INITIATED FOR PRODUCT MANAGER INTERVIEW SESSIONS

PREPARED BY: MARIA KAM

Travelio offers apartment and house rentals with the following features:
1.Product Management Overview (CIRCLES Method):
•Customer Needs and Pain Points:
•Travelio caters to users seeking apartment and house rentals.
•Immediate check-in within 2 hours after booking.
•Property showings without additional fees for rentals of 4 months or longer.
•A wide selection of over 18,000 properties in 16 cities.
•Thematic interior designs for apartments (#LioStay units).
•Hotel-like living options starting from Rp3 million/month (#Hotel Residence).
•Minimalist house rentals (#TravelioRealty).
•Mission and Why:
•Travelio aims to provide convenient, hassle-free rental experiences.
•Immediate check-in and property showings address pain points.
•Customer Segments (Two-Sided Marketplace):
•Renters seeking apartments or houses.
•Property owners looking to list their vacant units.
•Subcustomer Segments:
•Renters: Tourists, professionals, students, families.
•Property Owners: Individuals, property management companies.
•Prioritization:
•Immediate check-in and property showings are high priority.
•Thematic designs and hotel-like options appeal to specific segments.
•Pain Points:
•Finding suitable rentals quickly.
•Ensuring property quality.
•Solutioning:
•Streamline booking process.
•Improve property descriptions and photos.
•Enhance customer support.
•Prioritize Solutions:
•Immediate check-in and property quality assurance.
•Clear communication with renters.
•Marketing thematic designs and hotel-like options.
2. Design Suggestion for Better ROI (GUCCI Framework):
•Goals:
•Increase bookings and revenue.
•Understand:
•Analyze user behavior, preferences, and pain points.
•Create:
•Optimize property listings (better photos, detailed descriptions).
•Implement referral programs for property owners.
•Connect:
•Strengthen customer support channels.
•Engage with renters through personalized communication.
•Improve:
•Continuously enhance user experience (e.g., faster check-in).
•ROI Measurement:
•Track increased bookings, repeat customers, and referrals.
As a product manager at Travelio, let’s devise a strategy to address the problem and create significant
impact:
1.Problem Statement:
•Issue: Many renters struggle to find suitable properties quickly, and property owners face challenges
in listing and managing their units.
•Impact: This affects millions of people seeking housing solutions and the revenue potential for
Travelio.

2.Vision and Mission:

•Vision: To revolutionize the rental experience, making it seamless, efficient, and delightful.
•Mission: Empower renters and property owners by providing immediate access to quality properties.

3.Strategy: “R.E.A.C.H.”
•Rapid Expansion:
•Objective: Expand to new cities and regions.
•Actions:
•Identify high-demand areas.
•Partner with local real estate agents.
•Launch targeted marketing campaigns.
• Enhanced User Experience:
•Objective: Improve the rental journey.
•Actions:
•Streamline booking process (faster check-in).
•Enhance property descriptions and photos.
•Implement AI-driven recommendations.
•Affiliate Partnerships:
•Objective: Collaborate with complementary services.
•Actions:
•Partner with moving companies, furniture rentals, and cleaning services.
•Offer bundled services for renters.
•Community Building:
•Objective: Foster a sense of belonging.
•Actions:
•Create user forums and events.
•Highlight community-friendly properties.
•Encourage reviews and referrals.
•Hyper-Personalization:
•Objective: Tailor experiences for each user.
•Actions:
•Leverage data analytics for personalized recommendations.
•Customize communication based on user preferences.
4.Monetization:
•Subscription Models:
•Offer premium features (e.g., priority listings, concierge service).
•Transaction Fees:
•Charge property owners a percentage of successful bookings.
•Advertising Revenue:
•Partner with local businesses for targeted ads.
5.ROI Measurement:
•Metrics:
•Booking conversion rate.
•Customer lifetime value.
•Referral rate.
•Success Criteria:
•Increase bookings by 30% within 12 months.
•Achieve positive net promoter score (NPS).
The execution plan and identify key metrics using the NORTHSTAR metric and the MYCSPD
framework:
1.Execution Plan:
•Rapid Expansion:
•Action: Expand to new cities and regions.
•Metrics:
•Number of new cities launched.
•User adoption rate in new regions.
•Enhanced User Experience:
•Action: Streamline booking process and improve property descriptions.
•Metrics:
•Conversion rate from property view to booking.
•Average time to complete a booking.
•Affiliate Partnerships:
•Action: Partner with complementary services.
•Metrics:
•Number of affiliate partnerships established. • Hyper-Personalization:
•Revenue generated through partnerships. •Action: Customize experiences for each user.
•Community Building: •Metrics:
•Action: Foster a sense of belonging. •Personalization effectiveness (click-through
•Metrics: rates on recommendations).
•User engagement (forum posts, event attendance). •Retention rate for personalized users.
•Net promoter score (NPS).
2.NORTHSTAR Metric:
•Definition: The single most important metric that aligns with the company’s mission and drives
long-term success.
•NORTHSTAR Metric for Travelio:
•Metric: Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR).
•Why: MRR reflects sustained growth and revenue stability. It encompasses both new
bookings and retention.

3.MYCSPD Framework:
•Metrics:
•Market Share: Measure Travelio’s share of the rental market.
•Metric: Market share percentage.
•Yield: Assess revenue generated per user.
•Metric: Average revenue per user (ARPU).
•Customer Satisfaction: Evaluate user happiness.
•Metric: Net promoter score (NPS).
•Speed: Monitor efficiency in booking and check-in processes.
•Metric: Average booking time.
•Productivity: Track team efficiency and resource utilization.
•Metric: Development velocity (features shipped per sprint).
•Distribution: Measure reach and user acquisition.
•Metric: User acquisition cost (CAC).
The he challenge of increasing the return rate from 15% to 20% at Travelio using the CPTE
Framework. We’ll also design the system architecture and payment system accordingly.

