Designing a Bookshelf: A Comprehensive Guide for PM Interview Success
For aspiring PMs preparing for interviews, product design questions offer an excellent opportunity to demonstrate creativity, user-centric thinking, and problem-solving skills. This article delves into the design prompt “Design a bookshelf,” showcasing how to apply design-thinking principles and frameworks to tackle such questions effectively.
Framework Application: A Step-by-Step Guide
a. Choosing the Right Framework:
Design questions benefit from the Design Thinking framework, which emphasizes user empathy, problem definition, ideation, prototyping, and testing.
b. Applying the Design Thinking Framework:
- Empathize with Users: Begin by understanding your target users and their needs regarding book storage and display.
- Define the Problem: Specify the core issues or needs your bookshelf design aims to address, such as space optimization, accessibility, or aesthetic value.
- Ideate Solutions: Brainstorm design features that solve the defined problems, considering various user preferences and constraints.
- Create Prototypes: Develop a conceptual model or sketches of your bookshelf design.
- Test Your Design: Explain how you would gather feedback on your prototypes and iterate on the design before final production.
c. Hypothetical Example:
In designing a bookshelf for small apartments, I empathized with residents who need space-saving furniture. The design includes modular sections for customization and a foldable desk for multi-functionality, responding to the users’ need to maximize their living space effectively.
d. Fact Checks:
Investigate industry trends, such as the growing demand for multifunctional furniture in urban homes, to inform your design decisions.
e. Assumptions and Approximations:
Make reasonable assumptions about material costs and user preferences based on existing market products and customer reviews.
f. Communication Tips:
Use visuals if possible to accompany your explanation, and speak to the specific user needs and problems your design aims to address. Be prepared to discuss alternative ideas and how you would test and validate your design with potential users.
Conclusion
Designing a product like a bookshelf is a chance to showcase your inventiveness and your appreciation for the end user’s context. By applying the Design Thinking framework, you can articulate a solution that is both innovative and empathetic. Practicing such approaches to product design questions can significantly improve your chances of impressing FAANG interviewers and landing that coveted PM role.