I just ran across this "interview", and have no idea if the question is in fact "open" for continuing suggestions or if you were looking for just a short influx of ideas. I have two. First, I purchased Alexa to give me definitions of words that I come across when playing the EA Scrabble game on an old i-pad. I spell out the word and Alexa gives me the definition. Not always what I want, and that's my first recommendation. Allow the user to configure how questions get answered. First, Scrabble does not accept proper names, and Alexa always chooses the proper name first, which means I have to go to my dictionary. Example "Ruth". archaic: a feeling of pity, distress or grief. Alexa always refers to the biblical name. Also, some responses are need to be expanded, and it would be nice if I can say, Alexa, use the last word in a sentence. Or, Alexa, repeat that definition slowly. Outside of definitions, my sister and I would like to create lists for each other. Alexa, please add "xxxx" to the movie list for my sister Anya. Alexa, please add "yyyy" to the trip list for my son Matthew. which means I'd have to be able to create a user profile with database tags to certain people. Outside of definitions and lists, it would be nice if Alexa replies incoherently. There is no recourse. It would be nice to say "Alexa, you misunderstood the last request badly, please add the last transaction to the "to-be-reviewed-by-the-improvement-team" list (or something a little shorter). If you can't imagine when this would be used, feel free to repeat "Alexa, definition of c-o-o-l-y". It's never been fixed since I first ran across this response from Alexa over a year ago.
Very interactive session Diego. Great job! I would love Alexa to do the below things for me. 1) Remind my grandmother all day if she took her medicines on time. 2) Have an interactive story telling session with kids. Basically there should be a child mode which filters content for the kids. It should be able to ask the kids what kind of stories they want to hear.
I think mental health is a big area which Alexa can explore. Wfh has often resulted to a lot of negative emotions piling up in our minds, which often impact our work and productivity. Maybe Alexa can connect with the user's smartwatch- which in turn has an emotion sensing software built into it. So everytime the watch senses that the user is sad/ anxious/ frustrated, it can communicate the same to Alexa, which in turn can start playing cheerful and happy music (of course after the user allows it) to uplift his/ her mood
Below is the list of help I'll need from Alexa as a Working Mom - (1) Household chores when I'm in a back to a back meeting like switch on my instant pot, or help me in meal prep or share recipes that can be made in 20 min from the available items like pictures of items I have in my fridge. (2) When I'm in a meeting engage my toddlers so that I don't have to track their screen time and post screen time still engage the toddler (3) During meetings I'm not always able to concentrate, it will be helpful if Alexa can help me capture the important notes or like minutes of meeting so that I can refer back to it. (4)Lastly, can Alexa calculate calories by taking picture of my food :)
@@PMDiegoGranados 2- Alexa as a babysitter- I can measure the success by the activities toddlers did via email or message at end of every 30 min or 1 hr. For example, if I'm in 1 hr meeting then Alexa is instructed to help toddlers in some exercise after 10 min of Tv or so some rhyming or coloring. Yes, safety is a concern and if Alexa has motion sensors to detect actually the toddler is within the vicinity or else inform me immediately by the same preferred messaging medium. Again, I assume toddlers are in an env with safety guidelines. Alexa can also use my voice and typical tone to interact with kids just to make them feel I'm there. 4- Alexa count my Calorie - I would measure this with my calorie intake and my fitness level. I can sync up my personal fitness tracker with the calorie I consumed. This will help me in calculating how much more energy I need to burn if there is a surplus. Finally, another idea,5. Virtual school is still a far dream for many kids in third-world countries/remote villages. Since pandemic many schools are nonfunctional and kids are just stuck in the same grade for more than a year. If Alexa along with cellular providers and teachers help in outreach then at least kids can study 2 hrs daily. The measure will be how many schools are registered and are they able to function at least half in their capacity. I need more brainstorming time for this.
Love this! Thank you for these ideas! One last question for you... (although we could continue asking question after question because this is awesome 😆)... For #2 - do you have any concerns about how parents would feel about Alexa interacting that much with their kids, the security implication, data privacy... if so, any ideas on how to solve it? I'm just pushing the limits here, this is already a great answer!
t@@PMDiegoGranados Thanks for such great questions- #2: Yes, parent, I'll actually opt to control the contents and time of communication between a toddler and Alexa. Hence, there should be some user privileges and filter set which can be for any age group. For example, toddlers should be exposed to contents relevant to the age group like movie ratings. Now, there is another aspect which is language, like an English word can have various meanings good or bad in various languages. So there is also a need to filtering by putting a language setting. As far as data privacy is concerned, I will need to know what Alexa has recorded by checking the history before it's released to the data pool.
