Just wanted to reach out to say thank you for this video. I’ve had whiteboard task last week and followed your framework to the T. Not only I did great, but I had compliments on how I structured the questions and proposed solutions for the problem. I’m happy to tell you I have a job offer of Product Design Manager in the bag so thank you for this.
Made the product design interview seem so much less daunting and so much more fun. Easily one of the breeziest and yet most effective videos on the topic. Great stuff, Liam! Hope you make more of these videos for execution/estimation type questions too!
This is what a genuinely free lesson means! When the main goal is to deliver a full understanding of the subject, unlike the freemium ones with the only intention to hook up an interest. Thanks so much Liam!
great video Liam, this is my generally my dig at a problem when i'm unaware of the space it exists in...and yes, ive had it with the circles method. :) Lets build a healthcare product. 1. why are we building this product? do we have some user interviews? some usability testings or anything that I can fall back on to get a basic understanding behind the WHY? 2. are we building a physical tangible product or an app/website? 3. if we do not have any quantifiable user interviews to justify the need, can we in our very basic understanding draw a few customer personas and the problems around those personas? the personas can eventually help us narrow down our customer segment and help structure the customer journey on our (phy)gital product :) 4. then try to come up with some ideas around those customer problems, no matter how basic the ideas are. 5. finally check with the interview if he really wants you to dig deep around execution, evaluation metric drill down, prioritization etc. if yes, have a basic understanding or overview of these and i think you are good to go. in a real life PM operational role during execution, it always boils down to how good you are at breaking the problem down to 1 single user. sometimes solving one user problem can drive the NPS, which drives the CSAT which can drive the retention or conversion metric. therefore, building everything should revolve around dumbing problems down to the most microscopic or intricate levels. my 2 cents
I really liked the "white board" in your stake holders mind and the book "index" analogy you threw out there. A really good visualization combo to captured on how to explain to others in a more cohesive structural way from a bigger picture and set up the landscape for everyone that is involved in the situation like this instead of navigating mindlessly over problems and solution that has no structure or transition of touch points.
Hi Liam! What’s the best approach to answer the 3 Qs “how much would it cost?”, “how to do execute?” & “what analytics to use and how to track them?”??
Ques 1. Problem Priority: I can't help but keep problems at the topmost priority. Is there any cunning/other important (business success etc.) element behind to keep a user on the top? I'd love to hear your perspective on the same. Watched this 2 times back to back, saving-up the third time for later. Three things description blew my mind. Thanks for that, really. PS: Cool index finger ring yo!
Love the tips in the end. Especially the talk to your friend before a big interview part! I've always found that to be helpful too. Thank you for the video
Great video... I'm so rusty so this was a great jumpstart primer. Appreciate your cool personality and down to earth feedback!! And yes to the deodorant !!
Wow, first off great insight! I'm presently prepping for my first FAANG sr design interview (the reason I'm tuned in to this video) but I'm watching with headphones on and some of the surround sounds had me pausing the video. I'm home alone but thought the noises were coming from inside my home!! Twice I believed something was happening in my house lol. Thanks for this insight! I hope to come off as comfortable as possible. Interviews are my weak point.
Hey Liam, thanks a lot for doing this and demystify some of the techniques at PM interviews. Truly appreciate this gesture and can't wait for more content!!
Make your own framework makes sense. No one else says this and I was awestruck. Thanks a lot for this video. Let's see how my interview goes XD they told 1hr and idk what the other 30mins is going to be after the whiteboarding. guess PM might ask q's after the designer but no idea!
Sometimes I struggle to come with a moonshot idea in 30 second of thinking time. Is there any pointers you might have to try to practice on that front? Also thanks for helping all the aspiring product managers with these great contents !!!
Think unlimited resources and bigger scale and you won't be far off imo. For example how to deliver our products? Safe: Postal services, aggressive: private drone network, moonshot: build hyperloop system across America to deliver.
I’ve found by accepting bad ideas as creative ideas, I can get a creative idea out there quickly. Too often do we shut down ideas in our head because we are scared of them sounding dumb. In this case, I’d almost make bad and creative synonyms. Ex: Build a product that prevents theft? Bad idea but give the police paintball guns with ink that doesn’t wash off. Can easily find the suspects later. Notice how it’s kind of a bad idea. A bit out there but oddly enough might solve something.
