Google PM Interview: Google Maps Korea Launch

Summary

In this mock product management interview, Hal, an engineering manager with previous experience at Google, discusses strategies for Google Maps' potential launch in South Korea. He evaluates factors such as data quality, cost, and integration challenges when choosing between local vendors for map datasets. Hal emphasizes the importance of precision and recall in business search results and suggests A/B testing and user-generated content to refine data accuracy. The conversation highlights a user-centric approach to product management, focusing on the ultimate goal of providing the best user experience.

Takeaways

• 😀 Hal, an engineering manager at Cressicore and former PM at Google, discusses choosing a map data vendor for Google Maps' launch in South Korea.
• 📍 The decision-making process should consider data quality, cost, and non-functional aspects like integration and updates.
• 🔍 Data quality is crucial for accuracy and user experience, including precision and recall of business listings and directions.
• 💰 Cost may not be a primary concern for Google, which prioritizes the best user experience over vendor pricing.
• 🔄 Non-functional considerations include the ease of integration, licensing, and the reliability of ongoing data updates.
• 📈 Hal suggests using A/B testing with user interaction metrics to evaluate different data sets' effectiveness.
• 📊 Metrics to monitor include interaction rates, search abandonments, and query refinements indicating user satisfaction.
• 🏢 Google's infrastructure and user engagement features, like reporting incorrect data, can compensate for initial data set deficiencies.
• 🔑 The ultimate goal of Google Maps should guide the trade-off decisions between precision and recall of data.
• 🤔 Hal reflects on the importance of clearly defining the mission and goals at the outset and tying them back to decision-making later.
• 🔑 The interview concludes with feedback emphasizing the structured and use-case driven approach Hal took in addressing the problem.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the mock interview in the video transcript?

The main topic of the mock interview is about Google Maps wanting to launch in South Korea and the decision-making process for choosing a local vendor for map data sets.

Who is Hal and what is his background according to the transcript?

Hal is an engineering manager at a startup called CressiCore. He was previously a product manager (PM) at Google for five years, working on Google Assistant.

What are the three factors Hal considers when choosing a map data vendor for Google Maps in South Korea?

Hal considers data quality, the business aspect (including cost and contract terms), and non-functional aspects such as integration ease, licensing, and data reliability.

Why does Hal believe that data quality is the most important factor in choosing a vendor?

Hal believes data quality is the most important factor because it directly affects the user experience and Google's ability to provide the best service to its users.

What does Hal mean by 'precision and recall' in the context of map data quality?

In the context of map data quality, 'precision' refers to the accuracy of the data, ensuring that the places listed are indeed what the user is searching for. 'Recall' refers to the coverage of the data, ensuring that the data set includes all relevant places.

How does Hal suggest measuring the difference between the map data and reality?

Hal suggests using an A/B test with different data sets for a portion of users and comparing metrics like interaction rates, abandonments, and refinements. He also mentions the possibility of using human evaluators to gather 'golden data' for comparison.

What are some of the metrics Hal suggests monitoring during an A/B test of map data?

Hal suggests monitoring interaction rates, abandonments, and refinements as indicators of how relevant the search results are to the users.

How does Hal define the success metric for Google Maps in the context of the interview?

Hal suggests that the success metric for Google Maps could be whether users actually visit the places they find through the app, as it indicates the relevance and usefulness of the map data.

What is Hal's approach to dealing with trade-offs between precision and recall of map data?

Hal's approach is to understand Google Maps' ultimate goal or 'north star' metric and make a decision based on what aligns best with that goal. He also mentions the possibility of merging multiple data sets to balance precision and recall.

What feedback does the interviewer give to Hal at the end of the mock interview?

The interviewer appreciates Hal's use-case driven approach and his structured method of outlining considerations and diving deep into data quality. The feedback also includes the suggestion to refine the mission and goals at the beginning and to tie back decisions to the initial vision.