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👋 Hey there! My name is Ben Erez. You might have ended up here after reading my guest post on Lenny's Newsletter.

🤖 Want help filling out or grading the template? --> Check out my AI Copilot.
🤝 Want to do PS mocks with a calibrated interviewer at your target company? --> Fill out my matching form (~3 min)

- I originally created this template for my PM Interview Bootcamp with AI Copilot: Product Sense & Analytical Thinking course.
- To understand this framework better, watch this free lecture: How to Ace Product Sense PM Interviews.
- You can also check out my YouTube channel for more specific advice for PS interviews.
- Looking for an Analytical Thinking interview template? Here is my AT interview template

For personal use only. Do not distribute for commercial gain.
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Product Sense Interview Template
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Interview Question
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Before I dive in, would like to make some up front assumptions if that works for you? 👇
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⏰ <1 minAssumptions
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Assumptions👈To set yourself up for success, these are a few potential assumptions to state:

1) Role and context: State your assumed role and the company/product context for the exercise.

2) Geographic focus: Specify whether you’ll focus on a specific market or region for your response.

3) Platform and constraints: Identify any technical or strategic constraints that will help focus your solution, without over-limiting possibilities.
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Before I dive in, I’d like to walk you through my plan for our time together:

- I’ll start by describing the product/experience and why it matters.
- Then I’ll break down the target audience and define a segment to focus on.
- From there, I’ll identify key problems for that segment and prioritize one.
- I’ll then brainstorm solutions and pick one.
- If we have time, I’d love to describe a v1 experience of that solution.

Does this plan sound good to you?		👈Tip: spend the 30-45 seconds to say this. It will set the tone for the interview.
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I'll now take a minute to describe the product, why it matters, and define a placeholder mission statement 👇
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⏰ < 5 minProduct Motivation
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Product Motivation👈Components to address in this section:

Product description and value: Start by clearly describing what the product or experience entails and connect it to deeper human needs that it addresses. Why does this product matter to users? Why is the world better with this product in it?

Strategic and competitive context: Articulate how this product advances the company’s strategy and fits within its broader ecosystem. Consider market trends, key competitors, and what makes this offering uniquely valuable in the current landscape.
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Placeholder mission statement👈Finish this section with a concise, purpose-driven mission statement that will guide your decision-making throughout the interview. This statement should be specific enough to provide direction but broad enough to allow creative exploration.

Tip: Use this during Segmentation when rating the "Underserved Degree" and in the solution
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I'll now take a minute to define the ecosystem players and pick one to go deep on with segmentation. Sound good? 👇
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⏰ < 10 minEcosystem Players
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Key Ecosystem Players (stakeholders)•
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• 		👈Identify all major stakeholders in the product ecosystem, demonstrating systems thinking beyond just end users.
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Selected Ecosystem Group with rationaleI'd like to focus on [one ecosystem player] because [rationale]👈Choose one ecosystem group to focus on, guided by your product mission and strategic priorities, with a clear rationale for this selection.
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I'll now take a couple minutes to formulate some potential segements and pick one. Sound good? 👇
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Segmentation
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Key Segmentation Heuristics
(how you might slice into segments)		Primary motivations
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Other ways to slice and dice
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• 		👈Break down your chosen player into distinct segments based on behaviors, motivations, and context—not just demographics.

Then evaluate these segments strategically using a reach vs. underserved degree framework to identify high-potential opportunities.

When developing segments, look for meaningful differences in behaviors, needs, and contexts. Start with understanding core motivations: why people use or would use your product. These motivations inform more specific segmentation criteria such as:

Primary motivations: What fundamental goals drive their behavior?

Behavioral patterns: How frequently and in what ways do they interact with similar products?

Context of use: Where, when, and how do they engage with the product/experience?

Expertise level: Are they novices, intermediate users, or experts?

Resource constraints: What limitations (time, money, knowledge, space) affect their usage?

Goals and outcomes: What specific results are they trying to achieve?
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Reach/SizeUnderserved Degree
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Segment 1 w/ attributes[segment title]
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Segment 2 w/ attributes[segment title]
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Segment 3 w/ attributes[segment title]
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Segmentation Checklist :
✅ mutually exclusive
✅ no tiny niches, each is meaningful in size
✅ unique pain points
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Segment Persona👈Bring your chosen segment to life with a specific, relatable persona that embodies key characteristics and challenges. This bridges the gap between abstract segments and concrete problems for the next section.
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Let me take a couple minutes to think through the user journey for the persona we picked and identify a few key problems they might encounter. Then, I'd like to prioritize one problem to brainstorm potential solutions. ... sound good? 👇
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⏰ < 10 minProblem Identification
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User Journey1.
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n		👈Create a detailed visualization of how your persona interacts with the product or experience, focusing on specific contexts and scenarios in their daily life rather than generic stages.
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Problems along the journeyFrequencySeverity
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Problem 1​​Problem discovery and articulation: Identify pain points at each stage of the journey where users struggle, face uncertainty, or experience frustration. Frame these problems with specificity about context, emotional impact, and user outcomes. Clearly distinguish between needs (desires) and problems (obstacles).

Problem prioritization and mission connection: Once you’ve identified meaningful problems (I recommend three to avoid burning too much time), prioritize one based on two key dimensions: severity (how much pain the problem causes when it occurs) and frequency (how often it happens for your target user). Then explicitly tie your prioritized problem back to your mission statement
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Problem 2​​
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Problem 3​​
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Problem Checklist :
✅ People problems experienced by persona
✅ Problems are unique from each other
✅ Problems get in the way of product mission
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Let me take a couple minutes to brainstorm potential solutions for the problem we picked. Then, I'd like to prioritize one solution and share how I might design a v1 to test along with any key risks to consider. ... sound good? 👇
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⏰ < 10 minSolution DevelopmentImpactEffort
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Solution 1​​Solution brainstorming and prioritization: Generate multiple distinct approaches to solving your prioritized problem, exploring different angles and mechanisms rather than variations on the same idea. Then evaluate solutions using an impact vs. effort framework to identify high-value opportunities, providing clear reasoning for your assessment.

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Solution 2​​👈
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Solution 3​​
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Solution Checklist :
✅ Solves the problem
✅ Solutions are unique from each other
✅ Not science fiction (has path to MVP)
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Tip: After picking a solution, if you have time, describe how you might de-scope the first version of the solution to ship an MVP and a couple key risks you would consider/mitigate.
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⏰ 5 minv1
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v1 description👈V1 definition and go-to-market: Outline a concrete v1 implementation of your chosen solution with sufficient detail to demonstrate feasibility. Explain how users would discover and engage with your solution, considering integration within existing product experiences and initial distribution strategy.
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Risks to consider/mitigateRisk 1:
Mitigate:

Risk 2:
Mitigate: 		👈Risk assessment and mitigation: Identify potential challenges with your solution and how you might mitigate them, demonstrating strategic foresight and thoughtful planning.
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