Product design question
Pick a plausible new capability for Linear and walk through how you would take it from discovery to launch. How would you structure user research and product data analysis, turn the findings into a clear problem statement, align engineering and design on what to build, and decide whether the solution is ready to ship?
- Linear
- Product design
- Hard
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What this question tests
Tests running a full product development cycle for a self-chosen capability, from research and problem framing through alignment and launch readiness.
How to approach it
- Pick one plausible new capability for Linear and state it concretely, such as a cross-team dependency view for multi-team initiatives.
- Structure user research combining qualitative interviews with power users and usage data on where current workflows break down.
- Turn the findings into a specific, falsifiable problem statement, not a feature wishlist.
- Align engineering and design around a scoped solution using a shared spec or prototype review, surfacing tradeoffs explicitly.
- Define a concrete readiness bar for shipping, such as a successful internal dogfood period plus a defined performance threshold.
What a strong answer includes
- Picks a specific, plausible capability rather than a vague AI feature or better reporting.
- Grounds the problem statement in both usage data and interviews, not interviews alone.
- Shows a concrete alignment mechanism with engineering and design, like a written spec reviewed together, not just verbal buy-in.
- Defines an explicit, measurable launch-readiness bar rather than a subjective feels done.
Common mistakes
- Jumping straight to a solution without a validated problem statement grounded in evidence.
- Treating alignment with engineering and design as a formality instead of a real negotiation over scope.
Likely follow-up questions
- What data would convince you this problem is real before committing engineering time?
- How would you decide the feature is ready to ship versus needing another iteration?
More product design questions
- Linear wants to add one AI-assisted workflow next for product and engineering teams. Which workflow would you prioritize first, such as issue triage, planning, or summarization, and how would you decide using user pain, frequency, trust/risk, competitive gaps, and fit with Linear’s product principles?Linear · Product design · Hard
- You’re evaluating a new feature for Linear’s core planning and execution workflow. Walk through your end-to-end discovery plan: which users you’d interview, what usage data you’d analyze, how you’d align engineers and designers on the problem, and what concrete artifacts or decision gates you’d require before committing to build.Linear · Product design · Hard
- Suppose new teams consistently say Linear’s planning and issue-tracking workflows feel powerful but hard to learn, while existing power users are highly satisfied. How would you redesign the experience to reduce onboarding friction without weakening the speed and flexibility that expert users value? Be explicit about the tradeoffs you’d consider and how you’d validate the changes.Linear · Product design · Hard
- Design a TV for a car.Google · Product design · Hard
- Design a refrigerator for the blind.Google · Product design · Hard
- Redesign Twitter for eCommerce.Shopify · Product design · Hard
More questions from Linear
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