How to Answer Product A/B Testing Questions? – My PM Interview

Why are A/B Testing Questions asked?

A/B Testing Questions are a crucial component of Product Management Interviews, as they help to assess the candidate’s understanding of the A/B testing process, their ability to design and execute effective experiments, and their data-driven decision-making skills. These questions play a critical role in determining if the candidate is a good fit for the product management role and the company culture.

A/B Testing questions are designed to evaluate the candidate’s ability to develop hypotheses and test them efficiently using meaningful success criteria. The interviewer is interested in evaluating the candidate’s problem-solving skills, creativity, and analytical skills. The interviewer wants to know if the candidate is capable of designing and executing experiments that will help optimize the product and improve the overall user experience.

The evaluation of metrics is an essential part of A/B Testing questions. The interviewer wants to assess the candidate’s understanding of the importance of metrics in measuring the impact of a change. The right metrics are critical to making informed decisions about whether or not to implement the change across all users. If the candidate does not have a strong understanding of metrics, they will not be able to properly evaluate the impact of their changes and make data-driven decisions.

How to Answer a Product A/B Testing question?

Answering Product A/B Testing interview questions can be challenging, but with the right approach, you can showcase your skills and knowledge effectively. Here is a comprehensive framework that you can follow to answer product A/B testing interview questions:

1. Describe the Product (P): Start by giving a brief overview of the product. This will help to set the context for the interviewer and give them a clear understanding of the product you are discussing.

2. Choose an Objective (O): Next, identify the objective of the A/B testing experiment. This could be to increase engagement, reduce churn, or improve user experience, among others.

3. Brainstorm Ideas (I): Now, it’s time to brainstorm ideas that can help you achieve the objective you have identified. This is a critical step as it requires you to think creatively and come up with ideas that can make a real impact.

4. Describe the Hypothesis (H): Once you have a list of ideas, it’s time to form a hypothesis. A hypothesis is a statement that describes the relationship between two variables. It should be specific, testable, and have a clear direction.

5. Describe the Experiment (E): Now that you have a clear hypothesis, you need to describe the experiment you will run to test it. This includes the groups you will use, the sample size, and the length of the experiment.

6. Choose Criteria of Success (S): Next, identify the criteria you will use to determine if the experiment was successful. This could be a specific increase in engagement, a reduction in churn, or a specific increase in user satisfaction.

7. Describe the Trade-Off (T): When conducting A/B testing, there are often trade-offs to consider. Identifying these trade-offs is important because it will help you make an informed decision about whether to implement the change or not.

8. Prioritize the AB tests (P): Finally, prioritize the AB tests based on their impact and feasibility. This will help you determine which tests to conduct first and which tests to defer until later.

By following this framework, you can ensure that you answer Product A/B Testing interview questions effectively, demonstrating your understanding of the A/B testing process and your ability to design and execute effective experiments.

Now, let’s go through each of the above points and understand them in detail with an example,

1. Describe the Product

When answering an A/B testing question, the first step is to provide an overview of the product that you will be working with. This should include a description of what the product does, how it works, and the user journey that is relevant to the question.

For example, let’s consider a question about increasing bookings among first-time users on Airbnb. The first step in answering this question would be to provide a brief overview of the Airbnb booking process and discuss some of the things that go through the mind of a first-time Airbnb user. You could mention concerns that first-time users may have about the host, such as safety and cleanliness, and how these may impact their decision to book.

By providing a detailed and relevant overview of the product and user journey, you are setting the stage for the rest of the answer and demonstrating your understanding of the problem at hand. This is an important step in showcasing your ability to design and execute effective A/B tests.

2. Choose an Objective

Choosing an objective is an important step when answering product A/B testing interview questions. It helps to give you a clear direction for your brainstorming and AB testing efforts.

When choosing an objective, it’s essential to consider the product and your observations about the product. Based on this information, you should determine what you think should be the focus of your tests. This objective will guide your brainstorming and AB test efforts and ensure that you are making the most impactful changes.

Your objective doesn’t need to be a big strategic objective, it can be tactical and small. However, it’s important to explain the thought behind it so that the interviewer can understand the reasoning behind your choice.

For example, in an Airbnb scenario, the objective could be to address the fear of unknown experiences among first-time Airbnb users. By focusing on this objective, you can brainstorm and test ideas that will help to mitigate the fear and anxiety that first-time users may experience.

3. Brainstorm Ideas

The Brainstorming Ideas stage of A/B testing is a critical step in the process as it sets the foundation for the entire experiment. The goal of this stage is to generate ideas that can have a positive impact on one specific metric without negatively affecting the rest of the business.

It is important to note that when answering AB testing interview questions, you should not aim to come up with big, ambitious ideas that may be resource-intensive to implement. Instead, focus on small, incremental changes that can have a positive impact on one specific metric, such as conversion rate.

When brainstorming ideas, it is important to consider the following components for each idea:

1. Hypothesis: A clear statement that describes the relationship between two variables. The hypothesis should be specific, testable, and have a clear direction.

2. Metrics: The metrics that will be used to measure the success of the change in achieving the objective. This could be conversion rate, engagement rate, or any other relevant metric.

3. Potential Impact: An estimate of the potential impact the change will have on the metric being measured. This will help to prioritize the ideas and determine which ones should be tested first.

4. Trade-Offs: An evaluation of the trade-offs that need to be considered when implementing the change. This includes potential negative impacts on other areas of the business.

By considering these components for each idea, you can effectively evaluate the potential impact of each change and make an informed decision about which ones to test first.

Let’s go over each step of an AB test idea:

3.1 Describe the hypothesis