Product design question
Design a Multi factor authentication app for the visually challenged.
- Microsoft
- Product design
- Hard
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What this question tests
Tests inclusive design thinking: designing a security-critical flow for users who can't rely on visual cues, without weakening security.
How to approach it
- Clarify accessibility needs: screen-reader compatibility, no reliance on visual-only codes (like a QR scan or a visual approve/deny screen), and voice or haptic feedback.
- Choose authentication factors that work non-visually: voice-based OTP read aloud, or a physical security key with tactile confirmation (a distinct button press), instead of a visual push notification.
- Design the flow to be fully screen-reader navigable, following WCAG standards, with clear audio cues at every step (code sent, code entered, success/failure).
- Add a fallback for time pressure: since visually impaired users may need more time to complete audio-based steps, extend the code expiry window sensibly without weakening security.
- Define success: successful authentication completion rate for visually impaired users compared to the general population, aiming to close that gap.
What a strong answer includes
- Picks concrete accessible authentication factors (voice OTP, tactile security key) instead of a vague 'make it accessible' statement.
- Explicitly follows accessibility standards (WCAG, screen-reader compatibility) rather than assuming a bigger font solves the problem.
- Balances the extended time window against security, showing awareness that accessibility fixes shouldn't silently weaken the security model.
- Picks a completion-rate-gap metric that directly measures whether the accessibility goal was achieved, not just usage volume.
Common mistakes
- Designing a visual-first flow with accessibility as an afterthought overlay, like just adding alt text.
- Weakening security meaningfully to accommodate accessibility instead of finding accessible-but-equally-secure alternatives.
Likely follow-up questions
- How would you test this with actual visually impaired users before launch?
- How would you handle a scenario where voice-based OTP isn't private, like in a shared or public space?
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Learn the skill behind it
Chapters of the AI PM course that teach what this question tests.
- Chapter 4: Discovery and strategy for AI products
- Chapter 7: AI UX and human oversight: design for a system that is wrong sometimes
- Chapter 14: Get the job: the AI PM interview loop