Thanks, Liam! One question: what if I am not always able to find 3 branches to a particular persona, problem or solution? This is a reason I’m a little apprehensive about this approach
Hi Liam, Content is great and thanks for coming up with this. One quick thing and this could be probably just me but you looking towards your right (bottom) is a bit distracting for me. Not sure if you or others would agree? May be keep the write up just below your camera so that you dont have to look sideways while speaking. Or may be have a split screen?
This is great video. Thanks for simplifying. One question: Dont you think interviewers will expect MVP, tradeoffs/constraints and metrics without they asking explicitly? Should we include those 3 aspects before we conclude?
The video is an outline and it’s up to you to take it further. My task was about an invoicing solution for freelance designers and I used this framework very successfully and was able to discuss feature prioritisation, MVP, further metrics and even a roadmap.
@Surb Singh when I discussed a ‘roadmap’ of course, I was talking about a product strategy as well. These are exercises that normally take 1 hour / 45 minutes maximum. You expand further wherever possible but you don’t have all the time in the world to talk about product from ideation to delivery and further improvements. As I said, the video is an outline and gives you structure and it’s up to the person who’s being interviewed to put their own spin on things depending on where the interview goes and what questions they get asked.
For clarifying questions i think asking question like “ are we talking about finding digital solution such as app or video consulting or are we talking about something physically such as modern health care centers ? “ what you think about this question ?
Thanks for the info Liam. Great stuff and keep it coming. I have a question - a lot of PM roles requires MBA or work experience. How to break into PM roles as a fresher or in the long run?
Hey amazing video.. thanks for uploading this. very helpful Just one small feedback, there is some background noise in the audio, which is a bit distracting since it almost sounds like someone is calling me from behind, if I am listening on headphones.
@@liambolling If you are planning to make more videos soon, can you do one on how to tackle Product improvement questions, eg improve linkedin or something like that. Or How would you increase revenue of spotify, TH-cam premium, twitter blue etc. or how to approach metrics questions.
@@daviddunmer3889 Yes! Great idea, the analytical/estimation/metrics side of interviews are always confusing. Will get working on that. Next two videos are book recommendations and what technical/ux/businesses skills you need to work in product
Liam, thanks for content! Do you bring papers or a small physical whiteboards to sketch, draft your proposals and present it with your notes? Do interviewers like the visual element of these? Or do they just prefer verbal explanation of your case? Thanks!
Might depend on the situation and what’s best for you. In person, if a whiteboard is in the room then go for it. Virtually, maybe you could write something down but sharing a Google Doc and typing something out is probably most efficient. I’d practice with people and if they understand your structure, then you probably don’t need to draw/write anything.
@@liambolling The sound is fantastic with earbuds. The mix is perfect. I had to check that it wasn't blasting the room, but it was very natural sounding. (I used to do sound)
Hi Liam, thanks so much for the great video. I'd love to hear your thoughts on questions such as: "design an ATM for the blind." In this case, should we still hone in on one specific use case, such as "entering your pincode" and brainstorm 3 solutions for this, or should our solutions incorporate the full ATM experience? Thanks!
I'm heading for Product Design and Management MSc[ENG] in the fall and my goal is to be a product/program manager at the end of my master's program. I did Computer Science as my undergrad. What advice do you have for me?
Very informative. But I would suggest first read the JD carefully. 80% of your interview questions will focus on the main role specific keywords in the JD. Read it minimum 3 times and train yourself on how to answer questions relevant to those keywords. Learn about the organization you are going to apply for, what products they have and who are the competitors. Not all product design interviews are the same so just try to be yourself in every interview. If you keep changing your interview strategy then you are in mess. Last but not least, keep trying and trust yourself.
THIS is what the PM community needs. Enough of the $500+ courses! Great video, Liam!
Yess! 👏👏 Thank you so much
Regardless of the PM community, what the world needs is more people trying to help others to be the best they can be. Thanks Liam!
Just trying to help out where I can
Just wanted to reach out to say thank you for this video. I’ve had whiteboard task last week and followed your framework to the T. Not only I did great, but I had compliments on how I structured the questions and proposed solutions for the problem. I’m happy to tell you I have a job offer of Product Design Manager in the bag so thank you for this.
Did you get the job ?
@@juniask I did but ended up leaving after 3 months. The place was a mess lol
@@hottiehotterson May I know which was that company?
The simplicity and the elegance of this video is unmatched! I love the way you get to first principles thinking. Thank you Liam!
This is one of the very best PM interview videos out there. To the point and without all the fluff. Thank you Liam!
I'm so glad you found it useful! Thank you so much
Made the product design interview seem so much less daunting and so much more fun. Easily one of the breeziest and yet most effective videos on the topic. Great stuff, Liam! Hope you make more of these videos for execution/estimation type questions too!
