## Product sense table | Theme / Prompt | Product Mission | MECE Demand-Side User Segments | User Journey | 5x High-Frequency Pain Points | 3x Solution Techniques | North Star Metric | | --------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | | **Travel** | Help people discover, plan, and share meaningful travel | Solo travelers, Group/friends, Family w/ kids, Business travelers | Discover → Plan → Book → Experience → Share | Hard to coordinate group, Can’t compare options, Budget uncertainty, Miss hidden gems, Forget to share memories | AI Itinerary Assistant, Group Collab on WhatsApp/FB, Marketplace integration (Airbnb, Expedia) | # of shared itineraries/trips completed | | **Healthcare (reactive)** | Help people access the right care quickly & confidently | Patients, Caregivers, Doctors/clinics, Insurers | Symptom check → Find provider → Book → Visit → Follow-up | Don’t know which doctor to see, Appointment delays, Insurance confusion, Trust in provider, Lack of reminders | AI triage chatbot, Provider discovery via FB/IG, Seamless booking & reminders | # of patients completing booked visits via platform | | **Fitness & Mental Health (proactive)** | Build daily healthy habits with community support | Beginners, Fitness enthusiasts, Mental health seekers, Trainers, Wellness content creators | Discover → Plan → Track → Engage → Share progress | Hard to stay motivated, Don’t know right plan, Inconsistent tracking, Stigma in sharing, Hard to measure progress | Habit streaks & gamification, Group challenges on WhatsApp/FB, AI coach nudges | Weekly Active Users w/ ≥3 tracked sessions | | **Find Handyperson** | Make home fixes fast, reliable, and trustworthy | Homeowners, Renters, Property managers | Need arises → Search → Compare → Book → Job done → Review | Trust in quality, Pricing not transparent, Availability issues, Coordination hassle, No recourse if bad work | Ratings/reviews system, Escrow/payments protection, Matching via location | % of jobs booked & completed successfully | | **Enjoy Art** | Make art discovery and appreciation accessible | Art lovers, Students, Casual browsers, Artists, Museums | Discover → Experience → Engage → Share → Revisit | Hard to find relevant art, High barrier (time/money), Not interactive, Lack of community, No discovery of local events | AR/VR immersive art, Community art sharing via IG, Curated events feed | Time spent engaging with art content | | **Find Jobs** | Connect people to jobs that fit their skills & goals | Students, Early-career, Experienced pros, Freelancers, Employers | Profile setup → Discover → Apply → Interview → Offer | Too many irrelevant jobs, Hard to stand out, Lack of trusted referrals, Slow employer response, Low transparency | Skill-based job matching, Social graph referrals, AI resume coach | # of users hired via platform per quarter | | **Find Pets (new pets)** | Help people find trusted pets and breeders | Families, Single adults, Seniors, Breeders/shelters | Browse → Evaluate → Reserve → Adopt → Care | Fake breeders, Safety concerns, No fit with lifestyle, Logistics of adoption, Post-adoption support gaps | Verified breeder network, Lifestyle-matching quiz, Adoption support communities | # of successful adoptions completed | | **Book Movie Tickets** | Make movie-going social, fun, and frictionless | Individuals, Groups of friends, Families, Movie clubs | Discover → Select show → Book seats → Attend → Review/share | Hard to coordinate times, Long booking flows, Seat availability, No loyalty benefits, Forget to share plan | Group booking integration via WhatsApp, One-click payment, Loyalty/points gamification | % of tickets booked through Meta platform | | **Video Conferencing** | Make virtual conversations natural, social, and immersive | Friends/family, Students, Professionals, Creators | Schedule → Join → Interact → Share → Rejoin | Tech setup issues, Fatigue, Lack of engagement, Privacy concerns, Awkward transitions | Avatar/AR presence, Interactive polls & games, Cross-app integration (IG/WA) | Weekly active meetings per user | | **Volunteering** | Mobilize people to give time/resources to causes they care about | Local volunteers, Casual volunteers, CSR groups, NGOs, Gov agencies | Discover → Join → Participate → Share → Repeat | Hard to find relevant opps, Trust in orgs, Logistics unclear, Time mismatch, Low motivation post-event | Cause-matching AI, Group volunteering via WA/FB, Reputation/impact scores | # of volunteer hours logged on platform | | **Fundraising** | Enable authentic, frictionless