You are a PM at Netflix. Design a product for kids.

Summary

The piece shows a PM framework for a Netflix product for kids, then applies it in a mock interview. It argues Netflix should target tweens (9–12) to retain families now and seed future subscribers while countering YouTube. Core needs—instant fun, creator/character bonds, light participation, freshness, easy picks, and on-the-go use—are grouped into Everyday, Support/Amplify, and Situational. Three solutions follow (QuickBurst reels, Creator Clubs, and QuestLink watch→play quests), prioritized QuickBurst → Clubs → QuestLink, with sameness mitigated by rotating themes, “new-to-this-kid” mixes, and short sessions.

Interviewer Evaluation

The interviewer will evaluate your answer based on the following criteria.

• Motivation: Do you understand the company’s motivation behind making the product?
• Audience: Do you identify user segments to target and explain your reasoning?
• Pain Points: Do you identify and prioritize the most important user problems to solve?
• Solutions: Are you creative in your solutions and detail the features you will build?
• Communication: Are you structured, clear, and succinct in your delivery? Can you adapt to new information and constraints? Do you handle feedback well?

Framework

The following is a proven framework to tackle this question type.

Clarify

Begin by asking clarifying questions to ensure you fully understand the problem. State any assumptions you will make (e.g., launch market, platform, constraints) and confirm them before proceeding.

Motivation/Exploration

Explore the problem space to identify the reasons for developing a new product. Consider any relevant factors from this list: user behavior trends, market drivers, the competitive landscape, macroeconomic signals, and broader industry trends. Use this analysis to define and narrow the specific problem space where you aim to compete.

High-Level Goal

Based on your previous analysis and the narrowed problem area, state a high-level product goal. Use this goal as a guiding criterion for decisions about customer segments and pain points.

Explain Your Design Process

Share with the interviewer your next design steps—for example: identify the target audience, surface pain points, ideate a few solutions, and provide a final recommendation. Keep this quick (a few seconds) to align the interviewer with your narrative.

Users

Identify all major stakeholder groups that will be affected by the solution (e.g., individuals, businesses, organizations). Then, select the group that is most aligned with the high-level goal.

Within that group, segment users by criteria that reveal meaningful differences in needs relative to the problem space (e.g., age, motivation, urgency of need, or other relevant factors).

Finally, prioritize the segment most likely to adopt the product and generate significant revenue.

Pain Points

Identify pain points that align with the high-level goal. A common method is to map the user's journey or create scenarios (e.g., when, where, what, and why the user experiences a problem) to uncover friction points.

When prioritizing pain points, consider the severity of the problem, the number of users it affects, and its frequency of occurrence. Group related pain points into buckets to clarify themes. After prioritization, frame the selected pain point (or bucket) as a product goal so it’s clear what the product must achieve before discussing solutions. For example, if a pain point is that children want more fun short videos, the product goal becomes “provide children with shorter, more entertaining videos.” Reframing as a product goal makes the intent of your solutions explicit.

Solutions

Present your solutions by first listing and naming three distinct options. For each solution, describe the form factor (e.g., app, platform, hardware), what it does, how it integrates with the ecosystem (if applicable), and how it addresses the pain point. Then evaluate the options and select the best one based on user impact and implementation effort.

Risks

Mention risks associated with your solution (e.g., data privacy, safety, regulatory, etc.) and how you will mitigate them.

Summary

Summarize the key takeaways: the opportunity, target user/segment, prioritized pain point reframed as a goal, and your recommended solution.