Effective Work Sample Exercises for Hiring Mobile Product Managers

In the fast-paced world of mobile application development, finding the right Mobile Product Manager can make the difference between a successful product launch and a costly misstep. Mobile Product Managers serve as the critical bridge between user needs, business objectives, and technical feasibility. They must possess a unique blend of strategic vision, analytical thinking, communication skills, and technical understanding to guide mobile products from conception to market success.

Traditional interviews often fail to reveal a candidate's true capabilities in these areas. While resumes and behavioral questions provide some insight, they rarely demonstrate how candidates will perform in real-world scenarios. This is where well-designed work samples become invaluable. By simulating actual job responsibilities, work samples allow you to observe candidates applying their skills to challenges they would face in the role.

For Mobile Product Managers specifically, effective work samples should evaluate their ability to prioritize features, communicate with cross-functional teams, analyze user feedback, and develop strategic product visions. These exercises reveal not just what candidates know, but how they think, collaborate, and adapt to feedback—all crucial indicators of on-the-job success.

The following four work sample exercises are designed to comprehensively assess the key competencies required for a Mobile Product Manager. Each exercise targets specific skills while providing a realistic preview of the role for candidates. By incorporating these exercises into your hiring process, you'll gain deeper insights into each candidate's capabilities and make more informed hiring decisions.

Activity #1: Feature Prioritization Exercise

This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to make strategic decisions about product features based on competing priorities. Mobile Product Managers must constantly balance user needs, business goals, and technical constraints when determining which features to develop first. This exercise reveals how candidates approach this critical aspect of the role, demonstrating their analytical thinking, business acumen, and decision-making process.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a list of 10-12 potential features for a mobile application in your industry. Include a mix of user-requested features, business-driven features, and technical improvements.
• For each feature, provide a brief description, estimated development effort (in story points or time), potential business impact (high/medium/low), and user demand (high/medium/low).
• Create a fictional constraint, such as "The development team can only complete 20 story points in the next sprint" or "We need to release an update in 3 weeks."
• Provide the candidate with your company's mobile app (or a similar competitor app if yours isn't publicly available) for context.
• Allow 30-40 minutes for this exercise.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the list of potential features and the provided constraints.
• Prioritize the features for the next development cycle, selecting which ones should be implemented first.
• Create a brief written justification (1-2 paragraphs) for your prioritization decisions.
• Prepare to present your prioritization plan and rationale to the interview panel in a 10-minute presentation.
• Be prepared to answer questions about your decision-making process and how you would communicate these priorities to different stakeholders.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After the presentation, provide one piece of positive feedback about the candidate's prioritization approach or rationale.
• Offer one constructive suggestion about an alternative consideration they might have overlooked.
• Give the candidate 5 minutes to reconsider their prioritization based on this feedback and explain how they would adjust their approach.

Activity #2: User Story Workshop

This exercise assesses a candidate's ability to translate user needs into clear, actionable requirements for development teams. Creating effective user stories is a fundamental skill for Mobile Product Managers, requiring empathy for users, clarity of communication, and an understanding of technical feasibility. This exercise reveals how candidates think about user problems and communicate solutions.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a brief description of a new feature for your mobile application (e.g., "Add a dark mode option" or "Implement a new in-app notification system").
• Include some basic user feedback or research findings related to this feature.
• Provide access to your current app or screenshots for context.
• Prepare a template for user story creation that matches your company's format.
• Allow 45 minutes for this exercise.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the feature description and user feedback provided.
• Create 3-5 user stories that would guide the development of this feature.
• For each user story, include:
• A clear user story statement (As a [type of user], I want [goal], so that [benefit])
• Acceptance criteria (3-5 specific conditions that must be met)
• Any relevant notes about edge cases or considerations
• Prepare to explain how you would collaborate with designers and developers to refine these stories.
• Be ready to discuss how you would prioritize these stories if they couldn't all be implemented at once.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on the clarity and completeness of one specific user story.
• Suggest one way the acceptance criteria could be improved or made more specific.
• Ask the candidate to revise that user story based on your feedback and explain their changes.

Activity #3: Cross-Functional Collaboration Role Play

This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to navigate challenging cross-functional discussions and build consensus among team members with different priorities. Mobile Product Managers must excel at communication, leadership, and conflict resolution to guide products successfully through development. This role play reveals how candidates handle the interpersonal aspects of the role.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a scenario involving a feature implementation that has competing perspectives from different teams.
• Example scenario: "The marketing team wants to add a new promotional pop-up to the app home screen, the UX team is concerned about user experience degradation, and the engineering team is worried about the timeline impact on other priority features."
• Assign 2-3 interviewers to play the roles of team members from different departments (engineering, design, marketing, etc.).
• Brief the role players on their specific concerns and priorities.
• Allow 20-25 minutes for the role play.

Directions for the Candidate:

• You will lead a cross-functional meeting to discuss the implementation of a new feature.
• Review the scenario information provided.
• Your goal is to facilitate a productive discussion that addresses concerns from all teams and works toward a solution that balances competing priorities.
• Be prepared to:
• Manage the conversation and ensure all voices are heard
• Ask clarifying questions to understand each perspective
• Propose compromises or alternative approaches
• Document next steps and decisions
• After the role play, be ready to reflect on how you would follow up with the various stakeholders.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on one aspect of the candidate's facilitation that was particularly effective.
• Suggest one approach that might have helped address a specific challenge in the conversation.
• Give the candidate 5 minutes to explain how they would incorporate this feedback in a follow-up meeting with the same stakeholders.

Activity #4: Mobile App Analysis and Roadmap Development

This exercise assesses a candidate's strategic thinking, analytical skills, and ability to develop a compelling product vision. Mobile Product Managers must be able to evaluate existing products, identify opportunities for improvement, and create roadmaps that align with business objectives. This exercise reveals how candidates approach product strategy and planning.

Directions for the Company:

• Select a mobile app for the candidate to analyze. This could be:
• Your company's existing app
• A competitor's app
• A well-known app in a similar space
• Prepare a brief on the app's current state, including its target audience and business objectives.
• Provide access to the app or detailed screenshots.
• Include some fictional user feedback or analytics data showing areas of concern.
• Allow candidates to complete this exercise before the interview (24-48 hours in advance) or allocate 60-90 minutes during the interview process.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the mobile application and supporting materials provided.
• Conduct a thorough analysis of the app's strengths and weaknesses from a user experience and business perspective.
• Identify 3-5 key opportunities for improvement.
• Develop a high-level 6-month product roadmap that addresses these opportunities.
• Your roadmap should include:
• A clear vision statement for where the product should be in 6 months
• 3-4 key initiatives with specific objectives
• A rough timeline for implementation
• Metrics you would track to measure success
• Prepare a 15-minute presentation of your analysis and roadmap.
• Be ready to explain the rationale behind your recommendations and how they align with business goals.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on one strategic insight from the candidate's analysis that was particularly valuable.
• Suggest one additional consideration or constraint they might want to factor into their roadmap.
• Ask the candidate to explain how they would adjust one aspect of their roadmap based on this feedback.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should we allocate for these work sample exercises?

The time required varies by exercise. The Feature Prioritization Exercise and User Story Workshop typically take 30-45 minutes each. The Cross-Functional Collaboration Role Play needs about 25-30 minutes. The Mobile App Analysis and Roadmap Development is more comprehensive and works best as a take-home exercise with 24-48 hours for preparation, followed by a 15-20 minute presentation and discussion.

Should we use all four exercises for every candidate?

No, using all four exercises would create an excessively long interview process. We recommend selecting 1-2 exercises that best align with the most critical aspects of your specific Mobile Product Manager role. The Feature Prioritization Exercise and Cross-Functional Collaboration Role Play provide excellent insights for most mobile product management positions.

How should we evaluate candidates' performance on these exercises?

Create a structured scorecard for each exercise that maps to the key competencies you're assessing. Rate candidates on specific aspects rather than giving a single overall score. For example, in the Feature Prioritization Exercise, evaluate their analytical approach, business acumen, and communication of rationale separately.

Can these exercises be conducted remotely?

Yes, all of these exercises can be adapted for remote interviews. Use video conferencing tools with screen sharing capabilities for presentations. For the Cross-Functional Collaboration Role Play, ensure all participants have stable internet connections and consider using collaborative tools like Miro or Google Docs to facilitate the discussion.

How do we ensure these exercises don't disadvantage candidates from diverse backgrounds?

Provide clear instructions and context for all exercises. Allow candidates to ask clarifying questions before beginning. When possible, offer the option to complete exercises asynchronously to accommodate different schedules and work styles. Ensure that the scenarios and examples used don't require specialized industry knowledge unless it's truly essential for the role.

Should we compensate candidates for take-home exercises?

For comprehensive exercises like the Mobile App Analysis and Roadmap Development, consider offering compensation, especially if you're asking for more than 2 hours of work. This demonstrates respect for candidates' time and helps ensure you receive thoughtful, high-quality submissions from a diverse pool of candidates.

Finding the right Mobile Product Manager requires looking beyond resumes and standard interview questions to assess how candidates will actually perform in the role. These work sample exercises provide a window into candidates' real-world capabilities, helping you identify those who will excel at balancing user needs, business objectives, and technical constraints.

By incorporating these exercises into your hiring process, you'll gain deeper insights into each candidate's strategic thinking, communication skills, and product sense. This leads to more informed hiring decisions and better outcomes for your mobile product development efforts.

For more resources to enhance your hiring process, check out Yardstick's AI Job Description Generator, AI Interview Question Generator, and AI Interview Guide Generator. You can also find more information about the Mobile Product Manager role in our comprehensive job description.

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