How would you measure the success of Zoom?
Zoom PM Interview: How would you measure the success of Zoom?
How to Answer a Product Metrics Question?
The key to correctly answering a Product Metric Question is following a structured framework.
Here is a step by step framework, you can follow while answering Product Metrics questions in Product Management Interviews :
Describe the Product.
Ask Clarifying Questions
Define the feature Goals you want to achieve
Describe the User Journey of the feature
Define the Metrics for each step of the User Journey
Evaluate and Prioritize the Metrics
Summarize your answer
Now, let’s go through each of the above points and understand them in details,
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?
Zoom is a cloud-based video communication platform that allows users to host and join virtual meetings, webinars, and conferences. Zoom’s primary focus is to make video communication simple, reliable, and accessible for everyone.
Key Features:
One-Click Meetings: Zoom simplifies the process of joining or hosting a meeting with a single click, enhancing ease of use for all users.
HD Video and Audio: Provides high-quality video and audio experiences, ensuring seamless communication.
Screen Sharing: Facilitates collaboration by allowing participants to share screens in real-time, ideal for presentations and brainstorming.
Breakout Rooms: Enables small group discussions within larger meetings, boosting engagement and interaction.
Virtual Backgrounds: Lets users personalize their video experience with custom backgrounds, enhancing privacy and aesthetics.
Real-Time Chat: Supports in-meeting messaging for participants to exchange ideas and information quickly.
Integrations: Connects with productivity tools like Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, and Slack for streamlined workflows.
Cross-Platform Access: Available on desktop, mobile, and web, ensuring users can stay connected anytime, anywhere.
Security Features: Includes encryption, waiting rooms, and passcodes to ensure secure communication.
Target Audience:
Individuals: Students, remote workers, and personal users seeking seamless video communication.
Businesses: Teams of all sizes leveraging Zoom for virtual meetings, webinars, and hybrid work solutions.
Educational Institutions: Schools and universities conducting remote learning and online classes.
Event Organizers: Hosts of virtual conferences, online workshops, and hybrid events.
Competitors:
Zoom competes with platforms like Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Cisco Webex, and Skype, but stands out for its user-friendly interface and robust feature set, making it a top choice for virtual communication.
Step 2: Ask Clarifying Questions
When faced with a product metrics question or any question related to assessing the success or performance of a specific feature, it's crucial to seek clarification from the interviewer.
Here is a list of clarifying questions that can help you better understand the context and requirements:
Are we focussing on any particular platform like desktop, web or mobile app?
A) You can decide.
Should the success measurement include all operating systems (iOS, Android, Windows, macOS), or is there a specific one we should emphasize?
A) All platforms.
Is the measurement of success intended to target a specific region or is it global?
A) No, overall.
Zoom caters to both B2C and B2B audiences. Should the focus be on one segment, or should we consider all user types?
A) Sure, for the scope of this question consider B2C.
What do you mean by measuring success? revenue growth, user retention, engagement, market share, or something else? (Is there any particular thing that you have in mind and want me to track or should I decide what to track and measure)
A) You can decide.
Are there specific user personas we are focusing on (e.g., new users, power users, businesses)?
A) No, we can consider overall users.What are the primary business goals associated with this product or feature?
(Are we aiming to increase revenue, user engagement, market share, or achieve other specific objectives or benchmarks?)
A) You can decide.
Are there any technical limitations or constraints that might impact the measurement of metrics?
A) No.
Are there upcoming features or changes in the product roadmap that might influence the metrics?
A) No.
Step 3: Define the Goal you want to acheive
The goal of Zoom is to provide a seamless, reliable, and user-friendly platform for video communication and collaboration, enabling individuals and teams to connect effectively regardless of their location. Zoom's mission aligns with fostering connectivity and simplifying virtual interactions by offering high-quality video, audio, and chat capabilities for various use cases, from personal meetings to large-scale webinars. By providing an intuitive platform accessible across devices and operating systems, Zoom aims to facilitate real-time communication and enhance productivity.
The success of Zoom is not solely measured by revenue generation but by its engagement, and retention rates. Zoom strives to be a vital tool in personal, educational, and professional workflows, ensuring that users can host, join, and participate in meetings effortlessly. As part of its overarching objective, Zoom aims to establish itself as the go-to platform for virtual communication, encouraging users to rely on its ecosystem for hosting meetings, sharing ideas, and collaborating efficiently in a digital-first world.
Step 4 : Describe User Journey
At this step you are expected to give a walkthrough of the user journey from the start to the end of the user interaction with the feature. This would demonstrate your ability to think and understand the different key experiences a user goes through while interacting with the feature or product that might effect the success of the feature.
You can ask the interviewer if they believe you have covered all of the important user journey steps at the end of this step.
Following is the user journey for Zoom,
1. Discovery and Access:
Users discover Zoom through various channels such as online advertisements, word-of-mouth recommendations, or its integration with professional or educational ecosystems.
They access Zoom via the web browser, desktop application, or mobile app (available on iOS and Android).
2. Registration and Onboarding:
New users register by creating an account using their email, Google account, or social media login.
Existing users can log in directly.
First-time users may go through a quick tutorial introducing Zoom's key features, such as joining meetings, scheduling, and using basic tools like screen sharing and chat.
3. Scheduling or Joining a Meeting:
Scheduling a Meeting:
Hosts create a meeting by setting details such as time, date, duration, and permissions through the app or web interface.
A unique meeting link and ID are generated for sharing with attendees.
Joining a Meeting:
Participants receive the meeting link via email, messaging apps, or calendars and click to join.
Users without the Zoom app are prompted to download it for optimal experience.
4. Pre-Meeting Setup:
Users can test audio and video settings before joining the meeting.
Hosts can configure meeting settings, such as waiting rooms, breakout rooms, or recording options.
5. In-Meeting Interaction:
Users experience high-quality video and audio.
Key features include:
Video and Audio Controls: Mute/unmute and toggle video on/off.
Screen Sharing: Share presentations, documents, or entire screens.
Chat: Send messages to the group or individual participants.
Reactions and Polling: Engage through emojis and interactive polls.
Breakout Rooms: Smaller groups can discuss separately within the same meeting.
Hosts manage meeting settings, including muting participants, spotlighting speakers, and monitoring chat activity.
6. Recording and Cloud Storage:
Hosts can record meetings locally or in the cloud for future reference.
Recorded meetings can be accessed, edited, and shared via Zoom's cloud platform or downloaded for offline use.
7. Post-Meeting Actions:
Participants receive follow-ups, such as meeting summaries, chat transcripts, or links to recorded sessions (if shared by the host).
Hosts analyze meeting reports, such as attendance and engagement metrics, especially for webinars or large meetings.
8. Accessibility and Multi-Device Support:
Zoom supports seamless transitions between devices (desktop, mobile, or tablet) during a meeting.
Users can enable accessibility features, including closed captions and keyboard shortcuts.
9. Finalization and Distribution:
Meeting hosts and attendees can share recordings, distribute follow-up materials, or archive sessions for long-term use.
Integration with tools like Google Drive, Dropbox, or Slack allows easy distribution and collaboration.
Step 5: Metrics for each step of the User Journey
Once you are done describing the User Journey of the feature / product, its time to define the metrics for each phase in the customer journey. Below is a list of all the customer journey phases a user can go through: (3AE3R )
Awareness:
Metrics: