A consumer talks about how a product has made life better. It might even serve as compelling social proof.

A product builder appreciates the experience’s pixels, zooms out to see the bigger picture, and imagines how it can evolve.

Rather than jumping right to the answer, let us unpack the original question into sub-questions. Here’s a guiding framework:

Problem:

• What is it? Be clear and crisp. 
• Why is it important? Show it’s worth caring about. 
• What is the unique insight? Describe why the product is a heavy hitter today and why it will continue to be relevant.

Customer:

• Who is the target customer? They experience the problem most acutely. 
• Who is the expanded customer? Show there’s a market beyond early adopters. 

Hooks:

• How does it attract new customers? This fuels growth. 
• How does it retain existing customers? This sustains growth. 

This might seem like overkill. You don’t need to go down each branch, but it shows you the breadth and depth of possibilities when evaluating any product.

The most common mistake made in interviews and real-life is diving headfirst into an answer without fully exploring all the paths that can be taken. It’s useful to unpack a question with sub-questions to set up a more nuanced response.

Most of us approach problems like a test. You try to get to the perfect answer as quickly as possible. It’s easy to forget that the best explorations are a dialogue, not a monologue.