This is a product sense interview guide for Product Managers who are interviewing with FAANG for Sr, Lead, or Principal-level Product roles. Set the Stage (30–45s) Set the Stage (30–45s) Clarify scope & assumptions (your opening script): “So, just to clarify, we’re looking to help people <restate prompt succinctly>. I’ll assume: (1) we’re not tied to a specific app surface unless we decide to be, (2) it’s okay to start in the U.S., and (3) the audience is open unless we narrow it. Sound good?” Clarify scope & assumptions (your opening script): Timebox your flow: “I generally structure product design in four phases: Why (3 min), Who (7), What (10), and How (15). I’ll summarize at the end.” Timebox your flow: WHY — Motivation, Context, and Mission (3 Minutes) Product motivation & context. Why this matters now. Trends/Why now? Anchor the prompt in macro shifts (AI assistance, mobile-native expectations, personalization, trust/safety, privacy, remote/hybrid work, creator economy). AI is always a trend; call out how it reduces friction or unlocks new outcomes for this space.Company fit. Tie to the company’s mission and superpowers.Google: search & knowledge graph, AI leadership, ads engine, global reach.Meta: community building, social graphs, distribution, trust/safety.Amazon: customer obsession, logistics & fulfillment, marketplace flywheel, scale.Apple: ecosystem integration, design excellence, privacy, premium brand trust.Netflix: personalization, content creation & licensing, global distribution, cross-device experience.Uber/DoorDash: real-world logistics, marketplace liquidity, ops excellence.LinkedIn: identity & intent graph, career outcomes, trust.North Star. State the first pragmatic North Star: DAU (aligns with daily utility). Add guardrails you’ll track (Activation, Retention, Task Success, Trust).Sample mission line: “Enrich lives and build community by helping people <do X>—every day.” Trends/Why now? Anchor the prompt in macro shifts (AI assistance, mobile-native expectations, personalization, trust/safety, privacy, remote/hybrid work, creator economy). AI is always a trend; call out how it reduces friction or unlocks new outcomes for this space. Company fit. Tie to the company’s mission and superpowers. Google: search & knowledge graph, AI leadership, ads engine, global reach. Google Meta: community building, social graphs, distribution, trust/safety. Meta Amazon: customer obsession, logistics & fulfillment, marketplace flywheel, scale. Amazon: Apple: ecosystem integration, design excellence, privacy, premium brand trust. Apple: Netflix: personalization, content creation & licensing, global distribution, cross-device experience. Netflix: Uber/DoorDash: real-world logistics, marketplace liquidity, ops excellence. Uber/DoorDash LinkedIn: identity & intent graph, career outcomes, trust. LinkedIn North Star. State the first pragmatic North Star: DAU (aligns with daily utility). Add guardrails you’ll track (Activation, Retention, Task Success, Trust). Sample mission line: “Enrich lives and build community by helping people <do X>—every day.” WHO — Ecosystem, Segmentation, and Prioritization (7 Minutes) Always map a 3-sided ecosystem:People who need something (demand, consumers)People who can solve that need (supply, creators/providers/merchants)Platforms & service providers (payments, logistics, learning, infra, policy)Segment stakeholders. Use reusable demo segments you can adapt to any prompt:Families with kids: time-poor, complex needs.Working professionals: money-rich, time-poor; seek convenience, adventure.New college grads: budget-constrained; need belonging, first wins.Empty nesters: time-rich; discovery, community, travel.Senior citizens: accessibility, trust, health-adjacent use cases.Single people: flexible needs, discovery, social graph bootstrapping.Prioritize with Reach × Impact × Confidence (+ Company-mission fit). Be explicit: “I’m torn between X and Y; I’ll pick Y now. The use cases overlap, so solutions likely generalize later, but we’ll stay tight on Y for focus.”User empathy. Profile the chosen segment: jobs-to-be-done, constraints, triggers, anxieties, and success definitions. Pull in a quick story (“a day in the life”) to show you feel the problem. Always map a 3-sided ecosystem: People who need something (demand, consumers) People who can solve that need (supply, creators/providers/merchants) Platforms & service providers (payments, logistics, learning, infra, policy) Segment stakeholders. Use reusable demo segments you can adapt to any prompt: Families with kids: time-poor, complex needs. Working professionals: money-rich, time-poor; seek convenience, adventure. New college grads: budget-constrained; need belonging, first wins. Empty nesters: time-rich; discovery, community, travel. Senior citizens: accessibility, trust, health-adjacent use cases. Single people: flexible needs, discovery, social graph bootstrapping. Prioritize with Reach × Impact × Confidence (+ Company-mission fit). Be explicit: “I’m torn between X and Y; I’ll pick Y now. The use cases overlap, so solutions likely generalize later, but we’ll stay tight on Y for focus.” User empathy. Profile the chosen segment: jobs-to-be-done, constraints, triggers, anxieties, and success definitions. Pull in a quick story (“a day in the life”) to show you feel the problem. WHAT — Problems, Pain Points, and Choices (10 Minutes) List the problems your chosen audience faces in achieving their goal. For each, say how solving it helps DAU (daily usefulness). Which problem is most frequent, most painful, and closest to a habit loop?Which can you solve credibly with the company’s advantages?Which accelerates community building or network effects? Which problem is most frequent, most painful, and closest to a habit loop? Which can you solve credibly with the company’s advantages? Which accelerates community building or network effects? Pick the first problem to solve and justify: reach, impact, confidence, community alignment, and speed to value. HOW — Solution, MVP, Growth, and Moonshot (15 Minutes) Describe the product (narrative first). “Imagine a world where <user> opens the app and <value arrives with near-zero friction>. Wouldn’t it be great if <X happened automatically or with one tap>?” Then outline the system: inputs, core loop, outputs, trust/safety.MVP (minimum lovable).Core hypothesis: the single behavior that must stick.Smallest surface: the one flow that proves daily value and moves DAU.Super-MVP (if possible): concierge ops, lightweight email/SMS, or existing surfaces to validate pull before you build heavy.MVP+: once the signal shows up, add the minimal orchestration (notifications, history, sharing) to cement a habit.Growth over time (year 1–3).From a single job-to-be-done → suite of adjacent jobs.Add supply-side tools (quality, monetization), platform APIs/integrations (email, calendar, ATS, payments/logistics as relevant).Network effects & trust layers (reputation, reviews, authentication).Long term: BXTOP (use your internal roadmap mnemonic).Have a moonshot in your back pocket (e.g., a fully autonomous agent completing the outcome end-to-end within policy and user control).Business model: Start with engagement (DAU). Layer: subscriptions/premium, usage tiers, marketplace take rate, B2B/enterprise, or EDU “agent-as-a-service” match the company’s revenue model.Risks & mitigations. Privacy, safety, regulatory, bias, disintermediation, cold-start, abuse vectors. Propose consentful data use, human-in-the-loop, rate limits, evals, audits, policy guardrails. Describe the product (narrative first). “Imagine a world where <user> opens the app and <value arrives with near-zero friction>. Wouldn’t it be great if <X happened automatically or with one tap>?” Then outline the system: inputs, core loop, outputs, trust/safety. MVP (minimum lovable). Core hypothesis: the single behavior that must stick. Smallest surface: the one flow that proves daily value and moves DAU. Super-MVP (if possible): concierge ops, lightweight email/SMS, or existing surfaces to validate pull before you build heavy. MVP+: once the signal shows up, add the minimal orchestration (notifications, history, sharing) to cement a habit. Growth over time (year 1–3). From a single job-to-be-done → suite of adjacent jobs. Add supply-side tools (quality, monetization), platform APIs/integrations (email, calendar, ATS, payments/logistics as relevant). Network effects & trust layers (reputation, reviews, authentication). Long term: BXTOP (use your internal roadmap mnemonic). Have a moonshot in your back pocket (e.g., a fully autonomous agent completing the outcome end-to-end within policy and user control). Business model: Start with engagement (DAU). Layer: subscriptions/premium, usage tiers, marketplace take rate, B2B/enterprise, or EDU “agent-as-a-service” match the company’s