Strategy question
How would you build a website from 0 to 1?
- Microsoft
- Strategy
- Easy
Practice this question out loud. An AI interviewer asks it, follows up like a real interviewer would, and scores your answer. Type or speak.
Start a mock interview on this question · Mock interview from a job description
What this question tests
Tests structured product-building process from zero, covering discovery, MVP scoping, launch and iteration, rather than jumping straight into feature building.
How to approach it
- Clarify the goal and audience for the website: a marketing site, an e-commerce store, or a content platform, since the process details differ.
- Start with problem validation: talk to a handful of target users to confirm the core need before writing any code, avoiding building on assumption alone.
- Define the MVP scope: the single core action the site must support (like completing a purchase or submitting a lead form), cutting everything else for version one.
- Sequence build and launch: ship a narrow, functional version quickly to a small audience rather than polishing broadly before any real traffic.
- Instrument analytics before launch, not after, so you can see actual user behavior from day one instead of guessing post hoc.
- Define the first iteration loop: a specific metric (like conversion rate or bounce rate) you'll review after a set period to decide what to build next.
What a strong answer includes
- Starts with user validation before any building, avoiding wasted effort on unvalidated assumptions.
- Defines a narrow, single-purpose MVP instead of a broad feature list for version one.
- Emphasizes instrumenting analytics before launch, a commonly overlooked step that determines whether iteration is even possible.
- Names a concrete first metric to review post-launch, showing the process doesn't stop at ship.
Common mistakes
- Jumping straight into design and build without any user validation step.
- Defining an MVP that's actually a full-featured product, delaying launch unnecessarily.
- Not mentioning analytics or a plan to learn from real usage after launch.
Likely follow-up questions
- How would you validate demand before building anything?
- What's the one metric you'd watch in week one?
- How would you decide what to build next after launch?
More strategy questions
- You're the PM for WhatsApp and you have $1B to invest. What would you do?Microsoft · Strategy · Hard
- What will be the strategy to launch a product that already captured around 70-80% of the students market? The catch is "As the students are graduating, new students are also coming in." Take an online furniture rental company for reference.Microsoft · Strategy · Hard
- What should Microsoft Teams' product strategy be for the next 3 years?Microsoft · Strategy · Hard
- What will be your release strategy for Facebook Reactions? How will you monitor the release?Microsoft · Strategy · Hard
- Evaluate the upsides and downsides of building a super app — an app having all major B2C features including entertainment, e-commerce, food ordering, hotel booking, cab booking, chat, holiday planning, gaming, med ordering, service booking, etc.Google · Strategy · Hard
- Evolve a GTM strategy to acquire 1 million new users for Bing on Android.Microsoft · Strategy · Hard
More questions from Microsoft
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 9: Prove it paid off: outcomes, economics, and pricing
- Chapter 14: Get the job: the AI PM interview loop