Thank you . First video where the average answer was not exaggeratingly down played and actually sounded like something I could have said.
This is what a genuinely free lesson means! When the main goal is to deliver a full understanding of the subject, unlike the freemium ones with the only intention to hook up an interest. Thanks so much Liam!
This is the best video on product design framework question. Everything is clearly laid out and it's easy to follow.
one of the best 15 minute product design videos
Long day of work but this made my day. Thank you so much 👏👏
Thank you, Liam. I’ve watched and rewatched your videos. I appreciate you. And giving this advice for free!? Wow.
You are engaging in a very noble task Liam, thank you!
great video Liam, this is my generally my dig at a problem when i'm unaware of the space it exists in...and yes, ive had it with the circles method. :)
Lets build a healthcare product.
1. why are we building this product? do we have some user interviews? some usability testings or anything that I can fall back on to get a basic understanding behind the WHY?
2. are we building a physical tangible product or an app/website?
3. if we do not have any quantifiable user interviews to justify the need, can we in our very basic understanding draw a few customer personas and the problems around those personas? the personas can eventually help us narrow down our customer segment and help structure the customer journey on our (phy)gital product :)
4. then try to come up with some ideas around those customer problems, no matter how basic the ideas are.
5. finally check with the interview if he really wants you to dig deep around execution, evaluation metric drill down, prioritization etc. if yes, have a basic understanding or overview of these and i think you are good to go.
in a real life PM operational role during execution, it always boils down to how good you are at breaking the problem down to 1 single user. sometimes solving one user problem can drive the NPS, which drives the CSAT which can drive the retention or conversion metric. therefore, building everything should revolve around dumbing problems down to the most microscopic or intricate levels.
my 2 cents
Chapter 4 is basically “design yourself as a likable & hirable product” - being on time, prepared & not hungover is quite a good start 😀
I mean, I think I can turn up on time, but I can't guarantee the rest.
Great Video! I work as a Product Designer and have been thinking of switching to PM. Really helpful!
glad i could help out and thank you for watching/supporting!
Great tips and material. You explained very well with calm and this is really helpful to non native english speakers. Thanks a lot.
I really liked the "white board" in your stake holders mind and the book "index" analogy you threw out there. A really good visualization combo to captured on how to explain to others in a more cohesive structural way from a bigger picture and set up the landscape for everyone that is involved in the situation like this instead of navigating mindlessly over problems and solution that has no structure or transition of touch points.
Thank Liam, for the to-the-point video, you had almost nailed everything in just 15 mins. Love it.
Hi Liam! What’s the best approach to answer the 3 Qs “how much would it cost?”, “how to do execute?” & “what analytics to use and how to track them?”??
One of the better/ best videos I’ve seen on pm product sense 🤙🏻
thank you so much! hope it’s helpful
Ques 1. Problem Priority: I can't help but keep problems at the topmost priority. Is there any cunning/other important (business success etc.) element behind to keep
a user on the top? I'd love to hear your perspective on the same.
Watched this 2 times back to back, saving-up the third time for later.
Three things description blew my mind. Thanks for that, really.
PS: Cool index finger ring yo!
Love the tips in the end. Especially the talk to your friend before a big interview part! I've always found that to be helpful too. Thank you for the video
That's a very great way to explain about PM interview. You have structured and provided much needed clarity. Thanks Liam!
really thank you for all those advides and teaching me how to analyze this common interview question
Please continue making more videos. This is very helpful!
Thanks for the tips and tricks. Really helped in understanding how to give the best. Thank you again
Thank you Liam, for this really helpful video. Very succinctly put up with definitive takeaways for product enthusiasts.
Great video... I'm so rusty so this was a great jumpstart primer. Appreciate your cool personality and down to earth feedback!! And yes to the deodorant !!
So glad you found it useful and thank you for the support! Just keeping it casual :)
Wow, first off great insight! I'm presently prepping for my first FAANG sr design interview (the reason I'm tuned in to this video) but I'm watching with headphones on and some of the surround sounds had me pausing the video. I'm home alone but thought the noises were coming from inside my home!! Twice I believed something was happening in my house lol.
Thanks for this insight! I hope to come off as comfortable as possible. Interviews are my weak point.
Great narration Liam Bolling, You nailed it !!!
I rofl on “…we’re not trying to really solve the problem” 🤣… I get so obsessed with that always
i’m in the same boat haha
Thanks, Liam! I'm a PM but I'm thinking of moving back to product design. This is really helpful.
