Microsoft·Product Manager·Onsite - Product Sense / Strategy·Intermediate

Intermediate

May 2026

Summary

PM interview at Microsoft with a product sense question that sounds casual but actually has some teeth to it.

Questions Asked (1)

What is your favorite Microsoft product, what do you dislike about it, and how would you improve it?

Product Sense & IdeationProduct Strategy

Author's notes

Picked Teams because I use it every day and figured I'd have plenty to say.

Create a free account to read the full note

AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

Choose a Microsoft product you know deeply and that aligns with the role's focus, then structure your answer as a mini product review: highlight what you love, identify a specific pain point, and propose a feasible improvement. Show product sense by tying your critique to user needs and business impact, and demonstrate strategic thinking by considering trade-offs and prioritization.

Pro tip: Pick a product that is relevant to the team or mission you're interviewing for, and frame your improvement as a hypothesis with a clear success metric—this shows you think like a PM, not just a critic.

1. Select the right product

Choose a Microsoft product you use regularly and that connects to the role or team. Avoid overly niche or controversial products unless you can speak about them with authority.

2. Articulate what you love

Briefly explain why it's your favorite, focusing on user value, unique strengths, or strategic importance. Keep it concise—this is context, not the main event.

3. Identify a specific dislike

Critique one concrete aspect, not a vague complaint. Ground it in a real user pain point or unmet need, and explain the impact on users or the business.

4. Propose a feasible improvement

Suggest a solution that addresses the dislike, considering technical feasibility, user desirability, and business viability. Outline how you would prioritize and measure success.

5. Summarize and tie back to PM skills

Wrap up by reiterating the value of your improvement and how it reflects core PM skills like user empathy, strategic thinking, and execution.

Key Points to Mention

User empathy: how the product solves a real problem and where it falls short for specific user segments
Business impact: how your improvement could drive engagement, retention, or revenue
Prioritization: why this improvement matters more than other potential features
Trade-offs: what you might sacrifice (e.g., complexity, cost) and how you'd mitigate
Success metrics: how you would measure the improvement's effectiveness (e.g., DAU, NPS, task completion rate)
Competitive landscape: how the improvement would differentiate the product from competitors

AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.