Thank you both! It was a tricky prompt and despite the interview proving to be a bit tricky, still having it uploaded to CZcams is hugely valuable for people like me who want to understand what works well and not so well in PM interviews. Super valuable information!
Some of my moonshot ideas to improve Alexa are- 1) Connect it with smart appliances like washing machine(and inform the owner when the washing is completed), smart cookers and food makers eg auto rice maker(and inform the owner when the food is prepared), so that they can perform other chores.
Hey Diego, I came here from Linkedin and super informative content. Even during the clarifying questions section, it's a great way to flex what you know about the industry & what you've been reading up on!
I think the best way to make a user experience better would be to have access to personality customization and more fluent conversations. Like iron man's Jarvis
In the whole interview, I see only two main words - coffee maker and calendar. 🙆 I would probably think about user pain points and who would pay money throughout the process
Great question, Sonali! What you do in your cases is talk with your interviewer, something like this: “I have never used Alexa and know just a little bit about it. Let me share first my assumptions about the product, this is what I know about it: - state your assumptions, whatever little or much you know about how it works, use cases, etc… (then continue…) Is there anything I missed or anything else important that you think I should keep in mind about the product as I go through this case?” There is no reason why you should know about all the products in the world, so it’s ok to share what you know and ask for more context. The important piece in the interview is that you know how to improve it, not that you are an expert in the product. Let me know if this helps!
Hi sir I'm currently doing my undergrad in business (bba). Do I need lots of experience before applying for product management programs at top companies like Microsoft google Facebook etc?? How many years and projects is a minimum requirement??
Hi Aaron! This video might help explain all the ways you can transition into Product Management: czcams.com/video/VGxBeibPZmQ/video.html You'll come across the need to create side projects, here's an example (and you don't need code!): pmdiego.substack.com/p/-building-side-projects-without-code I also share tips and answers to questions like this on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/diegogranadosh/
Hi Diego, Thanks for the video. Really informative. However I had a question on the improvement suggestions for Alexa mentioned. The suggestion to have smart coffee machine or smart washing machine is something which Alexa already provides. So is it ok to suggest an existing capability as an improvement opportunity. In general, through the improvement question is the major focus of the company on understanding the thought process or novelty of the response. Thanks, Dilip
Thanks for asking this question! This happens much more often than what you think - Ideally, you will always suggest features that do not exist or variations of existing features. For example, you could argue that alexa, through a third party piece of hardware could make a non-smart coffee machine, smart (and be controlled by Alexa). My recommendation is to always stay away from existing solutions. SOMETIMES you may be in a case where you don't fully know the product, so you may not be aware of the product capabilities - if your interviewer knows you are new to the product, they may be more forgiving in the interview if you mention an existing solution/feature. In general, try to always go for new over existing features. Let me know if this helps!
@@PMDiegoGranados Thanks for the response One additional follow-up question. Would you recommend improvements which are more like product line extensions or new category introductions. For instance in the Alexa improvement question, I feel like capability to make a non-smart device smart will be like a new category introduction since it would require Alexa to become more than a digital voice assistant due to hardware requirements. A solution like capability to summarize relevant news articles/podcasts based on user's preference and amount of time user has (Eg: Summarize news in 5 minutes) might be more like a product line extension
What is your moonshot idea for Alexa? Leave a comment below!
