Why has the average time to generate a HOVER floor plan estimate increased from 2 minutes to 5 minutes in the past week?

Introduction

The recent increase in HOVER floor plan estimate generation time from 2 to 5 minutes is a critical issue that demands immediate attention. This significant slowdown impacts user experience, potentially affecting customer satisfaction and overall product performance. I'll approach this problem systematically, focusing on identifying the root cause, validating hypotheses, and developing both short-term fixes and long-term solutions.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Looking at the timing, I'm thinking there might have been a recent system update. Has there been any significant software or infrastructure changes in the past week?

Why it matters: Recent changes often correlate with performance issues. Expected answer: Yes, there was a system update. Impact on approach: If confirmed, we'd focus on rollback options and update-related issues.

• Considering user segments, I'm curious if this slowdown is affecting all users equally. Are we seeing any patterns in terms of user types, locations, or device types experiencing longer wait times?

Why it matters: Helps narrow down potential causes and affected user groups. Expected answer: The issue is more prevalent among users with larger, more complex floor plans. Impact on approach: We'd investigate scalability issues and optimize for complex inputs.

• Given the specific increase from 2 to 5 minutes, I'm wondering about our measurement accuracy. Has there been any change in how we measure or define "time to generate a floor plan estimate"?

Why it matters: Ensures we're addressing a real issue, not a measurement anomaly. Expected answer: No changes in measurement methodology. Impact on approach: Confirms the issue is with the actual process, not data collection.

• Thinking about external factors, have we seen any unusual spikes in usage or changes in the types of floor plans being submitted recently?

Why it matters: External factors could explain the performance drop without indicating a system issue. Expected answer: Usage patterns are consistent with previous weeks. Impact on approach: Focuses our investigation on internal system factors rather than user behavior changes.