Build the next great feature for Google Search
Google PM Interview: Product Improvement Question - If you were to build the next great feature for Google Search, what would it be?
TLDR:
Describe the Product
Once you are clear with the question, start by explaining your understanding of the product. Cover the following things about the product,
What does the product do?
Who uses it?
How are they using it?
What pain point is it solving for the users?
Google Search is the world’s leading search engine that helps users find information instantly across the web. It supports text, voice, and image-based queries, and delivers rich results like quick answers, links, news, videos, maps, and shopping listings.
Beyond simple queries, it integrates deeply with other Google services (e.g., Maps, YouTube, Gmail), making it a personal information assistant. Available on desktop, mobile web, and app, it offers fast, relevant, and trustworthy results tailored to user intent.
Google Search is monetized primarily through ads and serves as a discovery platform for users and businesses alike. Despite growing competition from Bing, Perplexity, DuckDuckGo, it remains dominant due to its speed, accuracy, and deep ecosystem integration.
Now that we are clear on the product description and the interviewer is also onboarded.
Let’s move on to the next step: Ask Clarifying Questions.
You: “Before we move on, I have a few clarifying questions I want to ask. Shall I proceed?”
Ask Clarifying Questions
Before ideating on a new feature for Google Search, I would ask several clarifying questions to ensure we target the right problem and scope:
Are we focusing on core web search results, or a specific vertical (images, local, shopping, etc.)?
Assumption: Focus on the core Google Web Search experience (all-query search) while being open to integrating verticals if needed.Is this feature aimed at all Google Search users globally, or a specific demographic or region?
Assumption: The feature should benefit the broad user base (global audience), with possible emphasis on English-speaking markets initially (e.g., US/India for examples).What is the main goal for this new feature? (e.g., faster information access, higher engagement, improved result quality, combating misinformation, etc.)
Assumption: The objective is to increase user satisfaction and trust in Search.Which platforms are we focusing on – mobile, desktop, voice, or all? Any specific context like on-the-go searches?
Assumption: Prioritize a mobile-first design (Google Search app and mobile web) since a majority of searches happen on mobile, but ensure the feature scales to desktop web. Voice and multimodal input can be considered as extensions.Are there competitive pressures (e.g., advancements by Perplexity, Chatgpt, Bing or others) influencing the need for new feature?
Assumption: Yes, emerging AI-powered search experiences.Do we need to account for Google’s ad business or revenue impact when introducing this feature?
Assumption: Yes, we must ensure any new feature preserves user trust.Are there known user pain points in the current Google Search experience we want to solve?
Assumption: You can make your own assumptions.
Goals
The primary goal for the next great Google Search feature is to help users find the exact information or answer they need quickly, confidently, and with minimal effort.
Key success objectives include improving user engagement and loyalty (so users continue to choose Google amidst new alternatives), and reinforcing Google’s reputation for reliable information. We also aim to address modern search scenarios – from on-the-go mobile queries to more conversational or exploratory queries – within the familiar Search interface.
Metrics: To measure success, we will track:
Query Success Rate: Fewer reformulations or follow-ups per query
Search Engagement & Retention: Increased usage and frequency
CTR on Top Results: Higher relevance and satisfaction
User Segments
Different users use Google Search in different ways. We can identify a few key user segments and their distinct needs to ensure our feature delivers value across the board:
Power Searchers – Tech-savvy users who search frequently for work or personal research.
Needs: Fast, accurate results, deep query support, shortcuts for repeat searches, and tools to retain context across sessions.Everyday Casual Users – Most users, who rely on Google for simple, one-off queries like weather, trivia, or navigation.
Needs: Instant answers, clean interface, and reliable default results without needing to dig.Novice or New Users – Users less familiar with the internet or effective search behavior.
Needs: Guided prompts, simple filters, and help identifying trustworthy information.
Priority Segment
Priority Segment: Power Searchers (frequent, advanced users)
Why Focus on Power Searchers?
Power Searchers generate the highest engagement and are often early adopters. Enhancing their experience with speed, personalization, and multi-step continuity drives retention and advocacy. Since they notice usability gaps most acutely, building for them surfaces scalable improvements that benefit all users.
Pain Points:
Here are some of the pain points of the Power Searchers category:
They frequently search for the same information (certain sites or daily info) and currently have to re-type queries or navigate bookmarks. There’s no quick way to repeat or jump to a frequently used result without manual effort.
When researching a complex topic, each new query starts a new results page. Due to lack of Context Continuity Google doesn’t “remember” what you already looked at or what you learned from the previous query. This means power users juggle multiple tabs or manually copy information, which is tedious.
Because they search deeply, they often encounter an overwhelming number of results, including SEO-optimized but low-quality pages. Sifting through to find truly credible info (and avoiding misinformation or clickbait) is time-consuming. They may use external tools or their own judgment to verify facts, but Google could do more to help here.
Power users are sensitive to the prominence of ads or aggregated answers that don’t fully solve their query. They might scroll past a barrage of sponsored content to find the actual answer. This not only slows them down but can erode trust if the most visible results feel “biased”.
Google Search results are somewhat one-size-fits-all with limited personalization: (aside from location or basic history-based tweaks). For someone with well-defined preferences (e.g., a programmer who always wants results from stackoverflow, or a user who prefers scholarly articles), they have to manually apply filters or add keywords. The search doesn’t automatically adapt to their profile in a deep way.
If a power user finds a factual claim via search, they often open multiple sources to confirm it. There’s no built-in mechanism in Search to validate and tell them if that information is corroborated by other sources or if it’s disputed. This is a pain given the rise of unreliable info online – they end up doing the validation legwork themselves.
Solution:
Based on the pain points identified, I propose three major feature ideas for Google Search,