Thank you Liam! This really helped me understand better on how to appraoch this kind of questions. Great Video!
This is really helpful. Thanks a lot, Liam!
This is such a great video. Ridiculous how amazing it is.
This means so much, thank you!!
OMG these are so so helpful .. You are so good Liam :) I am trying to get into a PM role and your noble task would help me get to it a step closer !!
Thank you so much 👏👏
Amazing Liam. I am an aspiring PM. Your 15 min video has a lot of content
Detailed and very helpful. Amazing work. Thank you
Thanks for this initiative! Awesome!
Thanks for the interview tips. Like the PPT design very much.
Great Video Liam, beautifully breakup of the problem.
Great video! This video is very similar to an actual Google product design interview. Thank you.
One of the best product design videos out there. Great job, Liam! Thanks a lot for this!
Thank you so much!!
Great content! Thanks Liam
Hey Liam, thanks a lot for doing this and demystify some of the techniques at PM interviews. Truly appreciate this gesture and can't wait for more content!!
this is amazing! you are amazing Liam
Make your own framework makes sense. No one else says this and I was awestruck. Thanks a lot for this video. Let's see how my interview goes XD they told 1hr and idk what the other 30mins is going to be after the whiteboarding. guess PM might ask q's after the designer but no idea!
It can even be very similar to the usual frameworks but using your own words sounds so much better! Glad you found this useful :)
This is an awesome video with loads of golden nuggets. Thanks so much for posting!!
Great initiative sir. Thank you :)
Thank you, Liam! This is a great video. Can't wait for the next!
This is so valuable, thanks for sharing this.
Sometimes I struggle to come with a moonshot idea in 30 second of thinking time. Is there any pointers you might have to try to practice on that front? Also thanks for helping all the aspiring product managers with these great contents !!!
Think unlimited resources and bigger scale and you won't be far off imo. For example how to deliver our products? Safe: Postal services, aggressive: private drone network, moonshot: build hyperloop system across America to deliver.
I’ve found by accepting bad ideas as creative ideas, I can get a creative idea out there quickly. Too often do we shut down ideas in our head because we are scared of them sounding dumb. In this case, I’d almost make bad and creative synonyms.
Ex: Build a product that prevents theft?
Bad idea but give the police paintball guns with ink that doesn’t wash off. Can easily find the suspects later.
Notice how it’s kind of a bad idea. A bit out there but oddly enough might solve something.
Amazing content, Liam!
Thanks, Liam! One question: what if I am not always able to find 3 branches to a particular persona, problem or solution? This is a reason I’m a little apprehensive about this approach
Thank you so much Liam
This was really helpful
Thanks!
Hi Liam, Content is great and thanks for coming up with this. One quick thing and this could be probably just me but you looking towards your right (bottom) is a bit distracting for me. Not sure if you or others would agree? May be keep the write up just below your camera so that you dont have to look sideways while speaking. Or may be have a split screen?
Your microphone is really good! great tips!
Great video. Loved it
Really good tips
Great session, thanks!
Thank you Liam
Thanks a Ton Liam!
Hey thanks for such great content, and what kind of microphone you use, voice quality is absolutely beautiful
Just my iPhone one for now but looking into an external one 👍
Great content! Keep it coming!
Thanks for the video and the great tips
Wow, thank you so much for making this!
Thank you so much for watching it!
Thank you so much, appreciate your work, it’s helping me a bunch
Thank you so much for sharing the Short and sweet explanation video and
Great video - as others have said, nice and conscise - the way it should be.
Solid video, thanks Liam!
Very concise and helpful. Thank you
Loved it Liam!!! Waiting for more :)
Amazing dude!
Very helpful 👍 I love your insights!! Thank you ❣️
Hi Liam, thank you for sharing! Do we need to talk about success metrics for this kind of questions (product design)?
Thanks Liam 🙌
Thanks Liam
hi Liam , do you have some tips for project management on a "new domain" ? It will help much. Thanks man !
So lovely !! Loved it :)
Thanks for the video. Did you just create the CUPS framework? :D. C=clarify, U=user, P=problems/pain points, S=solutions
CUPS sounds like a decent framework!
This is great video. Thanks for simplifying. One question: Dont you think interviewers will expect MVP, tradeoffs/constraints and metrics without they asking explicitly? Should we include those 3 aspects before we conclude?
The video is an outline and it’s up to you to take it further. My task was about an invoicing solution for freelance designers and I used this framework very successfully and was able to discuss feature prioritisation, MVP, further metrics and even a roadmap.
