What goals and metrics would you set for Zoom?

Summary

The article outlines a structured approach to defining goals and metrics for a product, using Zoom as a case study. It emphasizes starting with a clear understanding of the product's core value, enabling remote collaboration, and then assessing its current business context, particularly Zoom’s shift from pandemic-driven growth to a post-pandemic strategy focused on sustaining market leadership.

The candidate proposes targeting new verticals, specifically launching a tailored version of Zoom for UX research, to unlock fresh revenue streams and differentiate the product. The framework includes setting a strategic business goal ("maintain #1 market share by driving growth"), aligning product goals with user outcomes, and establishing a clear set of metrics, highlighting a North Star metric based on user engagement, alongside health metrics for growth, engagement, retention, and revenue. The approach shows how thoughtful goal-setting and measurement can guide both innovation and execution.

Interviewer Evaluation

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

• Do you understand the core problem the product addresses, and why it’s important to solve?
• Have you defined one or more key user outcomes or goals?
• Is your communication structured and easy to understand?
• Have you clearly identified user behaviors to track and established metrics for success?

Framework

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

Product

Begin by clearly describing the product, including the problem it solves and its overall purpose. This sets the foundation for a shared understanding between you and the interviewer. Articulating the product’s core function and value ensures you’re aligned on its intent and scope before moving on to business analysis or goal setting.

Business Goal

Evaluate the product's current performance from a business perspective. Evaluate whether the product is in a growth phase, has plateaued, or is mature. Compare its performance against competitors to identify potential gaps or areas for improvement. If available, consider the existing product strategy; has it been effective? Then, analyze broader market and user trends to uncover opportunities for business growth. Based on your insights, define a business goal that is timely and strategically positioned to drive growth.

Product Goals for Next Business Cycle

Translate the business goal into concrete product-level goals for the next business cycle. These goals should focus on unmet user needs or outcomes that, if addressed, would meaningfully contribute to achieving the business objective. Your aim is to identify high-impact product opportunities that align tightly with the broader business strategy and create measurable value for users.

Metrics

Establish a framework for measuring success by differentiating between goal metrics and health metrics. Goal metrics track progress toward the business and product goals, including the North Star Metric, an overarching measure of the product’s core value to users. Health metrics, on the other hand, assess the overall well-being of the product in terms of growth, engagement, and retention. To define health metrics: (1) identify key user segments, (2) map critical behaviors or actions within the user journey, (3) assign relevant metrics to those behaviors, and (4) prioritize the metrics that offer the most actionable insight.