Google Product Manager Data Interview: Define TikTok Success

Welcome back to another Exponent product management mock interview! Host Kevin Wei is joined by David Kosnick, a product manager at Coda. David shares his expertise in metrics and execution questions, which are vital in understanding how to define success in a product. In this session, David tackles the challenge: "How would you define success for TikTok?"

Introduction to David Kosnick

David is currently a product manager at Coda, an all-in-one document platform that includes tables and data integration. Before Coda, David started a company in the gaming space and worked as a product manager at Google on YouTube.

The Interview Task: Defining Success for TikTok

Kevin presents David with a question: How should TikTok measure success? David begins by sharing his screen, using a Coda document to outline his thoughts.

Overview of TikTok

David checks TikTok’s site to understand its current success metrics and emphasizes the mission: "to inspire creativity and bring joy." He highlights that this mission should connect with core metrics and introduce the concept of a "north star metric," which is a primary metric that all company initiatives should drive towards.

Exploring Metric Options

David creates a table in Coda to list various metrics, their descriptions, comparables from similar companies, and potential risks. Here are some metrics he considers:

Actions: Includes likes, shares, follows, and remixes. This metric measures explicit actions showing engagement.
Net Promoter Score (NPS): A qualitative metric that indicates how likely users are to recommend TikTok to others. While valuable, it's challenging to scale and use as a primary metric.
Time Spent: Measures how long users watch videos, with comparables like YouTube and TV. However, this raises concerns about session quality.
Daily Active Users (DAUs): Indicates how often users engage with the app each day.
Sessions per Day: Tracks how many unique times users open the app each day, similar to Twitter's freshness-focused model.

User Types

Kevin prompts David to consider TikTok's different users, including their demographics and usage patterns. David differentiates between viewers, creators, and advertisers, noting their unique needs and how they intersect. He emphasizes that while viewers and creators are crucial, advertisers are typically considered a lagging indicator.

Prioritizing the North Star Metric

David narrows the focus to two extreme metrics: Time Spent and Sessions per Day. He leans towards Sessions per Day, aligning with TikTok's mobile-first and short-form content focus.

Real-World Consideration: Data Insights

Kevin poses a hypothetical scenario where data shows users are spending several hours a day on TikTok. David contemplates whether this shifts the priority away from Sessions per Day, suggesting it's crucial to analyze if longer time spent drives more frequent sessions.

Final Thoughts

David ultimately selects Sessions per Day as the North Star Metric but acknowledges the value of balancing it with time spent to ensure high-quality, engaging content. He touches on advertiser metrics and revenue, highlighting their importance but categorizing them as secondary.

Self-Reflection and Host Feedback

David reflects on his performance, noting the thorough exploration of options but identifying areas for improvement, such as time management and early user type identification. Kevin commends David’s structured approach, engagement, and comprehensive analysis, while advising a stronger focus on multi-sided marketplace users.

Keywords

Product Management
TikTok
Success Metrics
North Star Metric
Daily Active Users (DAUs)
Time Spent
Sessions per Day
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
User Types
Data Analysis

FAQ

Q: What is a "north star" metric?

A: A north star metric is the primary metric that a company focuses on to drive all its initiatives. It directly reflects the company's mission and ensures alignment across different teams.

Q: Why might "time spent" not be the best metric for TikTok?

A: While "time spent" indicates engagement, it may not reflect the session quality. Users could spend a long time on low-quality content, which doesn't align with TikTok’s goal to inspire creativity and bring joy.

Q: How important are advertisers in defining TikTok's success metrics?

A: Advertisers are a critical part of TikTok's ecosystem but are usually considered a lagging indicator. The primary focus should be on viewer and creator engagement, which naturally drives advertiser interest and revenue.

Q: How does Sessions per Day metric align with TikTok's strengths?

A: Sessions per Day leverages TikTok’s mobile-first approach and short-form content, encouraging frequent app visits and aligning with typical user behavior patterns.

Q: How do you balance qualitative and quantitative metrics like Net Promoter Score and Daily Active Users?

A: Qualitative metrics like NPS provide insights into user sentiment but are hard to scale. They should complement quantitative metrics like DAUs, offering a fuller picture of user experience and engagement.

By restructuring the interview script this way, we ensure clarity, accessibility, and emphasis on key concepts, making it easier for readers to grasp and apply these insights in their own contexts.