Project Reflection
As an aspiring product manager, I regularly come across practice interview questions and cases similar to the one we have been given with SnapEdit: a problem a company (often in a niche area) is facing, some metrics, and the need to come up with an innovative solution. I often wonder what an optimal solution for such problems would look like, and the process to follow to get there. Working on the pitch presentation gave me an opportunity to practice this skill while also learning about my teammates’ creative approaches to problem-solving.
Through the project, I gained experience in distilling various forms of information—user interview insights, market research, and quantitative data—into actionable recommendations. For instance, when working on the problem statement, I learned to start by understanding the user: who are we building for, what are their needs, and what are their pain points. Then, I used this to understand the gap between what SnapEdit is currently offering and what it needs to do to address those needs, while considering competitors’ solutions. To validate and refine this problem statement, I then leveraged data from the case. This taught me to go through a wide array of data and select the ones that would most effectively support my idea, adding credibility and validation.
Another core insight I gained from working on this project was how to align user experience with business objectives. Specifically, SnapEdit is focused on customer acquisition and retention, as it helps it become and stay competitive in its market and generate revenue. To achieve this, it needs to make a series of strategic decisions about who it serves and how. I saw this in practice while doing market and competitor research to finalize our proposed business model. Specifically, many companies offer some version of a freemium model, as it allows them to capture a broad target market while maximizing the value added by each customer. Different types of users have different price sensitivities and willingness to pay. Offering some free services to users helps lower adoption costs for those exploring the platform, increasing their chance of staying long-term. Meanwhile, different prices for varying use cases allows for catering to casual vs. power users, and the enterprise plan offers an additional source of recurring revenue on a larger scale. Overall, this experience taught me the differentiated nature of user experience even within a given target market, and the need to balance these priorities when working on any product.
Finally, this project helped me gain experience in developing solutions focused on generating real value for users. When considering the value proposition for each of our proposed features, I drew upon knowledge from user interviews, the case, and problem statement. This helped me understand the distinct frictions in the user experience and how our solutions address them. For instance, context switching, lack of consistency, too much effort spent on manual tasks are core challenges content creators often face. The key is to understand how we can solve these pain points in ways that reduce friction significantly more effectively than competitors.
Working on this project has made me much more confident in my ability to solve product problems in a structured, data-driven manner. Through both working on distinct aspects of the problem/solution and seeing how my teammates go about solving the problems, I learned a lot about balancing innovation, information, and research.
