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DoorDash·Product Manager·Onsite - Product Sense / Strategy·Senior

Senior
May 2026

Summary

DoorDash PM interview with a product sense question about OpenTable's booking experience. Pretty open-ended, no right answer, but you can definitely go in circles if you don't anchor on a specific user pain point early.

Questions Asked (1)

Q1

You're a PM at OpenTable. What is the biggest issue with their booking experience, and how would you fix it?

Product Sense & IdeationProduct StrategyRoadmap Prioritization
Author's notes

I went broad first, which was a mistake.

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AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

Start by framing the problem around a specific user segment and their journey, then identify a critical pain point that aligns with OpenTable's business goals. Propose a solution that leverages OpenTable's strengths and is feasible, and outline how you would measure success.

Pro tip: Show empathy for both diners and restaurants—acknowledge that fixes must work for both sides of the marketplace. Also, tie your solution to a metric that matters to OpenTable, like booking completion rate or repeat bookings.

1. Clarify the goal and scope

Ask clarifying questions to understand the interviewer's expectations, such as whether to focus on a specific user segment or platform. Restate the goal: identify the biggest issue in the booking experience and propose a fix.

2. Choose a user segment and map the journey

Select a key segment (e.g., last-minute diners, large parties) and outline their booking journey from search to confirmation. This helps pinpoint where the biggest friction lies.

3. Identify and prioritize the biggest issue

Based on the journey, identify 2-3 pain points, then prioritize one as the 'biggest' using criteria like frequency, severity, and business impact. Justify your choice.

4. Propose a solution and explain how it works

Describe your solution in detail, focusing on how it addresses the root cause and improves the user experience. Consider feasibility, resources, and potential risks.

5. Define success metrics and next steps

Outline how you would measure the impact of your solution (e.g., conversion rate, booking time) and suggest a rollout plan or further validation.

Key Points to Mention

  • User segmentation and empathy for both diners and restaurants
  • Data-driven prioritization (e.g., impact vs. effort, RICE)
  • Specific pain points like no availability, complex cancellation, or lack of real-time updates
  • Solution feasibility and alignment with OpenTable's business model
  • Success metrics such as booking completion rate, time to book, or restaurant utilization
  • Competitive landscape and differentiation (e.g., Resy, Yelp)

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