Spotify Product Designer Case Interview (Engineering org) — Data‑informed Discovery and Premium Conversion

What you’ll do: Tackle a live product design case that mirrors Spotify’s real loop: a whiteboard-style exercise (no take‑home) with time for solo exploration and a collaborative review. Expect to demonstrate portfolio‑level storytelling, autonomy, and multidisciplinary thinking central to Spotify Design. ([medium.com](https://medium.com/the-product-design-interview/spotify-product-design-interview-a598488c5f00?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [spotify.design](https://spotify.design/article/how-to-get-a-job-at-spotify-design?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) Case prompt (example): You’re the designer in a cross‑functional squad improving how Free listeners discover and save new audio (music and podcasts) in a way that increases long‑term engagement and ethically nudges qualified users to Premium—without degrading ad‑supported KPIs. Define the problem, propose hypotheses, sketch key flows, specify content and state management, outline an experiment and rollout plan, and discuss tradeoffs across markets and platforms. Format and timing (approx. 75 min): - 5 min: Brief and success criteria alignment (values, audience, constraints). - 10 min: Clarifying questions; define users/segments, markets, and guardrails. - 20 min: Exploration and sketches (IA, key flows for discovery → save → play → follow/upgrade; accessibility and localization considerations). - 20 min: Deep dive on one path (lo/medium‑fi screens), error/empty states, and platform nuances (iOS/Android/desktop). - 10 min: Measurement and experimentation plan (primary metrics, guardrails, sequential test/gradual rollout plan using Spotify’s experimentation practices), plus risks and ethics (creator fairness, recommendation bias, privacy). ([engineering.atspotify.com](https://engineering.atspotify.com/2020/10/spotifys-new-experimentation-platform-part-1?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) What interviewers look for (Spotify‑specific): - Collaboration in the squad model (partnering with PM, Engineering, and Product Insights—UXR/Data Science) and how you drive clarity and alignment. ([blog.crisp.se](https://blog.crisp.se/2012/11/14/henrikkniberg/scaling-agile-at-spotify?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [magazine.workingnotworking.com](https://magazine.workingnotworking.com/magazine/2017/11/2/how-to-get-a-job-at-spotify?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [medium.com](https://medium.com/the-product-design-interview/spotify-product-design-interview-a598488c5f00?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) - Data‑informed product thinking and experimentation literacy (e.g., hypotheses, success metrics, guardrails like minutes streamed, retention, churn; plan A/Bs and safe rollouts). ([engineering.atspotify.com](https://engineering.atspotify.com/2020/10/spotifys-new-experimentation-platform-part-1?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) - Craft and systems thinking (flows, IA, interaction details, accessibility, global scale and content/licensing constraints). - Values alignment with the Band Manifesto (innovative, sincere, passionate, collaborative, playful) and communication that is candid, user‑centric, and inclusive. ([lifeatspotify.com](https://www.lifeatspotify.com/the-band-manifesto/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) Deliverables during the session: a framed problem statement, clearly sketched end‑to‑end flow(s), rationale and tradeoffs, a thin‑slice MVP suitable for a squad to ship, and an experiment/rollout plan with metrics and guardrails.