I just ran across this "interview", and have no idea if the question is in fact "open" for continuing suggestions or if you were looking for just a short influx of ideas. I have two. First, I purchased Alexa to give me definitions of words that I come across when playing the EA Scrabble game on an old i-pad. I spell out the word and Alexa gives me the definition. Not always what I want, and that's my first recommendation. Allow the user to configure how questions get answered. First, Scrabble does not accept proper names, and Alexa always chooses the proper name first, which means I have to go to my dictionary. Example "Ruth". archaic: a feeling of pity, distress or grief. Alexa always refers to the biblical name. Also, some responses are need to be expanded, and it would be nice if I can say, Alexa, use the last word in a sentence. Or, Alexa, repeat that definition slowly. Outside of definitions, my sister and I would like to create lists for each other. Alexa, please add "xxxx" to the movie list for my sister Anya. Alexa, please add "yyyy" to the trip list for my son Matthew. which means I'd have to be able to create a user profile with database tags to certain people. Outside of definitions and lists, it would be nice if Alexa replies incoherently. There is no recourse. It would be nice to say "Alexa, you misunderstood the last request badly, please add the last transaction to the "to-be-reviewed-by-the-improvement-team" list (or something a little shorter). If you can't imagine when this would be used, feel free to repeat "Alexa, definition of c-o-o-l-y". It's never been fixed since I first ran across this response from Alexa over a year ago.
I dont why but i found this subject really harder than the others like "design an elevator", design a fridge etc.
Thank you for the video . good job
Very interactive session Diego. Great job! I would love Alexa to do the below things for me. 1) Remind my grandmother all day if she took her medicines on time. 2) Have an interactive story telling session with kids. Basically there should be a child mode which filters content for the kids. It should be able to ask the kids what kind of stories they want to hear.
Love that! Thank you for sharing these ideas!
I think mental health is a big area which Alexa can explore. Wfh has often resulted to a lot of negative emotions piling up in our minds, which often impact our work and productivity. Maybe Alexa can connect with the user's smartwatch- which in turn has an emotion sensing software built into it. So everytime the watch senses that the user is sad/ anxious/ frustrated, it can communicate the same to Alexa, which in turn can start playing cheerful and happy music (of course after the user allows it) to uplift his/ her mood
Below is the list of help I'll need from Alexa as a Working Mom - (1) Household chores when I'm in a back to a back meeting like switch on my instant pot, or help me in meal prep or share recipes that can be made in 20 min from the available items like pictures of items I have in my fridge. (2) When I'm in a meeting engage my toddlers so that I don't have to track their screen time and post screen time still engage the toddler (3) During meetings I'm not always able to concentrate, it will be helpful if Alexa can help me capture the important notes or like minutes of meeting so that I can refer back to it. (4)Lastly, can Alexa calculate calories by taking picture of my food :)
LOVE this ideas Mehnaz!
Let’s say we prioritize #2 and #4. How would you measure that they were successful?
@@PMDiegoGranados 2- Alexa as a babysitter- I can measure the success by the activities toddlers did via email or message at end of every 30 min or 1 hr. For example, if I'm in 1 hr meeting then Alexa is instructed to help toddlers in some exercise after 10 min of Tv or so some rhyming or coloring. Yes, safety is a concern and if Alexa has motion sensors to detect actually the toddler is within the vicinity or else inform me immediately by the same preferred messaging medium. Again, I assume toddlers are in an env with safety guidelines. Alexa can also use my voice and typical tone to interact with kids just to make them feel I'm there.
4- Alexa count my Calorie - I would measure this with my calorie intake and my fitness level. I can sync up my personal fitness tracker with the calorie I consumed. This will help me in calculating how much more energy I need to burn if there is a surplus.
Finally, another idea,5. Virtual school is still a far dream for many kids in third-world countries/remote villages. Since pandemic many schools are nonfunctional and kids are just stuck in the same grade for more than a year. If Alexa along with cellular providers and teachers help in outreach then at least kids can study 2 hrs daily. The measure will be how many schools are registered and are they able to function at least half in their capacity. I need more brainstorming time for this.
Love this! Thank you for these ideas! One last question for you... (although we could continue asking question after question because this is awesome 😆)... For #2 - do you have any concerns about how parents would feel about Alexa interacting that much with their kids, the security implication, data privacy... if so, any ideas on how to solve it?
I'm just pushing the limits here, this is already a great answer!
t@@PMDiegoGranados Thanks for such great questions-
#2: Yes, parent, I'll actually opt to control the contents and time of communication between a toddler and Alexa. Hence, there should be some user privileges and filter set which can be for any age group. For example, toddlers should be exposed to contents relevant to the age group like movie ratings. Now, there is another aspect which is language, like an English word can have various meanings good or bad in various languages. So there is also a need to filtering by putting a language setting. As far as data privacy is concerned, I will need to know what Alexa has recorded by checking the history before it's released to the data pool.
