Nike Product Designer Case Interview: Member Commerce & SNKRS Launch Experience

This live, whiteboard-style case simulates designing an end-to-end feature for Nike’s digital ecosystem (Nike App, SNKRS, Nike.com) with a strong lens on global member commerce and high-heat launches. You’ll partner with a PM and an engineering-minded interviewer to frame the problem, explore solutions, and articulate trade-offs in a way that reflects Nike’s consumer/athlete obsession and brand standards. Format (typical): - 5 min: Brief + clarifying questions - 35–40 min: Case work (problem framing → concept exploration → flows/wireframes → edge cases) - 10–15 min: Deep-dive Q&A on rationale, metrics, and go-to-market Common Nike-focused prompts: - Design a fair, scalable SNKRS “heat drop” experience for a global launch (e.g., improving perceived fairness, combating bots, and handling inventory volatility across NA, EMEA, Greater China, and APLA). - Increase conversion and reduce cart abandonment for members during limited-time drops, while maintaining brand energy and storytelling. - Improve fit/size guidance to reduce returns on apparel/footwear without hurting speed-to-checkout. What the interview specifically probes at Nike: - Consumer/Athlete empathy: Show understanding of member motivations during launch moments; consider accessibility and inclusivity from the start. - Global and omnichannel thinking: Account for localization, regulatory differences (e.g., raffle rules), store fulfillment (reserve/pickup), and performance under traffic spikes. - Brand + craft: Maintain Nike’s brand storytelling and motion principles while prioritizing usability and accessibility (clear states, readable typography, motion with purpose). - Systems and scale: Think in reusable patterns within Nike’s design system; describe how variants adapt across mobile web/app and regions. - Data-informed, athlete-inspired: Define a learning plan (A/B tests, qualitative intercepts, telemetry) grounded in hypotheses rather than personal preference. - Engineering partnership: Call out technical constraints (anti-bot strategies, queueing, latency budgets, rate limits) and provide implementation-friendly artifacts. Expected artifacts during the case: - Problem statement and target segments (member cohorts, e.g., first-time vs. loyal collectors) - North-star metric + guardrails (e.g., conversion, perceived fairness, queue abandonment, sell-through time, bot-detection hit rate) - Key flows and wireframes (pre-drop notification → entry/queue → results → purchase → post-purchase), with empty/error/edge states - Experiment plan (what to test now vs. later), success criteria, and rollout approach - Handoff notes (component usage, content/microcopy guidance, accessibility considerations) Constraints and realities to consider at Nike: - Traffic surges and inventory scarcity; fairness and anti-bot measures; fraud/risk reviews - Localization and legal nuances by region; customer support + escalation paths for failed entries - Sustainability touchpoints (e.g., Move to Zero considerations in packaging/returns) without sacrificing experience Evaluation rubric aligned to Nike’s culture: - Consumer obsession and inclusive design - Craft quality and systems thinking - Velocity/bias for action (“ship to learn”) under ambiguity - Cross-functional collaboration and communication - Data fluency and measurable impact - Storytelling that connects product outcomes to sport, community, and the Nike brand