If you were a Meta PM and were tasked with building an educational product, what would you build?

Certainly, I'll approach the question about building an educational product for Meta as a VP of Product with 20 years of experience. Here's my detailed response:

Introduction

As a Meta PM tasked with building an educational product, I'd first want to ensure we're aligned on the core objectives and constraints. Let me start by asking a few clarifying questions to guide our discussion.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Given Meta's focus on social connectivity, I'm thinking this educational product might leverage the platform's existing social graph. Is that a correct assumption, or should we consider this as a standalone product?

Why it matters: This helps frame the solution within Meta's ecosystem. Expected answer: Yes, leveraging Meta's social graph is preferred. Impact on approach: Would focus on social learning aspects and integration with existing Meta products.

• Considering Meta's recent push into the metaverse, should we prioritize AR/VR capabilities for this educational product, or focus more on traditional platforms like mobile and web?

Why it matters: Determines the primary technology stack and user interaction model. Expected answer: Consider both, with a long-term focus on metaverse integration. Impact on approach: Would design for scalability across platforms, with emphasis on immersive learning experiences.

• Are we targeting a specific educational level or subject area, or should we design a platform that can accommodate various types of educational content?

Why it matters: Helps define the scope and initial target market. Expected answer: Start with a specific focus, but design for scalability. Impact on approach: Would influence content strategy and initial partnerships.

Propose the Goal

Given Meta's focus on connecting people and building communities, I believe the goal is to create an educational product that leverages social connections to enhance learning experiences and outcomes. Does this align with your vision?

Define the Scope

Based on our discussion, I'd like to propose we focus on developing a social learning platform that initially targets higher education students, with the potential to scale to other educational levels. We'll design for both traditional and AR/VR interfaces, with a long-term vision of integration into the metaverse. Does this scope sound appropriate?

Assumptions:

1. We'll leverage Meta's existing social graph and technologies.
2. The product will initially focus on higher education but be scalable to other levels.
3. We'll design for both traditional and AR/VR interfaces.
4. The long-term vision includes metaverse integration.