey)
Mention 1 or 2 accomplishments
Mention what you do outside work (blogging, volunteer etc)
Share why are you looking for a new role
Ask the interviewer if they have any questions or will like to dive deep into any of your experience"See full answer
"Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. The increasing ability of machines to learn and act intelligently will absolutely transform our world. It is also the driving force behind many of the other trends on this list.
The Internet of Things (IoT). This refers to the ever-growing number of “smart” devices and objects that are connected to the internet. Such devices are constantly gathering and transmitting data, further fueling the growth in Big Data and AI.
**Blockchains and"
Ashish B. - "Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. The increasing ability of machines to learn and act intelligently will absolutely transform our world. It is also the driving force behind many of the other trends on this list.
The Internet of Things (IoT). This refers to the ever-growing number of “smart” devices and objects that are connected to the internet. Such devices are constantly gathering and transmitting data, further fueling the growth in Big Data and AI.
**Blockchains and"See full answer
"Lyft at its core is a marketplace with drivers and cars on the supply side, and passengers on the demand side. I would begin by dividing the goal of the dashboard into two categories :
Health of the marketplace
Health of the app/ reliability from a technical perspective
The second one is more straightforward so I’ll briefly mention some overarching metrics I would look at and come back to it later if time allows.
Health or reliability of the app can be further divided into the following
-"
Sukriti C. - "Lyft at its core is a marketplace with drivers and cars on the supply side, and passengers on the demand side. I would begin by dividing the goal of the dashboard into two categories :
Health of the marketplace
Health of the app/ reliability from a technical perspective
The second one is more straightforward so I’ll briefly mention some overarching metrics I would look at and come back to it later if time allows.
Health or reliability of the app can be further divided into the following
-"See full answer
"Clarifying question:
When you say users, what specific metric are we talking about? Answer: we want to increase # of daily active users. Assume active users are logged in users.
Is there a region that we have in mind for this increase? Assume no, we want to think about globally
Is there a specific device (mobile vs desktop) ? Assume no
Approach: I want to first think about Youtube, its mission and current business at a high level. . Then I want to think about the current ecos"
Yespm T. - "Clarifying question:
When you say users, what specific metric are we talking about? Answer: we want to increase # of daily active users. Assume active users are logged in users.
Is there a region that we have in mind for this increase? Assume no, we want to think about globally
Is there a specific device (mobile vs desktop) ? Assume no
Approach: I want to first think about Youtube, its mission and current business at a high level. . Then I want to think about the current ecos"See full answer
"Candidate: Before we go ahead I have a few clarifying questions, I’d like to ask.
Interviewer: Sure.
Candidate: Just to clarify, we would like to improve WhatsApp and our goal is to earn revenue from it. Is that true?
Interviewer: Yes, that is true.
Candidate: Great, WhatsApp currently has 3 different plans.
1) Private WhatsApp
2) WhatsApp Business for small B2C businesses
3) WhatsApp Business API, for medium and large B2C businesses.
I know that the 3’rd category"
Jasmin R. - "Candidate: Before we go ahead I have a few clarifying questions, I’d like to ask.
Interviewer: Sure.
Candidate: Just to clarify, we would like to improve WhatsApp and our goal is to earn revenue from it. Is that true?
Interviewer: Yes, that is true.
Candidate: Great, WhatsApp currently has 3 different plans.
1) Private WhatsApp
2) WhatsApp Business for small B2C businesses
3) WhatsApp Business API, for medium and large B2C businesses.
I know that the 3’rd category"See full answer
"Few clarifying questions here
Is the competitor a service and does it have other offerings as well? Is it charging $5 for a service or only email?
Is it for a specific platform here? Or does it include all platforms?
Does the competitor have a huge market share/or is it a small company?
Let's assume it's only for email's
The structure I would want to layout for knowing what to do next for Gmail would be the following - Mission, Goals, Google's revenue model, Customer Profiles using Gm"
Pratik M. - "Few clarifying questions here
Is the competitor a service and does it have other offerings as well? Is it charging $5 for a service or only email?
Is it for a specific platform here? Or does it include all platforms?
Does the competitor have a huge market share/or is it a small company?
Let's assume it's only for email's
The structure I would want to layout for knowing what to do next for Gmail would be the following - Mission, Goals, Google's revenue model, Customer Profiles using Gm"See full answer
"Approach
Clarify the question
Define deaf --> unable to hear, but can communicate via sign language, lip read and use all other senses
Define fire alarm --> for residential use, it notifies occupants of smoke and potential fires and alerts fire department to check in and/or come over
Define constraints --> budgetary constraint, design should be user-friendly and convenient
Define goals --> get folks out of harm's way quickly and notify fire department to c"
Bella R. - "Approach
Clarify the question
Define deaf --> unable to hear, but can communicate via sign language, lip read and use all other senses
Define fire alarm --> for residential use, it notifies occupants of smoke and potential fires and alerts fire department to check in and/or come over
Define constraints --> budgetary constraint, design should be user-friendly and convenient
Define goals --> get folks out of harm's way quickly and notify fire department to c"See full answer
"Gotcha, so I understand that our goal is to improve Google Docs and identify key metrics.
Questions
Is the purpose of these metrics to quantify the performance specifically of the features we suggest? Or Docs as a broader product and its impact on the Google ecosystem? Let's assume the former.
Is there any goal we are trying to improve for Google Docs? Let's assume we want to increase usage, and have Docs also drive productivity suite subscriptions.
Are there any specific"
Daniel P. - "Gotcha, so I understand that our goal is to improve Google Docs and identify key metrics.
Questions
Is the purpose of these metrics to quantify the performance specifically of the features we suggest? Or Docs as a broader product and its impact on the Google ecosystem? Let's assume the former.
Is there any goal we are trying to improve for Google Docs? Let's assume we want to increase usage, and have Docs also drive productivity suite subscriptions.
Are there any specific"See full answer
"1. Step 1: clarify
Let's establish the mission of Google and Youtube. Google's is to provide and make information more accessible. Youtube's might be to help people get their content, their word and themselves out into the world. I mean so many of Youtube's ads have been about how the diversity of individuals and their content, so that makes sense.
Let's establish what is Youtube. Youtube has 3 primary stakeholders - creators, viewers and brands/corporations and within them"
Karthik M. - "1. Step 1: clarify
Let's establish the mission of Google and Youtube. Google's is to provide and make information more accessible. Youtube's might be to help people get their content, their word and themselves out into the world. I mean so many of Youtube's ads have been about how the diversity of individuals and their content, so that makes sense.
Let's establish what is Youtube. Youtube has 3 primary stakeholders - creators, viewers and brands/corporations and within them"See full answer