@@mehnazrahman9711 Love the answers! 🙌 Thank you so much for so many details! 😊
Thank you both! It was a tricky prompt and despite the interview proving to be a bit tricky, still having it uploaded to CZcams is hugely valuable for people like me who want to understand what works well and not so well in PM interviews. Super valuable information!
Some of my moonshot ideas to improve Alexa are- 1) Connect it with smart appliances like washing machine(and inform the owner when the washing is completed), smart cookers and food makers eg auto rice maker(and inform the owner when the food is prepared), so that they can perform other chores.
That relates to Internet of Things.
Your anticipation of the Ms Copilot feature from two years ago was spot on.
Thanks so much Diego! Specially for your notes and editing!
Thank you, Sophia!
Hey Diego, I came here from Linkedin and super informative content. Even during the clarifying questions section, it's a great way to flex what you know about the industry & what you've been reading up on!
Thank you so much for commenting!! 😊
Excellent tips..very well presented.my moonshot idea for Alexa is to start the ignition of my car when I’m ready to go to work in the morning.
That’s an interesting one, Sophia! If we were to implement it... how would you measure that it was successful?
Great discussion!
Thanks for bringing this. I am aspiring for product management role and your content is giving some awesome insights. Kudos :)
Best of luck! and thank you for watching!!
I think the best way to make a user experience better would be to have access to personality customization and more fluent conversations. Like iron man's Jarvis
In the whole interview, I see only two main words - coffee maker and calendar. 🙆 I would probably think about user pain points and who would pay money throughout the process
what if i have never used that product, alexa in this place, how do I go about it
Great question, Sonali! What you do in your cases is talk with your interviewer, something like this: “I have never used Alexa and know just a little bit about it. Let me share first my assumptions about the product, this is what I know about it:
- state your assumptions, whatever little or much you know about how it works, use cases, etc… (then continue…)
Is there anything I missed or anything else important that you think I should keep in mind about the product as I go through this case?”
There is no reason why you should know about all the products in the world, so it’s ok to share what you know and ask for more context. The important piece in the interview is that you know how to improve it, not that you are an expert in the product.
Let me know if this helps!
The issue here is that the candidate doesn't seem natural and seems to deviate from the overall goal at times and look more confused
Hi sir I'm currently doing my undergrad in business (bba). Do I need lots of experience before applying for product management programs at top companies like Microsoft google Facebook etc??
How many years and projects is a minimum requirement??
Hi Aaron! This video might help explain all the ways you can transition into Product Management: czcams.com/video/VGxBeibPZmQ/video.html
You'll come across the need to create side projects, here's an example (and you don't need code!): pmdiego.substack.com/p/-building-side-projects-without-code
I also share tips and answers to questions like this on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/diegogranadosh/
Hi Diego,
Thanks for the video. Really informative. However I had a question on the improvement suggestions for Alexa mentioned. The suggestion to have smart coffee machine or smart washing machine is something which Alexa already provides. So is it ok to suggest an existing capability as an improvement opportunity.
In general, through the improvement question is the major focus of the company on understanding the thought process or novelty of the response.
Thanks,
Dilip
Thanks for asking this question! This happens much more often than what you think - Ideally, you will always suggest features that do not exist or variations of existing features. For example, you could argue that alexa, through a third party piece of hardware could make a non-smart coffee machine, smart (and be controlled by Alexa).
My recommendation is to always stay away from existing solutions.
SOMETIMES you may be in a case where you don't fully know the product, so you may not be aware of the product capabilities - if your interviewer knows you are new to the product, they may be more forgiving in the interview if you mention an existing solution/feature. In general, try to always go for new over existing features. Let me know if this helps!
@@PMDiegoGranados Thanks for the response
One additional follow-up question. Would you recommend improvements which are more like product line extensions or new category introductions.
For instance in the Alexa improvement question, I feel like capability to make a non-smart device smart will be like a new category introduction since it would require Alexa to become more than a digital voice assistant due to hardware requirements.
A solution like capability to summarize relevant news articles/podcasts based on user's preference and amount of time user has (Eg: Summarize news in 5 minutes) might be more like a product line extension
oh nooooooooo. Don't get Alexa in the meetings. The employer would probably hire Alexa then
@Bhavna I promise not to send this video to the Alexa team 😜