How would you improve Microsoft Teams? | Microsoft PM Interview
Microsoft Product Manager Interview: Product Improvement - How would you improve Microsoft Teams?
How to Answer Product Improvement Questions?
Here is a step-by-step framework you should follow while answering product improvement interview questions during the interview,
0. Pay close attention to the keywords in the question.
1. Describe the Product. (P)
2. Ask clarifying Questions to trim down the scope of the question. (Q)
3. Define the Goal you want to achieve. (G)
4. List the User Segments and select one segment to focus on. (U)
5. List and prioritize the Pain Points for that segment. (P)
6. List out your Solutions to solve those pain points. (S)
7. Evaluate all the solutions and prioritize them. (E)
8. Define Metrics to measure the performance of the solutions. (M)
9. At the end, Summarize your answer (S)
Before the start of interview, write down these steps somewhere in case you forget.
Let’s get started with the solution (remember to follow the framework),
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?
“Microsoft Teams is a widely-used collaboration platform that helps teams stay organized and have conversations all in one place. It allows users to communicate through chat, video and voice calls, share files, and collaborate on projects. It also integrates with other Microsoft products like Office 365 and offers a variety of third-party app integrations.
The platform is available on a wide range of devices, including desktop, web, and mobile applications, making it accessible for users on the go. With over 270 million monthly active users, Microsoft Teams is one of the leading collaboration tools in the market, competing with platforms like Slack, Zoom, and Google Workspace.
Microsoft Teams is used by a diverse range of users, including enterprise professionals, small and medium-sized businesses, educational institutions, and remote workers. Users leverage Teams for various purposes such as conducting meetings, managing projects, sharing documents, and staying connected with their colleagues.
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
What goal of improvement here? Improve user engagement? Increase user retention? Increase revenue? Acquire more users and content? Improve the user experience on the App?
A) It’s up to you. You are free to choose.
“Are we primarily focusing on enterprise users, small and medium-sized businesses, educational institutions, or remote workers for our improvement strategy?”
A) You can consider enterprise users.
“Is there a specific geographic market we should focus on first?”
A) Consider a global release.
“What specific improvements or new features are we considering?”
A) Focus on improving user experience and productivity.
“Are there any legal or regulatory constraints we should be aware of, particularly concerning data privacy and security?”
A) For this question, keep it out of scope.
What specific user experience or productivity metrics are we aiming to improve with the new features?
A) For the scope of this question, keep it out of scope.
Are we focusing on any particular platform like desktop web or mobile app?
A) Let’s focus on the Desktop App.
Step 3: Define the Goals
The mission of Microsoft Teams is to "empower every team on the planet to achieve more", which aligns with Microsoft's broader mission of enabling individuals and organizations to realize their full potential through technology. This mission is reflected in the platform's design, which focuses on enhancing productivity, streamlining workflows, and fostering seamless collaboration among team members.
With the growth of other platforms like Slack, Zoom, and Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams is facing tough competition in keeping users engaged and retained on the platform. I feel that improvement in user engagement is something it needs now, and that aligns very closely with the mission of Microsoft. Also, an increase in user engagement will also lead to an increase in user retention for Microsoft Teams.
Mention your approach -
“Now that we have defined the goals for this problem, I will go ahead and list down the user segments for this product, followed by the pain points these users are facing, prioritizing them, and coming up with a prioritized list of solutions and metrics that we will track to identify its success.”
Step 4: List the User Segments
Microsoft Teams is used by a wide variety of user groups and across many geographies.
We can broadly categorise the user segments into,
Enterprise Users: Large organizations use Microsoft Teams for internal communication, project management, and collaboration across departments. Teams helps streamline workflows, manage tasks, and facilitate meetings, ensuring efficient operations and productivity.
Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs): SMBs leverage Microsoft Teams to manage their day-to-day operations, from team communication to client interactions. The platform's versatility allows these businesses to stay organized and collaborate effectively without the need for multiple tools.
Educational Institutions: Schools, colleges, and universities use Microsoft Teams for virtual classrooms, lesson planning, student engagement, and administrative tasks. It provides a centralized platform for educators to manage their classes and interact with students and colleagues.
Remote Workers: Individuals working from home or different locations rely on Microsoft Teams for staying connected with their teams, participating in meetings, and managing their tasks. The platform's accessibility ensures seamless collaboration regardless of physical location.
Freelancers and Contractors: Freelancers and contractors use Microsoft Teams to collaborate with clients, manage projects, and stay updated on tasks. The platform's flexibility allows them to work efficiently with multiple clients and teams.
Personal and Individual Users: Microsoft Teams is also used by individuals for personal organization, project management, and communication with friends and family. The platform's features make it easy to stay connected and manage personal tasks.
These user segments represent the diverse range of individuals, professionals, organizations, and communities that benefit from the features and collaborative capabilities of Microsoft Teams. In this answer, we would be focusing on the Enterprise Users segment.
Enterprise Users
Enterprise users are prioritized over other segments due to their significant impact on Microsoft Teams' user base and revenue. These users represent large organizations with complex needs, and addressing their pain points can lead to substantial productivity gains and increased user retention. Additionally, improvements for enterprise users often benefit other segments as well, due to the shared features and functionalities within Microsoft Teams. Focusing on enterprise users aligns with Microsoft's mission to empower every team on the planet to achieve more, ensuring that the platform remains a valuable tool for collaboration and productivity across various industries and scales.
Step 5. List and Prioritise the Pain Points
Here are some pain points that the Enterprise Users using Microsoft Teams may encounter:
Users are vulnerable to phishing attacks and unauthorized access to their sessions.
Impact: Increased risk of data breaches and compromised security.
Navigating between one-on-one chats, group conversations, and channel discussions can be cumbersome.
Impact: Decreased efficiency and increased cognitive load.
Managing in-office days and shared workspaces in a hybrid work environment is challenging.
Impact: Inefficient use of office space and reduced collaboration opportunities.
Users need to switch between multiple tools for real-time collaboration.
Impact: Disrupted workflows and reduced productivity.
Users spend too much time digesting complex documents and reports.
Impact: Reduced focus on core tasks and decision-making.
Different teams have varying communication styles, leading to misalignment and inefficiencies.
Impact: Communication breakdowns and reduced team cohesion.
Differing work expectations and communication preferences across generations can lead to conflicts.
Impact: Misaligned expectations and reduced collaboration efficiency.
Users are overwhelmed by the volume of information from various sources.
Impact: Reduced productivity and decision-making efficiency.
Managing and keeping track of appointments and meetings is time-consuming.
Impact: Reduced productivity and increased no-shows.
Step 6. List out your Solutions
Here are detailed solutions to address the pain points for Enterprise users on Microsoft Teams: