Facebook Product Manager Interview: Meaningful Social Metrics

Summary

In this mock product management interview, the guest, a seasoned PM at Facebook, discusses defining a meaningful social interaction metric for the Facebook app. The conversation delves into Facebook's mission, the importance of breadth and depth in metrics, and the significance of user engagement in driving the platform's success. The interviewee suggests focusing on active users who create posts receiving substantial interactions as a key metric, while addressing potential risks such as divisive content and content discovery challenges.

Takeaways

• 😀 The interviewee, Audit, is a Product Manager at Facebook with experience in Facebook Groups, consumer payments, and previously worked at Uber and eBay.
• 🚀 Audit emphasizes the importance of framing the problem by understanding the mission of Facebook and the value it brings to society before identifying metrics.
• 📈 The discussion focuses on defining meaningful social interaction metrics for the Facebook app, considering both breadth (volume) and depth (value) of user engagement.
• 🔍 Audit suggests looking at daily active users, weekly active users, monthly active users, number of sessions, and time spent to gauge user engagement from a breadth perspective.
• 💬 For depth, metrics such as the number of people interacting, number of posts made, reactions per post, and views are considered to measure the value users derive from the platform.
• 🌐 The conversation assumes a global scale for the metric, applicable to the primary Facebook app and not limited to any specific country or demographic.
• 🎯 Audit identifies the 'north star' metric as the number of active users who make posts receiving a significant level of reactions, reflecting meaningful social interaction.
• 🤔 Risks associated with this metric include the potential for divisive content to drive interactions and the challenge of content discovery as more users become active posters.
• 🛠 Audit recommends using tracking metrics to monitor the quality of interactions, such as sentiment analysis on comments and the number of flags on posts.
• 📝 The interview concludes with Audit providing tips for PM interviews, including setting a clear framework, considering supply and demand dynamics, and acknowledging risks in any chosen metric.
• 👍 The mock interview demonstrates a structured approach to problem-solving, emphasizing the importance of aligning metrics with the company's mission and strategic goals.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of the interview with the Facebook PM?

The primary focus of the interview is to discuss and define a meaningful social interaction metric for the Facebook app.

What is the role of the interviewee in Facebook?

The interviewee is a Product Manager (PM) at Facebook, currently working on Facebook Groups and having experience in consumer payments and commerce.

What is the mission of Facebook according to the interviewee?

The mission of Facebook is to give power to people to build community and bring the world closer together.

What are the different use cases of Facebook as mentioned in the interview?

The different use cases include staying connected with friends and family, being part of communities or Facebook groups, following creators for entertainment, and following businesses or brands.

Why did the interviewee transition from being a software engineer to a product manager?

The interviewee found more intrigue in the journey of building products and switched to being a PM after realizing that software engineering was not their calling.

How does the interviewee categorize metrics for evaluating social interaction on Facebook?

The interviewee categorizes metrics into two lenses: breadth, which reflects volume, and depth, which focuses on the value derived from that volume.

What are some examples of depth metrics discussed in the interview?

Examples of depth metrics include the number of people interacting within groups or with friends/family, the number of people making posts, and the number of reactions per post.

What metric does the interviewee propose as the 'north star' for meaningful social interaction on Facebook?

The interviewee proposes the metric of daily/weekly/monthly active people who made a post that received a certain level of reactions as the 'north star' metric.

What are the potential risks or downsides of the chosen 'north star' metric?

Potential risks include the discovery burden of content as more people post, the possibility of divisive content attracting more interactions, and the challenge of maintaining content quality.

How does the interviewee suggest mitigating the risks associated with the chosen metric?

The interviewee suggests using tracking metrics such as sentiment analysis on comments, the number of flags on posts, and ensuring the distribution system effectively delivers content to users.

What tips does the interviewee provide for those preparing for PM interviews?

The tips include setting a clear framework for approaching the problem, considering supply and demand in a two-sided problem context, and being open about risks associated with chosen metrics.