Product Interview Script: Addressing Drop in Instagram Feed Impressions
Interviewer: Good morning, and thank you for joining us today. We have a scenario we’d like you to address. Imagine you’re a Product Manager at Instagram, and you’ve just discovered that feed impressions have dropped by 50% day on day. How would you approach this situation?
Applicant: Good morning, and thank you for having me. First, I’d start with an immediate data analysis to understand the scope of the issue. I’d want to know if the drop is across all user segments or specific to certain demographics or geographies.
Interviewer: That’s a solid start. Once you’ve identified the scope, what would be your next step?
Applicant: I’d proceed with user research. It’s crucial to understand if users are experiencing issues or if there’s been a change in their content consumption behavior. I’d check user feedback channels and consider conducting quick surveys or interviews to gather insights.
Interviewer: Understanding user perspective is indeed important. How about the competitive landscape?
Applicant: Absolutely, I’d conduct a competitive analysis to see if there’s been a significant market shift, like a new competitor or a new feature that’s drawing users away. It’s important to ensure that Instagram remains competitive and aligned with user expectations.
Interviewer: And what about the content itself on the platform?
Applicant: I’d analyze the quality and relevance of the content in the feeds. A drop in content quality or relevance could significantly impact impressions. I’d also check on the activity of content creators to ensure there’s no decline in content production.
Interviewer: Let’s say you find some issues with the feed algorithm. How would you address that?
Applicant: If the feed algorithm is the culprit, I’d work closely with the engineering team to understand any recent changes that might have impacted content visibility. We’d assess the performance of personalization and recommendation algorithms and consider A/B testing to explore improvements.
Interviewer: Communication is key in such scenarios. How would you handle that?
Applicant: I’d ensure transparent communication with internal stakeholders, keeping them informed about the issue, potential impacts, and the steps being taken. Depending on the issue’s nature, we might also communicate with our users to manage their expectations and maintain trust.
Interviewer: Assuming you start seeing some improvements, how would you ensure the issue doesn’t recur?
Applicant: I’d implement continuous monitoring of key metrics to gauge the effectiveness of the strategies we’ve put in place. Additionally, conducting a post-mortem analysis to understand the root causes and sharing these learnings with the team would be crucial for preventing similar issues in the future.
Interviewer: Finally, how would you re-engage users and ensure the platform’s growth moving forward?
Applicant: I’d initiate user engagement campaigns to rekindle interest and interaction with the feed. Innovating on features and continuously improving the user experience would also be a priority to enhance content discovery and consumption, ensuring long-term growth and engagement.
Interviewer: Thank you for your comprehensive approach. It’s clear you have a structured method to tackle product challenges. We’ll discuss your responses further, but do you have any questions for us in the meantime?
Applicant: Yes, I’m curious about how the team currently prioritizes product challenges and if there are any specific frameworks or methodologies you follow in such scenarios.
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