Product design question

How would you improve BBM Messenger?

Practice this question out loud. An AI interviewer asks it, follows up like a real interviewer would, and scores your answer. Type or speak.

What this question tests

Tests product improvement thinking for a legacy messaging product with a shrinking but loyal user base.

Identify BBM's remaining core user base, likely loyal long time users valuing security and read receipts, distinct from mainstream messaging users.
Acknowledge the competitive reality: BBM lost broad relevance to WhatsApp and iMessage, so improvements must target retention, not mass growth.
Propose a targeted improvement, such as strengthening the security and privacy features that differentiate BBM for its remaining loyal base.
Address cross platform reliability, ensuring consistent performance since a shrinking user base cannot tolerate friction driving further churn.
Define success: retention rate of the existing loyal user base rather than new user acquisition.
State the assumption that the goal is defending the remaining niche rather than competing broadly again.

Frames the goal realistically as retention of a loyal niche rather than a broad relevance comeback, given BBM's much smaller current user base.
Proposes strengthening a genuine differentiator, strong encryption and read receipt controls, that the remaining loyal base specifically values over mainstream alternatives.
Addresses reliability and cross platform consistency, since any friction risks pushing the shrinking, loyal base to switch entirely.
Sets a measurable goal, for example a stated improvement in monthly retention among the existing user base rather than a growth target.

Proposing broad growth tactics that ignore BBM's realistic position as a shrinking, niche product rather than a mainstream contender.
Ignoring what specifically differentiates BBM's remaining loyal users from those who already switched to WhatsApp or iMessage.

What would make a remaining loyal BBM user finally switch away?
Would you invest in new features or focus purely on reliability and security for the existing base?