Describe a situation where you had to challenge conventional wisdom in order to achieve a significant goal.

Example Answers

E-Commerce Specialist

Thank you for asking that question. I'd be glad to share an example that demonstrates how I challenged conventional wisdom and how it led to success.

In one of my previous roles as a Product Manager at an e-commerce company, we were facing a challenge of declining conversion rates on our product pages. Initially, we attempted to address the issue by optimizing the layout of the pages while maintaining the industry-standard design. However, our changes did not yield the desired results, and the conversion rate remained stagnant.

I had a hunch that there might be an underlying issue with the design approach that we were taking, which was in line with the industry's best practices. I took a deeper look into our user research and discovered that the design approach was cluttered the layout with multiple CTAs (Call-to-Actions) that were overwhelming the users.

I decided to challenge the conventional wisdom and suggested that we try out minimalistic designs with clearer and user-focused CTAs, despite that going against the industry-standard design. We conducted A/B tests on both designs, and our hypothesis turned out to be correct. The minimalistic design outperformed the standard design by a significant margin, resulting in a 22% increase in conversion rates.

This approach of questioning industry standard while aligning with user-focussed design insights, helped us tap into new and more engaging designs, that users found appealing. Standard industry guidelines were a great starting point and gave me a direction to head, but it was essential to keep up with users' evolving preferences and habits.

In conclusion, as a product manager, it is crucial to question the conventional wisdom and approach problems with an open mind. I believe that my willingness to challenge the status quo had a positive impact on our team's work. It helped us discover new and more effective design solutions that drive better user engagement and conversion rates.

Mobile App Guru

Certainly, I'd be happy to share an example with you. At a previous company, our team was tasked with improving user engagement and retention for a social networking app that had been in the market for a few years. The conventional wisdom was that users needed to be constantly fed with fresh content and new features in order to remain engaged. However, we noticed that users were becoming overwhelmed with too many options and were not completing key actions within the app.

To challenge this wisdom, we conducted a series of user surveys and data analyses to determine the most important actions for users to take within the app. We then simplified the user interface and re-prioritized the actions so that users were more likely to complete them. Additionally, we implemented a feature that rewarded users for achieving specific milestones within the app, which helped to keep them engaged and motivated.

Initially, there was pushback from some team members who felt that we were simplifying the app too much and risking losing users who wanted more options. However, we were confident that focusing on the most important actions would lead to better engagement and retention overall.

The results were significant. User engagement increased by 30% and retention rates improved by 25%. We also received positive feedback from users who appreciated the simpler, more focused experience within the app. This success taught us the importance of challenging conventional wisdom and staying true to our data-driven approach, even in the face of resistance from team members.

Consumer Electronics Enthusiast

Sure, I'd be happy to provide an answer to this question based on my own experiences.

One specific example that comes to mind is when I was working as a product manager for a consumer electronics company that was developing a new product. The conventional wisdom in the industry at the time was that the key to success was all about adding more features to a product and making it as complex as possible in order to make it stand out from the competition. However, I believed that this approach was flawed and that consumers actually valued simplicity and ease-of-use above all else.

Using this unconventional insight, I worked closely with the hardware and software teams to develop a product that focused on a more simplistic design, with fewer features but high-quality performance. This involved some challenging conversations and pushback from various stakeholders who believed that we needed to pack in as many features as possible to make the product competitive in the market.

To achieve our goal, I used a data-driven approach to back up my insights, using consumer research studies and industry reports to show that there was, in fact, a market demand for products that emphasized simplicity. Additionally, I also worked closely with the development team to ensure that the physical design of the product was streamlined and straightforward, minimizing complexity and focusing on the most essential features.

In the end, the product was a success, and it was embraced by consumers who appreciated its simplicity and ease of use, compared to other products that were more complex and difficult to use. Our approach to focusing on simplicity and usability had paid off, and we were able to differentiate ourselves from the competition and establish ourselves as a leader in the market.

This experience taught me the importance of challenging conventional wisdom and thinking outside the box to achieve success. It also reinforced the importance of data-driven decision-making and collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to achieve product objectives.

