Decode and Conquer

What can or should you ask the interviewer? Here’s a list: What is it? Who is it for? Why do they need it? When is it available? Where is it available? How does it work?

Attribute method. List all the product attributes. Mix and match to get interesting new combinations.

One way to get inspiration is to look at competing sites. Another way is to reference a design pattern library. Design patterns are documented solutions to common problems. For instance, there are common user interface solutions for news feeds, listing pages, and navigation menus.

Tip #2: Have at least three ideas

In the real world, the best way to finalize price is to try different price points. Out of all retailers, Amazon is known to be most aggressive in varying its price over time, finding the optimal balance between price and volume.

The first part is optional: define your trade-off criteria. Criteria could include customer satisfaction, implementation difficulty, and revenue potential. It’s not necessary, but it’ll keep your response organized and easier to follow. The next part is analyzing the solution. A pro and cons list is a good way to do this.

They’re looking for product managers that can see future trends, both in technology and customer behavior.

talk about the pros and cons of each of the three approaches. You’ll be perceived as thoughtful and analytical, which traits they’ll look for in top product managers.

To start the interview, you really just need answers for the four bolded questions: what is it, who is it for, why do they need it, and how does it work? So we’ll call our version the “3W’s and H.”