Interviewers often ask about your favorite product to evaluate your product intuition, critical thinking, and ability to speak strategically about design and business decisions. This is a chance to show not only what you admire—but how you think like a product manager.

By the end of this unit, you’ll know how to choose a product that reflects your interests and aligns with the company, critique it thoughtfully, and suggest improvements that demonstrate creativity and product sense.

Start by selecting a product you genuinely use and admire—ideally one that aligns with the company’s mission or values. A good choice might be:

• A product with a large user base or market impact
• One that introduced a novel or well-executed feature
• Something that connects to the company’s domain or approach to innovation

Make sure you can speak confidently about what makes the product successful and why it resonates with you.

• Victoria: So, which product are you thinking of discussing in your interview?
• Chris: I’m considering the fitness app FitTrack. It boosted user engagement by 40% through gamification.
• Victoria: That sounds promising. How does it tie into NovaTech’s values?
• Chris: FitTrack’s approach to behavioral design mirrors NovaTech’s focus on user-centered innovation. And its strong growth reflects clear market fit.

Choose something you're excited about—and be ready to connect it back to the company you're interviewing with.

After you share your favorite product, a very common follow-up question is:
"What would you change about it?" Interviewers ask this to see if you can think critically—even about products you admire. They want to know you can recognize trade-offs, spot opportunities, and assess a product from multiple angles.

Offer a balanced critique. Start by highlighting what the product does well, then point out one or two areas where it could be stronger.

Be specific:

• Reference a feature that drives value or engagement
• Mention usability or business model issues, ideally supported by data or patterns in user feedback
• Frame your critique through the lens of user needs and product goals

Example:
"The app’s clean onboarding flow is a strength—it gets users to their first workout quickly. That said, the subscription options could be more flexible; the all-or-nothing model may be contributing to churn."

This shows you’re not just a fan—you’re evaluating the product like a PM.

Interviewers often follow up by asking how you’d improve the product. This is where you demonstrate creativity, prioritization, and strategic thinking.

Good suggestions are:

• Rooted in real user needs or feedback
• Aligned with business goals (e.g., retention, monetization, differentiation)
• Feasible given the product’s context

Example:
"Introducing a lightweight loyalty program—like badges or rewards for daily use—could increase engagement by 30% and build habits without adding friction."

Avoid suggesting sweeping overhauls unless you can justify the impact. Focus on meaningful, practical changes that show you understand the product’s strategy and constraints.

You’ve made it to the final round at NovaTech! After acing your Product Execution interviews, you’re meeting members of the executive team for a mix of casual conversations and light product questions. First up: the Director of Product, who’s known for asking about a candidate’s favorite product. In this role-play, you’ll practice discussing what your favorite product does well, where it falls short, and how you’d improve it—an excellent chance to showcase your PM thinking.