Enterprise Software Savant

Sure, I can provide an example of a situation where I had to challenge conventional wisdom to achieve a significant goal.

When I was working at a previous enterprise software company, we were facing a difficult situation with one of our biggest clients who had a complex set of needs that we were struggling to resolve. The conventional wisdom within our company was that we needed to prioritize this client's needs and spend significant resources to deliver what they were asking for. However, I believed that we needed to step back and take a more strategic approach to the situation.

To challenge the conventional wisdom, I started by talking to all the relevant stakeholders- our client, our development team, and our executive team. I dug into the client's needs to understand what they really wanted and identified some inefficiencies in their requests. I then discussed these insights with our development team, and after several discussions and getting all hands on deck, we were able to identify a more scalable solution that could address the needs of not just this one client, but also several other clients.

Consequently, I presented this new approach to our executive team, framing it in a wider strategic context of building a more comprehensive and sustainable solution that could serve the needs of many more clients, and also help future-proof our product. My approach meant that we needed to spend more upfront to create a more scalable, cost-effective solution, but it also meant that we could retain our client base and gain even more clients in the future.

In the end, the approach led to the success of both retaining the big client and gain new clients, as we were able to create a better overall solution that could serve the needs of many more clients, while also being more efficient and cost-effective. Additionally, this approach helped us stay ahead of the competition by building more innovative solutions that could serve our clients diverse challenges.

This experience taught me the importance of challenging the status quo and thinking beyond immediate needs to create more strategic solutions that can benefit the company and its clients in the long term. It also emphasized the importance of bringing together diverse stakeholders, gathering insight and ideas, and working collaboratively to achieve a common goal.

SaaS Strategist

Thank you for the question. As a product manager, it is important to challenge conventional wisdom in order to achieve significant goals. One instance I recall was when our team was trying to decide on pricing for a new SaaS product. The common belief in the industry was that a low starting price would attract more customers, but our team believed that a higher starting price could lead to a more sustainable business model.

To test this hypothesis, we conducted several focus groups and surveys with potential customers and found that a higher starting price would actually lend credibility to the product and attract a more serious clientele. We also found that by offering more features at a higher price point, customers felt like they were getting more value, leading to a higher retention rate.

After presenting this data to our executives, we were able to launch the product with a higher starting price and offer additional features at higher price points. This led to a more sustainable and profitable business model, as well as increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.

In conclusion, challenging conventional wisdom may seem risky, but with thorough research and data-driven decision making, it can lead to great success. As a product manager, it is important to always question assumptions and be open-minded to new ideas and approaches.

Cybersecurity Expert

I can think of a situation where I had to challenge conventional wisdom during the development of a cybersecurity product. We were developing a solution that was aimed at reducing the risk of data breaches in small and mid-size businesses that could not afford sophisticated cybersecurity solutions. The conventional wisdom in the industry was that firewalls and antivirus software were the most effective cybersecurity tools for such businesses.

However, we believed that this approach was not enough, and we wanted to create a more comprehensive solution that incorporated additional layers of security. We knew this would be a challenging goal, but we were determined to make it happen.

To achieve this goal, we conducted extensive research on the latest cybersecurity trends and threats and analyzed how they could affect small and mid-size businesses. We found that social engineering attacks, such as phishing scams, were a significant threat to these businesses and that traditional security tools such as firewalls and antivirus software were not enough to combat these attacks.

Based on these findings, we decided to incorporate social engineering awareness training into our product which could teach employees how to identify and avoid social engineering attacks. We knew that this approach would be relatively new and could challenge the conventional wisdom of traditional security tools, but we felt that it was necessary to create a more comprehensive security solution.

As we developed and rolled out the product, we faced some initial resistance from customers who were accustomed to using traditional security tools. However, we were able to provide them with extensive research and evidence to show that social engineering attacks were now the leading cause of data breaches, and traditional tools were no longer enough.

Eventually, our ability to convince customers paid off as we saw a significant increase in sales and positive feedback for our product. By challenging conventional wisdom and incorporating innovative solutions into our product, we were able to achieve our goal of creating a comprehensive security solution for businesses. This experience showed me the importance of thinking outside the box and challenging the status quo to create new solutions that better address customer needs.