Product Sense Interview: Frameworks and Examples

Product sense is arguably the most important skill evaluated in PM interviews. It tests whether you can truly understand users and design products they will love. This guide breaks down what product sense means and how to demonstrate it in interviews.

What Is Product Sense?

Product sense is your ability to understand what makes a product successful. It combines user empathy (understanding what users need), creativity (generating novel solutions), and judgment (making good tradeoffs). Companies want PMs who can look at a problem and intuitively know what will work.

Product sense questions typically fall into three categories:

• Design a product: "Design a product for blind people to navigate cities"
• Improve a product: "How would you improve Spotify?" See our detailed guide on improvement questions.
• Evaluate a product: "What is your favorite product and why?"

The CIRCLES Framework

CIRCLES provides a structured approach to product design questions. It ensures you cover all important aspects systematically.

C - Comprehend the Situation

Before diving into solutions, understand the problem space. Ask clarifying questions:

• What is the goal of this product?
• Are there any constraints (platform, timeline, budget)?
• Is this for an existing company or a new venture?
• What does success look like?

I - Identify the Customer

Define who you are building for. Be specific:

• Demographics (age, location, income)
• Behaviors (how do they currently solve this problem?)
• Motivations (what drives them?)
• Pain points (what frustrates them?)

Choose one primary user segment to focus on. Explain why you chose them.

R - Report Customer Needs

List the problems and needs of your target user. Prioritize them based on:

• Frequency (how often do they experience this?)
• Intensity (how painful is it?)
• Willingness to pay (would they pay to solve it?)

C - Cut Through Prioritization

You cannot solve everything. Pick the top 2-3 needs to address. Use a simple framework like impact vs. effort to explain your prioritization.

L - List Solutions

Brainstorm multiple solutions (aim for 3-5). Do not just jump to your first idea. Show creativity by exploring different approaches:

• What is the obvious solution?
• What is a creative or unconventional approach?
• What is the simplest possible solution (MVP)?

E - Evaluate Tradeoffs

Compare your solutions on key dimensions:

• User value (how well does it solve the problem?)
• Feasibility (can we actually build this?)
• Business impact (does it align with company goals?)
• Risk (what could go wrong?)

S - Summarize

Make a clear recommendation. Explain your reasoning and acknowledge tradeoffs. End with next steps (how would you validate this?).

User-Centered Design Approach

An alternative framework focuses on deep user understanding:

1. User: Who are they? What is their context?

2. Problem: What specific problem are we solving?

3. Journey: What is their current experience?

4. Solution: How do we improve their journey?

5. Success: How do we know it worked?

Example: Design a Product for Remote Workers

Comprehend: I want to clarify - are we focused on productivity, collaboration, or wellbeing? Let me focus on the challenge of remote workers feeling isolated and disconnected from their teams.

Identify Customer: My target user is a mid-level professional (28-40), working remotely full-time for a company with 50+ employees, feeling disconnected from teammates they rarely see in person.

Report Needs: 1. Casual social interaction (missing watercooler conversations) 2. Building relationships with new colleagues 3. Feeling part of company culture

Cut: I will focus on casual social interaction as it is the most frequent pain point and underlies the other issues.

List Solutions: 1. Virtual coffee matching app (random pairings for 15-min video chats) 2. Persistent virtual office space (avatar-based always-on environment) 3. Async social feed (share personal updates, hobbies, life moments)

Evaluate: The virtual coffee app is highest value and easiest to build. The virtual office is innovative but high effort and may not fit all work styles. The social feed risks becoming another ignored channel.

Summarize: I recommend starting with a virtual coffee matching tool that pairs teammates for brief, optional social calls. It is simple to build, low-friction for users, and directly addresses isolation. We would measure success through match acceptance rate, repeat usage, and self-reported connection scores.

Common Product Sense Questions

• "Design a product for elderly people to stay connected with family"
• "How would you improve Google Maps for tourists?"
• "Design a fitness app for people who hate exercise"
• "How would you improve the airport experience?"
• "Design a product to help students study more effectively"

What Interviewers Look For

User empathy: Do you genuinely understand user needs or just assume?

Structured thinking: Can you approach problems systematically?

Creativity: Do you generate multiple solutions before converging?

Tradeoff awareness: Do you acknowledge that every decision has downsides?

Communication: Can you explain your thinking clearly?

Tips for Product Sense Excellence

Start with users, not features: Never jump to solutions before understanding the problem.

Be specific: "Young professionals in cities" is better than "everyone."

Show your thinking: Walk through your reasoning, not just conclusions.

Make tradeoffs explicit: Acknowledge what you are sacrificing with your choice.

End with validation: How would you test your hypothesis?

Product sense is foundational to all PM work. Return to our comprehensive PM interview guide for preparation across all interview types, and make sure your resume highlights products you have shipped with clear user impact.