Customers are tweeting about the incorrect wait times recommended by our waitlist feature. How would you investigate this?

Introduction

Incorrect wait times in our waitlist feature are causing customer dissatisfaction, as evidenced by recent tweets. This issue directly impacts user experience and trust in our product. I'll systematically investigate the root cause, considering both technical and user-centric factors, to develop a comprehensive solution.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Looking at the timing, I'm thinking this might be a recent issue. When did we first notice customers tweeting about incorrect wait times?

Why it matters: Helps identify potential triggers or changes that led to the problem. Expected answer: Within the last week or two. Impact on approach: Recent changes would be prioritized in the investigation.

• Considering user segments, I'm wondering if this affects all users or specific groups. Are we seeing this issue across all customer types and locations?

Why it matters: Helps narrow down potential causes and affected user groups. Expected answer: It's affecting users in certain high-traffic areas more than others. Impact on approach: Would focus on location-specific factors and scalability issues.

• Thinking about system performance, I'm curious about any recent backend changes. Have we deployed any updates to our waitlist algorithm or data processing systems recently?

Why it matters: Identifies potential technical causes for the inaccuracies. Expected answer: A minor update was pushed to the waitlist calculation system last week. Impact on approach: Would prioritize investigating the recent update and its impact.

• Considering data integrity, I'm wondering about our input sources. Have there been any changes or issues with the data feeds that inform our wait time calculations?

Why it matters: Ensures we're working with accurate input data. Expected answer: No known issues with data feeds, but we haven't audited them recently. Impact on approach: Would include a data feed audit in the investigation process.