fundraising at scale | Individuals w/ personal causes, Nonprofits, CSR teams, Donors | Create campaign → Publish → Donate → Track → Share | Hard to write compelling ask, Trust/authenticity, Payment friction, Lack of updates, Donor fatigue | Storytelling templates, Trusted badges/verifications, Easy recurring donations | \$ raised per active fundraiser | | **Homework Help** | Provide safe, effective homework assistance for students | Middle-schoolers, High-schoolers, College students, Parents, Tutors | Ask question → Discover tutor/AI → Learn → Practice → Review/share | Don’t know if answer is correct, Tutors not available, Delays in response, Want concept not just answer, Trust & safety | AI tutor + human backup, Group study mode, Quizzes to test mastery | % of students w/ improved quiz score after sessions | | **Gardening** | Help people grow plants successfully with community & guidance | Hobbyists, Serious gardeners, Urban apartment dwellers, Community gardens | Plan → Buy supplies → Grow → Track → Share | Don’t know what grows locally, Pest/disease issues, Forget watering, No peer community, Cost of supplies | AR plant ID & tips, Reminders via WA/FB, Local gardener community | # of plants tracked successfully over time | | **Home Buying** | Make home buying transparent, social, and stress-free | First-time buyers, Repeat buyers, Investors, Agents, Lenders | Discover → Shortlist → Visit → Finance → Close | Overwhelming info, Hidden costs, Hard to compare, Lack of trusted advice, Stressful paperwork | VR/AR home tours, Mortgage calculators, Social graph referrals to agents | % of buyers completing home purchase journey | | **Farm People (agriculture)** | Empower farmers with knowledge, tools, and connections | Small farmers, Large farmers, Co-ops, Suppliers, Govt agencies | Plan crop → Plant → Grow → Harvest → Sell | No trusted pricing info, Lack of weather insights, Poor market access, Limited financing, No peer sharing | Weather alerts via WA, Market price transparency, Farmer community groups | % increase in farmers’ net income via platform | ### Generalized 2-Sided Marketplace Framework | # | Domain | Top apps | Type | Demand Side Journey | Supply Side Journey | North Star Metric (NSM) | Supporting Success Metrics | Guardrail Metrics | Monetization Levers | Platform Quality Metrics | Satisfaction Signals | Common Failure Modes / Anti-Patterns | | --- | --------------------------- | --------------------------------- | ---- | ---------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 1 | Social media/live streaming | Insta/FB, YouTube, | E | Discover > View > Interact > Follow/Return | Signup > Stream/Upload > Grow audience > Monetize | Daily Active Engaged Users (DAEU) | Session duration, Shares, Comments, Retention, Follower growth | Abuse rate, Content violation rate, Drop in engagement | Ads, Creator tipping, Paid promotions | Video load time, Crash rate, Moderation coverage | NPS, Creator earnings, Abuse reports | Spammy content, Creator burnout, Algorithmic bias, Safety incidents | | 2 | eCommerce marketplace | FB Marketplace, eBay, Walmart | T | Search > Evaluate > Buy > Repeat | Onboard > List > Sell > Fulfill > Support | Weekly Transacting Buyers | Conversion rate, AOV, Fulfillment rate, Return rate | Return abuse rate, Fake reviews %, Cart abandonment rate | Commission, Ads, Fulfillment services | Page load, Uptime, Fulfillment errors | Buyer reviews, Seller response time | Counterfeit goods, Fake reviews, Abandoned carts, Price undercutting | | 3 | Podcast, music | Spotify, Apple Music | E | Browse > Listen > Like/Follow > Subscribe | Upload > Get discovered > Grow > Monetize | Monthly Active Listeners | Listening time, Retention, Playlist saves, Creator growth | Skip rate, Drop-off early %, Unsub rate | Ads, Premium subscriptions, Creator payouts | Stream reliability, Download success rate | Rating, Subscriber growth | Repetitive content, Discovery fatigue, Unfair payouts | | 4 | TV shows, movies streaming | Netflix, Max, Disney+, Apple TV+, | T | Browse > Watch > Continue > Upgrade/Subscribe | Acquire/show content > Licensing | Total Watch Hours per Subscriber | Completion rate, Churn, Viewership by content type | Churn %, Rebuffering %, App crash rate | Subscription, Licensing deals | Buffering, HD availability, Personalization quality | NPS, Churn rate, Ratings | Low engagement on new shows, Content over-saturation, Churn spikes | | 5 | Taxi rides | Uber, Lyft | T | Search > Book > Ride > Rate > Repeat | Signup > Accept rides > Drive > Earn | Weekly