Design a Parking Solution for Google Maps
Design a Parking Solution for Google Maps
Product Design Question - Asked at Google, Meta and other large tech companies
Why are Product Design Questions asked?
Product Design Interview Questions are asked in order to evaluate a candidate's ability to think critically and creatively when designing new products. These questions are used to assess a candidate's ability to:
Develop a structured thought process when faced with ambiguous or uncertain conditions. This includes the ability to understand and analyze customer needs, identify pain points, and develop solutions that align with the goals of the product.
Identify and evaluate pain points in the customer journey. This includes understanding the customer's needs, wants, and frustrations, and developing solutions that address these pain points.
Utilize creativity and imagination to design new products that are practical, usable, and innovative. This includes the ability to think outside the box, come up with unique solutions, and iterate on designs based on feedback.
Estimate the implementation efforts and costs associated with the design. This includes understanding the resources and skills required to bring the product to market, and the costs associated with development, testing, and deployment.
In summary, Product Design Interview Questions are used to evaluate a candidate's ability to think critically, creatively, and strategically when designing new products. These questions aim to assess the candidate's ability to understand customer needs, identify pain points, develop innovative solutions, and estimate implementation efforts and costs.
How to Answer Product Design Questions?
Here is a step by step guide/framework, you should follow while answering product design interview questions:
Describe the Product.
Ask clarifying Questions to narrow the scope.
Define the Goal you want to achieve.
Ecosystem Analysis.
List the User Segments and choose one segment to focus on.
List and prioritize the Pain Points.
List out your Solutions.
Evaluate and Prioritize the Solutions.
Understanding User Journey.
Define the Success Metrics
Summarize your answer
Step 1: 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 Maps is a widely used navigation product that allows users to easily navigate from one point to another. It provides a variety of commute options, including driving, walking, and public transportation, and gives users the exact route, traffic conditions, estimated time of arrival (ETA), and the shortest path to travel between the two points.
In addition to providing navigation services, Google Maps also allows users to search for nearby places such as restaurants, gas stations, events, tourist areas, and things to do. This feature makes it easy for users to find and explore new places, and plan their trips accordingly.
Google Maps is also a platform that allows other businesses to access its maps through an application programming interface (API). This allows businesses to build additional features and services for their customers, such as location-based services, route optimization, and real-time traffic updates.
Google Maps is accessible from a desktop web, mobile web, and mobile app (Android & IOS). This makes it easy for users to access the service from any device, whether they are at home or on the go.
Google Maps has many competitors in the market, including Bing Maps, Here WeGo, MapQuest, Maps.me, etc. However, Google Maps is the most popular navigation product in the market, with billions of users worldwide. It's widely used for its features that are easy to use, accurate, up-to-date and it's also a platform for businesses to build on top of it.
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?”
Step 2: Ask Clarifying Questions
Q1) Is the parking solution intended to be a core feature integrated directly into Google Maps, or a separate app/service that works alongside it?
A) Yes, this service would be a part of Google maps.
Q2) Should the solution focus on a specific type of parking (e.g., public street parking, private lots, residential areas), or should it cover all types?
A) Upto you to decide.
Q3) Are there specific user segments (e.g., commuters, tourists, business owners) that we should prioritize in this solution?
A) Upto you to decide.
Q4) Should we focus more on the supply side (parking space owners) or the demand side (drivers seeking parking)?
A) Upto you to decide.
Q5) Are there particular regions, cities, or countries where this solution should be launched first, or is it intended for a global rollout?
A) Consider it to be first launched only in India.
Q6) Should we consider different parking regulations, behaviors, or challenges that vary by location?
A) For the scope of this question you can consider them to be constant.
Q7) Are there any existing partnerships or contracts with parking providers that could affect the solution?
A) No.
Q8) Are we focusing on any particular platform like desktop web or mobile app (IOS, Android)?
A) It will be launched for all platforms.
Step 3: Define the Goals
The primary goal of introducing a parking solution is to enhance the engagement and monetisation opportunities of Google Maps. By integrating parking features, we can:
Increase user satisfaction and retention by providing a seamless parking experience.
Gather valuable data on user behaviour, which can improve ad targeting and monetization strategies.
Create new revenue streams through partnerships with parking space providers and enhanced Google Pay functionalities.
Step 4: Ecosystem Analysis
Ecosystem analysis is a crucial step in developing a parking solution for Google Maps, as it helps to understand the interactions between various stakeholders and the market dynamics. This analysis focuses on identifying the supply and demand sides of the parking ecosystem and the role of Google as a facilitator.
Supply Side: Parking Space Owners
Stakeholders:
Individual homeowners with unused parking spaces.
Businesses (e.g., restaurants, shopping centers) with parking facilities.
Property management companies managing apartment complexes.
Needs and Motivations:
Monetization: Owners are often unaware of the potential income from renting out unused parking spaces.
Trust and Security: Owners need assurance that their spaces will be respected and that they will receive payment for rentals.
Ease of Use: A straightforward process for listing their parking spots, setting prices, and managing bookings is essential.
Challenges:
Lack of awareness about the platform and its benefits.
Concerns about liability and damage to their property.
Uncertainty about pricing and demand for their spaces.
Demand Side: Drivers Seeking Parking
Stakeholders:
Commuters looking for convenient parking options.