1. CPTE Framework:
The Certified Penetration Testing Engineer (CPTE) framework focuses on five key elements of
penetration testing:
• Information Gathering: Collect data about the existing system, user behavior, and pain points.
• Scanning: Identify areas for improvement and vulnerabilities.
• Enumeration: List specific issues affecting the return rate.
• Exploitation: Implement solutions to address identified problems.
• Reporting: Evaluate the impact of changes and track progress.

2. System Design: Accommodating Return Rate Improvement:

To enhance the return rate, consider the following system design aspects:
•Performance Requirements:
•Optimize database queries for faster retrieval.
•Implement caching mechanisms to reduce latency.
•Use content delivery networks (CDNs) for static assets.
•Functional Requirements:
•Enhance the user experience during property search and booking.
•Provide personalized recommendations based on user preferences.
•Streamline the check-in process.
•Scalability Requirements:
•Design for horizontal scalability (add more servers as needed).
•Use microservices architecture for flexibility.
•Implement load balancing to handle increased traffic.
•Reliability Requirements:
•Set up redundant servers to minimize downtime.
•Monitor system health and performance.
•Implement failover mechanisms.

3. System Architecture:
Consider the following high-level system architecture:
1.Frontend:
•Web and mobile interfaces for users.
•React, Angular, or Vue.js for dynamic UI.
•GraphQL for efficient data retrieval.
2.Backend:
•Microservices-based architecture.
•Node.js, Python, or Go for service development.
•RESTful APIs for communication.
3.Database:
•Relational database (e.g., MySQL or PostgreSQL) for structured data.
•NoSQL database (e.g., MongoDB) for flexibility.
•Sharding and partitioning for scalability.
4.Caching Layer:
•Redis or Memcached for caching frequently
accessed data.
•Invalidate cache on property updates.
5.Load Balancer:
•Distributes incoming requests across multiple
servers.
•Nginx or HAProxy.
6.Payment System: 4. Payment System Design:
•Integrate with a reliable payment gateway (e.g., 1.User Flow:
Stripe, PayPal). •User selects a property and initiates payment.
•Ensure PCI compliance. •Redirect to payment gateway.
•Implement tokenization for security. •Receive payment confirmation.
7.Monitoring and Logging: 2.Security Measures:
•Use tools like Prometheus, Grafana, and ELK •Tokenize sensitive data (credit card details).
stack. •Implement two-factor authentication.
•Monitor system health, response times, and error •Regularly audit payment processes.
rates. 3.Error Handling:
•Handle payment failures gracefully.
•Retry failed transactions.
•Notify users of payment status.
Creating product features
for Travelio’s app
1.Product Features:
•We’ll consider both new features and enhancements to existing ones.
•I recommend focusing on features that directly impact user experience, conversion, and retention.

•Immediate Check-In Enhancement:

•Allow users to check in within minutes of booking.
•Impact: Improved user satisfaction and faster property access.
•AI-Driven Property Recommendations:
•Personalized property suggestions based on user behavior.
•Impact: Increased conversion rates.
•Virtual Property Tours (AR/VR):
•Immersive 3D tours of properties.
•Impact: Better property exploration.
•Enhanced Communication Hub:
•In-app chat for seamless communication between renters and property owners.
•Impact: Streamlined interactions.
2.Revenue Projections and Business Model:
•We’ll outline potential revenue streams based on the new features.
•The business model will align with Travelio’s goals and market positioning.

•Subscription Model:
•Premium features (e.g., immediate check-in, priority listings).
•Transaction Fees:
•Charge property owners a percentage of successful bookings.
•Advertising Revenue:
•Partner with local businesses for targeted ads.
•Projected Revenue:
•Conservatively estimate revenue growth based on adoption rates and pricing.

3.Investigating Unmet Customer Needs:

•We’ll analyze user feedback, reviews, and pain points.
•Identify gaps in the current product that can be addressed.
•Analyze user reviews, support tickets, and feedback.
•Address pain points related to booking, property quality, and communication.
4.Creating a Buyer Persona:
•Develop a detailed profile of Travelio’s ideal customer.
•Understand their demographics, preferences, and pain points.
•Persona:
•Name: Alex (30 years old)
•Demographics: Urban professional, tech-savvy, frequent traveler.
•Pain Points: Wants hassle-free rentals, quick check-in, and personalized experiences.

5.Writing Product Requirements:

•Define clear specifications for each feature.
•Prioritize based on impact and feasibility.
•Immediate Check-In:
•Feature: Allow check-in within 2 hours of booking.
•Metrics: Reduced check-in time, increased user satisfaction.
•AI Recommendations:
•Feature: AI-driven property suggestions.
•Metrics: Conversion rate lift.
•Virtual Tours:
•Feature: AR/VR property tours.
•Metrics: Engagement with tours.
•Communication Hub:
•Feature: In-app chat.
•Metrics: User engagement.
6.Evaluating Existing Product Features:
•Assess the performance of current features.
•Identify areas for improvement or removal.
•Review Current Features:
•Assess property search, booking flow, and user experience.
•Remove or enhance underperforming features.

7.Long-Term Product Roadmap:

•Plan for the next 1–3 years.
•Align with business goals, market trends, and technology advancements
•Year 1: Implement immediate check-in and AI recommendations.
•Year 2:
•Expand to new cities.
•Enhance communication features.
•Year 3:
•Explore partnerships (moving companies, furniture rentals).
•Optimize revenue streams..