revenue model. Risks & mitigations. Privacy, safety, regulatory, bias, disintermediation, cold-start, abuse vectors. Propose consentful data use, human-in-the-loop, rate limits, evals, audits, policy guardrails. What Interviewers Are Looking for (And How to Show It) Create a Vision — a crisp, ownable POV that differentiates you (esp. L7+).Rally a team — clear prioritization, simple roadmap, measurable goals.Bring evidence — tiny data points, plausible metrics, user stories, empathy.North Star: DAU — tie choices back to daily utility; show guardrails (Activation, Retention D7/D30, Task Success, CSAT/NPS, Trust incidents). Create a Vision — a crisp, ownable POV that differentiates you (esp. L7+). Rally a team — clear prioritization, simple roadmap, measurable goals. Bring evidence — tiny data points, plausible metrics, user stories, empathy. North Star: DAU — tie choices back to daily utility; show guardrails (Activation, Retention D7/D30, Task Success, CSAT/NPS, Trust incidents). Reusable Prompts, Phrases & Checklists Opening clarifiers (tailor to prompt):“Should we focus on job seekers, creators, students, or professionals broadly in v1?”“Do we assume access to integrations (email, calendar, ATS, logistics, payments)?”“Primary goal today: user growth (DAU), engagement depth, outcomes, or premium revenue?”Ecosystem reminder: People who need → People who provide → Platforms/infra.Problem filter:Does it solve a frequent, painful job?Does it credibly leverage our company's advantage?Will it build a daily habit (DAU) and/or community?Solution ladder: Narrative → Core loop → Trust & safety → MVP → Super-MVP → MVP+ → 1–3y growth → Moonshot.Metrics panel (state explicitly):Adoption: DAU, Sessions,Engagement: Impressions, clicks, interactions (like, comment, reply, re-share, etc.), watch time, view depthMonetization: Revenue, ARPU, ConversionRetention: D1/D7/D30, 1 month cohort retentionGuardrails: report rate, reversal rate, policy flags.Company alignment (close the loop): “If we find the right problem and design the right solution, we further <Company>’s mission by <community building/economic opportunity/safer, faster real-world movement>. I’ll include mission alignment as a criterion in prioritization.” Opening clarifiers (tailor to prompt): “Should we focus on job seekers, creators, students, or professionals broadly in v1?” “Do we assume access to integrations (email, calendar, ATS, logistics, payments)?” “Primary goal today: user growth (DAU), engagement depth, outcomes, or premium revenue?” Ecosystem reminder: People who need → People who provide → Platforms/infra. Problem filter: Does it solve a frequent, painful job? Does it credibly leverage our company's advantage? Will it build a daily habit (DAU) and/or community? Solution ladder: Narrative → Core loop → Trust & safety → MVP → Super-MVP → MVP+ → 1–3y growth → Moonshot. Metrics panel (state explicitly): Adoption: DAU, Sessions, Engagement: Impressions, clicks, interactions (like, comment, reply, re-share, etc.), watch time, view depth Monetization: Revenue, ARPU, Conversion Retention: D1/D7/D30, 1 month cohort retention Guardrails: report rate, reversal rate, policy flags. Company alignment (close the loop): “If we find the right problem and design the right solution, we further <Company>’s mission by <community building/economic opportunity/safer, faster real-world movement>. I’ll include mission alignment as a criterion in prioritization.” Mini Walkthrough “Imagine you’re a <persona>. You open the app, and instead of <old friction>, you see <clear starting point>. You tap once to <core action>, and instantly, the product <magic value delivered>. In minutes, you have <first value>. The next day, it reminds you with <progress update>, and you feel guided instead of overwhelmed. After <timeframe>, you achieve <goal>. Wouldn’t it be great if <vision statement>? That’s the MVP journey.” Imagine Final Summary Use Why → Who → What → How to stay structured, timeboxed, and mission-anchored. Start with DAU as the North Star (daily usefulness), pick a single audience, choose the highest-leverage problem, and design an MVP that proves the core habit. Show vision, leadership, and evidence, and keep a moonshot ready in your back pocket.

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How to Answer Product Sense Questions for FAANG L6+ (Why → Who → What → How)

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