Rides Completed | Wait time, Ride success %, Driver availability, Earnings/Ride | Cancellation rate, Low rating %, ETA deviation % | Commission per ride | App uptime, Driver app reliability | Ride rating, Tip %, Repeat usage | Long wait times, Driver cancellations, Poor matching | | 6 | Delivery apps | Uber, DoorDash | T | Search > Order > Receive > Reorder | Signup > Accept delivery > Deliver > Earn | Orders Delivered per Week | Fulfillment time, CSAT, Avg order value, Delivery accuracy | Late delivery %, Support ticket volume, Rejection % | Commission, Delivery fee, Premium listings | Delivery success rate, Route accuracy | Support tickets, Order rating | Missed delivery windows, Stockout, Food quality issues | | 7 | Maps | Google Maps, Apple Maps | E | Search > Navigate > Save > Review | Claim business > Update info > Promote | Weekly Engaged Users | Searches/user, Navigation starts, Review submissions | Data freshness lag, Duplicate listing rate | Promoted listings, Local ads | Location accuracy, Data freshness | Review quality, Feature usage | Misinformation, Fake listings, Poor routing | | 8 | Events apps | FB Events, GCal, Eventbrite | T | Discover > RSVP > Attend > Share | Create event > Promote > Host | Successful Event Attendance | RSVPs, Check-in rate, Repeat organizers | No-show %, Refund volume, App crash % | Ticketing fees, Ads, Subscription tools | App uptime, Ticket scanning accuracy | Event ratings, Refund requests | Low attendance, No-show spikes, Discovery fatigue | | 9 | Gaming (AR/VR) | Quest, HoloLens | E | Discover > Play > Engage > Return | Build > Publish > Monetize | Weekly Active Users | Session time, Engagement %, Creator retention | Abuse rate, Hardware crash %, Toxicity reports | In-app purchases, Platform cut, Ads | Latency, FPS, Bug/crash rate | Game ratings, Creator earnings | Toxicity in games, Abuse, Poor dev tools, Hardware fragmentation | | 10 | Grocery retail | Walmart, Costco, Whole Foods | T | Browse > Order > Receive > Reorder | Onboard > Upload inventory > Fulfill | Orders per Weekly Active Buyer | Order accuracy, Delivery time, Inventory freshness | Return/refund rate, Out-of-stock %, CSAT drop | Commission, Fulfillment, Ads | Order tracking, Stock sync accuracy | Freshness score, Complaints | Perishables loss, Stock mismatches, Refund abuse | | 11 | Hotels | Airbnb, Mariott | T | Search > Book > Stay > Review | List property > Manage bookings > Host | Room-Nights Booked per Week | Avg booking value, Occupancy %, Cancellation rate | Overbooking rate, Low review score %, Late response % | Booking commission, Ads, Premium tools | Booking speed, Calendar sync, Confirmation reliability | Review ratings, Support tickets | Double bookings, No-shows, Poor quality control | | 12 | Flights | AA, United, Delta | T | Search > Book > Fly > Feedback | Upload schedule > Operate flight | Flights Booked per Week | Seat fill %, Delay rate, Check-in success | Delay %, Refund rate, Complaint volume | Booking fees, Ancillary purchases | Real-time update accuracy, Seat availability | Delay complaints, App uninstall rate | Delay spikes, Seat mapping errors, Refund complexity | | 13 | Facebook Marketplace | eBay, Craigslist | T | Search > Contact > Negotiate > Transact > Rate | Post item > Respond > Meet > Transact | Weekly Active Transactions | Messages initiated, Items sold %, Buyer repeat %, Listing views | Fraud reports, Meet-up failure %, Rating drop | Ads, Promoted listings | Message delivery success, Profile verification rate | User rating, Message response time | Scams, No-shows, Trust breakdowns, Low-quality listings | ### Highlighted Generic Metrics - **North Star**: - **Engagement-driven (E)**: DAUs with meaningful sessions (time spent, shares, etc.) - **Transaction-driven (T)**: Weekly/monthly transactions per active user - **Platform Quality**: - Latency, Throughput, Response time - Error rate / Crash rate - Data accuracy - **Satisfaction**: - NPS - Ratings & Reviews - Support volume / Churn ### Failure Mode Themes (Cross-cutting) - **Liquidity gaps**: Not enough supply or demand at the right time - **Cold start**: New users don’t find value fast enough (especially creators/suppliers) - **Mismatched incentives**: Leads to spammy supply or demand churn - **Poor discovery**: Quality content or offers get buried - **Over-optimization for short-term revenue**: Hurts long-term user trust - **Trust & Safety breakdowns**: Lead to moderation challenges, reputational damage - **Infra unreliability**: Critical issues during checkout, streaming, etc.