Your director at Meta asks about Facebook Live: should we prioritize stream quality with 30-second delay or lower quality with 5-second latency?

Introduction

The trade-off we're examining for Facebook Live is between prioritizing stream quality with a 30-second delay or opting for lower quality with a 5-second latency. This decision is crucial for the user experience and engagement on the platform. I'll analyze this trade-off by considering user needs, technical constraints, and business implications.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Context: I'm assuming this is a platform-wide decision for Facebook Live. Is that correct, or are we considering this for specific use cases or user segments?

Why it matters: Helps tailor the solution to specific needs or broader platform requirements Expected answer: Platform-wide decision Impact on approach: Would necessitate a more comprehensive analysis of various use cases

• Business Context: Given Facebook's focus on community engagement, how does improving Live align with our current strategic priorities?

Why it matters: Ensures the solution supports overarching business goals Expected answer: High priority, aligns with increasing user engagement and time spent on platform Impact on approach: Would justify more resources and a faster implementation timeline

• User Impact: Are we seeing any particular trends in how different user segments (e.g., casual users vs. content creators) are utilizing Live?

Why it matters: Helps prioritize features based on user behavior and preferences Expected answer: Increasing adoption among content creators, casual users prefer viewing Impact on approach: Might lead to different solutions for creators vs. viewers

• Technical: What are our current infrastructure capabilities for handling increased stream quality across our user base?

Why it matters: Determines the feasibility and scalability of high-quality streaming Expected answer: Capable of handling increased quality, but with potential cost implications Impact on approach: Would influence the balance between quality improvements and cost considerations

• Timeline: Is there a specific event or product launch driving the urgency of this decision?

Why it matters: Helps prioritize this decision against other product initiatives Expected answer: Upcoming feature launch or competitor move Impact on approach: Would affect the timeline for testing and implementation