Product Case Questions

Should Harbor Coffee add a subscription? There's no code, no data, and just a whiteboard. Companies use these questions to see how you think. And there's a method that works nearly every time.

• Should we add a subscription?
• No code, no data
• A method that works

A framework for any case

Start by clarifying the goal. Then define success, with a main metric and a guardrail. List the ways that it could help or harm. Work out a rough size, with simple numbers. Propose a test. And finish with a recommendation. Speak out loud the whole time, because they're scoring your reasoning, not your answer.

1. Clarifywhat's the goal?
2. Metricsuccess and guardrail
3. Trade-offshelp or harm
4. Size itrough numbers
5. Test and decidea clear call

The subscription example

Here's that answer. The goal is more repeat visits, and more steady income. The main metric is monthly profit per customer, and the guardrail is the wait time in the queue. It might help, as regulars buy food too. It might hurt, as your heaviest drinkers get cheap coffee. So test it in two cities, against two similar cities, for eight weeks. Then decide.

Summary