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The users of a mobile app complain that the app is slow. As a product manager, what will you do about it?

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I will first ask 3 clarifying questions:

  1. Validity - Have we verified that the complaint is correct? Is this an internet issue? (Assume that the complaint is valid)
  2. Timeline- Since when have the users started observing the slowness? (Assume: last night)
  3. Feature - Is this happening across the app? Or a specific feature? (Assume: this is happening for search)
Now I will divide my analysis into Internal and External Factors:
 
Internal Factors:
  1. Have we pushed any recent releases around the search feature? (UI/backend)
  2. Have we pushed a bug fix that may have impacted the search functionality?
  3. I will look at other dashboards too to make sure that we aren't seeing metrics dropping elsewhere.
  4. Was there A/B testing or Load testing going on around that time?
 
External factors:
  1. Is this happening for mobile users only? Or desktop users as well?
  2. Is this an internet provider-specific issue?
  3. Is this a region-specific issue?
    1. Has there been a change in regulation/telecom rules in that area?
  4. Is this device-specific?
    1. Has there been a firmware/ OS update to the device that may have affected this?
  5. Has there been any update to a 3rd party software we were using?
    1. Verify by looking at their status sites/news/checking directly with them
  6. Is this a seasonal pattern?
    1. Maybe the number of searches increases drastically during the holiday season
 
What will I do?
  1. In case this was caused by a release, I will check if we can forward fix or rollback. This will depend on multiple factors like backward compatibility of the code, client commitments, etc.
  2. If this was caused by a third-party release, be in constant communication with them to see when this can be resolved. If they cannot resolve it asap, then see if there is a workaround at our end. Maybe redirect users to a different server?
  3. As soon as I get information, I will get the status site/Twitter handle updated (if any) and let customers know that we are aware of the issue and are looking into it.
  4. If we are still unable to locate the root cause, have a developer look into the logs and troubleshoot all the issues.
  5. Create a dashboard moving forward, where mobile app/site slowness is seen earlier. And we don't have to wait for a client to report it to us.
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Get access to 2,346 pm interview questions and answers to give yourself a strong edge against other candidates that are interviewing for the same position
Get access to over 238 hours of video material containing an interview prep course, recorded mock interviews by expert PMs, group practice sessions, and QAs with expert PMs
Boost your confidence in PM interviews by attending peer to peer mock interview practices, group practices, and QA sessions with expert PMs