Tourists needing short-term parking in urban areas.
Local residents seeking parking for events or shopping.
Needs and Motivations:
Convenience: Drivers want to find available parking spots quickly and easily.
Cost-Effectiveness: Users are often price-sensitive and seek affordable parking options.
Trust and Reliability: Drivers need assurance that the parking spots are legitimate and that they will not face issues upon arrival.
Challenges:
Difficulty in locating available parking in real-time.
Complicated payment processes that can deter users.
Lack of information about the quality and safety of parking spots.
Google's Role in the Ecosystem
Google acts as a middle player that connects parking space owners with drivers, leveraging its existing infrastructure and user base.
Google can gather valuable data on user behaviour, parking trends, and demand patterns, which can be used to enhance the service and improve ad targeting.
By implementing features such as ratings, reviews, and verification processes, Google can help build trust between users and parking space owners.
Google can explore various revenue streams, including transaction fees, partnerships with parking providers, and enhanced advertising based on user data.
Interdependencies and Dynamics
The success of the parking solution relies on a balanced interaction between supply and demand. If there are too many parking spots listed without sufficient demand, owners may become discouraged. Conversely, user satisfaction will decline if there are many drivers but not enough available spots.
Step 5: User Segmentation
Google can create a more effective and user-friendly platform by categorizing users based on their behaviours, motivations, and requirements. Below are the key segments identified for the parking solution:
Supply Side Segmentation: Parking Space Owners
Individual Home/Spot owners:
Profile: Homeowners with unused driveways or garages or individual parking spot owners who may not be aware of the potential to monetize their space.
Motivation: Earning extra income from their property.
Challenges: Lack of knowledge about how to list their space and concerns about liability.
Businesses:
Profile: Local businesses such as restaurants, shopping centers, or office buildings with excess parking capacity.
Motivation: Generating additional revenue and attracting more customers by offering parking.
Challenges: Need for a simple listing process and assurance that their spaces will be respected.
Property Management Companies:
Profile: Companies managing apartment complexes or commercial properties with multiple parking spots.
Motivation: Maximizing the utilization of parking spaces and increasing property value.
Challenges: Coordinating bookings and managing multiple listings efficiently.
Government Parking Spots:
Profile: Government-owned parking spots include public street parking, municipal lots, and garages, often underutilized and not well-publicized.
Motivation: Maximizing Utilization of public resources to reduce congestion and generate income through parking fees for community services.
Challenges:
Drivers may not know about available spots, leading to underuse.
Policies may limit pricing flexibility and availability.
Ensuring facilities are well-maintained and secure can be challenging.
Implementing modern booking and payment solutions may require significant investment.
Demand Side Segmentation: Drivers Seeking Parking
Short term Parkers:
Profile:
Individuals who drive to work daily and need reliable parking options near their workplace or for various activities, such as shopping, dining, or attending events.
Visitors to a city who require short-term parking for sightseeing or events.
Motivation: Convenience and cost-effectiveness in finding parking.
Challenges: Time constraints and the need for guaranteed availability.
Long-Term Parkers:
Profile: Individuals needing parking for extended periods, such as those transitioning between jobs or relocating.
Motivation: Securing a reliable parking spot for the long term at a reasonable price.
Challenges: Finding suitable long-term options that fit their budget and location needs.
Behavioural Segmentation
Frequency of Use:
Frequent Users: Individuals who regularly use parking services, such as commuters and local residents.
Occasional Users: Tourists and infrequent visitors who may only need parking sporadically.
Urgency of Need:
High Urgency: Users who need parking immediately, such as those attending events or last-minute appointments.
Low Urgency: Users who plan ahead and can book parking in advance, such as long-term parkers.
User Segment Prioritisation Criteria:
a. Reach or Market Size
b. Frequency of Use
c. Underserved Users.
User Segment Prioritisation:
Supply Side Segmentation: Parking Space Owners
Individual Home/Spot owners (M, M, XL) (Focus Segment)
Businesses (S, S, S)
Property Management Companies (M, M, M)
Government Parking Spots (L, L, S)
Demand Side Segmentation: Drivers Seeking Parking
Short term Parkers (L, L, M)
Long-Term Parkers (M, L, S)
Focus Segment:
Supply Side - Individual Home or Spot Owners
Although we have identified both demand and supply side user segments for Google Maps, focusing on the supply side is more crucial. With an already large user base, demand is likely to follow naturally if Google can create a robust ecosystem that balances both supply and demand.
Currently Individual Home or Spot Owners is the most underserved market compared to other parking supply providers, which are already kind of overserved.
Step 6: Pain Points
Here are some of the pain points of the Individual Parking Spot owners category:
Many homeowners are unaware of the potential to monetize their unused parking spaces.
Users are not sure how would they reach out to more people looking for empty parking spots and get more recurring parking space bookings.
Users are uncertainty about how to price their parking spaces competitively while still making a profit and how to collect payments automatically.
Users are not sure how to manage access (allow for a certain time / deny / revoke) to their parking spots.
Users are not able to trust strangers and are worried about the security of the parking space (theft, intrusion, vandalism, damage to property or inappropriate behavior etc.)
Criteria for selection: Severity of Pain & No existing solutions.