@Surb Singh when I discussed a ‘roadmap’ of course, I was talking about a product strategy as well. These are exercises that normally take 1 hour / 45 minutes maximum. You expand further wherever possible but you don’t have all the time in the world to talk about product from ideation to delivery and further improvements. As I said, the video is an outline and gives you structure and it’s up to the person who’s being interviewed to put their own spin on things depending on where the interview goes and what questions they get asked.
For clarifying questions i think asking question like “ are we talking about finding digital solution such as app or video consulting or are we talking about something physically such as modern health care centers ? “ what you think about this question ?
Great work and super awesome content, btw can you help with the link to the slack channel, would love to be a part of such community, thanks
thank you so much for this video.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for this
Thank you for checking out the video!
Thanks for the info Liam. Great stuff and keep it coming.
I have a question - a lot of PM roles requires MBA or work experience. How to break into PM roles as a fresher or in the long run?
Here is how to get into PM out of college (th-cam.com/video/Ik8dX0Sy2WE/w-d-xo.html) & working on an industry transfer video now
@@liambolling replying to a 3 week back comment, you are awesome Liam
@@RaviSharma-by3xj sorry it took so long! Trying to make sure I rely to everyone 🙂
Great video. But when does this "post-pandemic in person" thing start? :)
Thanks Liam ,now I do believe that angel exists
Hey amazing video.. thanks for uploading this. very helpful
Just one small feedback, there is some background noise in the audio, which is a bit distracting since it almost sounds like someone is calling me from behind, if I am listening on headphones.
Going to re-record this with a better mic in the future to help with that! Sorry didn't have a good mic at the time
@@liambolling If you are planning to make more videos soon, can you do one on how to tackle Product improvement questions, eg improve linkedin or something like that. Or How would you increase revenue of spotify, TH-cam premium, twitter blue etc.
or how to approach metrics questions.
@@daviddunmer3889 Yes! Great idea, the analytical/estimation/metrics side of interviews are always confusing. Will get working on that. Next two videos are book recommendations and what technical/ux/businesses skills you need to work in product
@@liambolling Looking Forward to it !! Good luck
Great great Great!!!!!!
Thank you 🙏🏼
Thank you for watching!
Wow thanks man !
Could you share an example about impact vs effort chart?
Yes! Might add that into another interview video
Liam, thanks for content! Do you bring papers or a small physical whiteboards to sketch, draft your proposals and present it with your notes? Do interviewers like the visual element of these? Or do they just prefer verbal explanation of your case? Thanks!
Might depend on the situation and what’s best for you. In person, if a whiteboard is in the room then go for it. Virtually, maybe you could write something down but sharing a Google Doc and typing something out is probably most efficient. I’d practice with people and if they understand your structure, then you probably don’t need to draw/write anything.
So tl;dr I’m more verbal but careful to be very clear about the structure
Thank for the response Liam. This is helpful!
Great video👍
I'd recommend you to buy a microphone. I know you'll do it but just wanted to remind you about that.
Thanks!
Looking into a good one! Any recs?
@@liambolling There're different kind of microphones. Buy one that would be comfortable to you. Search on Google for BEST MICROPHONE FOR TH-cam 2020.
@@liambolling It's kind of cool in a raw way, without mic
Found a decent mic in my next video: th-cam.com/video/iuxdmHp8NN4/w-d-xo.html
@@liambolling The sound is fantastic with earbuds. The mix is perfect. I had to check that it wasn't blasting the room, but it was very natural sounding. (I used to do sound)
Hi Liam, thanks so much for the great video. I'd love to hear your thoughts on questions such as: "design an ATM for the blind." In this case, should we still hone in on one specific use case, such as "entering your pincode" and brainstorm 3 solutions for this, or should our solutions incorporate the full ATM experience? Thanks!
Hey..Can U please Tell what are your qualifications.. I mean what we should do After Eng for being product designer.
I'm heading for Product Design and Management MSc[ENG] in the fall and my goal is to be a product/program manager at the end of my master's program. I did Computer Science as my undergrad. What advice do you have for me?
Very informative. But I would suggest first read the JD carefully. 80% of your interview questions will focus on the main role specific keywords in the JD. Read it minimum 3 times and train yourself on how to answer questions relevant to those keywords. Learn about the organization you are going to apply for, what products they have and who are the competitors. Not all product design interviews are the same so just try to be yourself in every interview. If you keep changing your interview strategy then you are in mess. Last but not least, keep trying and trust yourself.