Health Tech Product Manager Interview: Doctor Search

Summary

In this mock product management interview, Eliza, a product manager with a passion for education and healthcare, discusses strategies to improve the process of finding doctors, particularly for young adults transitioning to adult care. She identifies key user groups, including patients, doctors, caregivers, and insurance companies, and zeroes in on the challenges faced by young adults seeking medical care. Eliza proposes solutions focusing on community engagement, leveraging personal identity to foster relevant and supportive networks, and emphasizes the importance of privacy and security in health data management.

Takeaways

• 😀 The mock interview is focused on improving the process of how people find doctors, specifically in the U.S. region.
• 🔎 The interviewee, Eliza, is a product manager with experience in education and startups, currently studying at Stanford and advising early-stage companies.
• 📝 The discussion begins with clarifying questions to ensure a shared understanding of the problem scope, including the type of doctors and the target audience.
• 🎯 Success metrics proposed include booking an appointment and the rate of second appointments, indicating patient satisfaction and fit with the doctor.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The user segments considered are patients, doctors, caregivers, and insurance companies, with a decision to focus primarily on patients.
• 🏥 The patient behavioral buckets identified are those who have moved, have new health needs, are seeking their first adult doctor, and those unhappy with their current doctor.
• 🚑 The pain points discussed include the awkwardness of asking for recommendations, the isolation of researching online, and the passivity of accepting a doctor's office's assignment.
• 💡 Proposed solutions include an affiliation-based database, a personal identity-based community, and a location-based nudging system possibly integrated with smart devices.
• 🔒 Risks and concerns highlighted are related to privacy, security, and the need to maintain trust and confidentiality in the health data shared.
• 🔄 The importance of considering integration with insurance providers and doctors' offices for data sharing to enhance the usefulness of the tool.
• 📈 The interview concludes with self-reflection on the solution presentation, emphasizing the need for clarity, brevity, and connection to success metrics and vision.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the mock interview with Eliza?

The main topic of the mock interview is to discuss potential solutions for improving how people find doctors, particularly in a non-emergency situation within the U.S. region.

What is Eliza's background according to the interview?

Eliza is a product manager who has worked on products that help students and empower people in learning and creativity. She has experience working as a PM and head of product at a startup called Mentor Collective, and she is currently a student at Stanford Graduate School of Business while advising early-stage startups on product and go-to-market strategies.

What are the success metrics proposed by Eliza to measure the effectiveness of a solution for finding doctors?

Eliza proposes two success metrics: the immediate booking of an appointment with a doctor, indicating that the patient has found someone they want to meet with, and the rate of second appointments, which measures the rate of return to the same doctor, suggesting that the doctor was the right choice for the patient.

How does Eliza segment the users in the context of finding doctors?

Eliza segments the users into four main groups: the patient, the doctors, caregivers, and insurance companies. She focuses on patients and further divides them into behavioral buckets based on why they are looking for a doctor, such as having moved to a new place, having new health needs, aging out of pediatric care, or simply not liking their current doctor.

What is the primary user group Eliza decides to focus on and why?

Eliza decides to focus on the group of young adults who are finding their first adult doctor after aging out of pediatric care. She believes this group represents a large user base and that building good habits of going to the doctor early in their adult life can have significant societal benefits.

What are some of the existing solutions Eliza identifies for finding a doctor and their associated pain points?

Eliza identifies several existing solutions such as asking people for recommendations, using the internet or doctor aggregator websites like ZocDocs, and continuing with a doctor's office recommendation. The pain points associated with these solutions include awkwardness, isolation, feeling overwhelmed by information, and a lack of empowerment in the process.

What are the three potential solutions Eliza proposes to address the pain points of finding a doctor?

Eliza proposes an affiliation-based database that partners with colleges or employers, a personal identity-based community for information sharing about doctors, and a location-based nudging system that integrates with smart devices to alert users when they are near a doctor's office.

How does the affiliation-based database solution work and what are its potential downsides?

The affiliation-based database solution works by partnering with institutions like colleges or employers to provide a database of anonymous reviews about doctors. Users can search through the database to find information provided by people with the same affiliation. A potential downside is that it might not cover everyone, especially if the user has moved away from the city where their alma mater or company is located.

What is the concept behind the personal identity-based community solution and how does it aim to address the pain points?

The personal identity-based community solution is a platform where users can access information and reviews based on their personal identity, such as being a queer person of color. It aims to address the pain points of isolation and relevance by creating a supportive community where users can share experiences and recommendations, thus making the process less daunting and more personalized.

What are some risks associated with the personal identity-based community solution and how might they be mitigated?

Some risks include the potential loss of personal connection due to anonymity and privacy concerns. These could be mitigated by requiring users to create anonymized profiles with some identifying information, ensuring transparency about data handling and privacy regulations, and possibly integrating data from insurance providers and doctors' offices with user consent.

What feedback does Eliza receive regarding her mock interview performance and how does she reflect on her own performance?

Eliza receives feedback to call out risks proactively while discussing solutions and to be briefer and clearer in her descriptions. She reflects on her performance by acknowledging the need to tighten up her solution descriptions, increase the clarity and conciseness of her responses, and maintain a strong connection to the success metrics and vision throughout her discussion.