Diagnose a drop in revenue

Last updated: May 28, 2026

Quick Overview

The engagement dropped by 15% this week. Walk through your investigation process.

Mastercard
Product / Decision Making
Data Scientist
Mastercard
May 28, 2026
Data Scientist
Take-home Project
Product / Decision Making
Easy

200

5

4,491 solved


The engagement dropped by 15% this week. Walk through your investigation process.

Mastercard asks this during the Take-home Project to assess your product sense and structured thinking. They want to see how you define the problem, identify the target user, prioritize features, and measure success.

What the Interviewer Expects
  • Identify the target user and their core problem
  • Propose reasonable solutions with basic prioritization
  • Define 2-3 key success metrics
  • Consider basic trade-offs and risks
Key Topics to Cover
Go-to-market strategy
Product strategy and vision
Platform and network effects
User segmentation and personas
Prioritization frameworks (RICE, ICE)
How to Approach This
  1. Start with the user. Who are they, what problem do they have, and what is their current workaround?
  2. Use a prioritization framework: impact vs effort, RICE scoring, or ICE scoring.
  3. Define success metrics using the AARRR framework: Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Revenue, Referral.
  4. Consider second-order effects. A feature might boost short-term engagement but hurt long-term retention.
Possible Follow-up Questions
  • What competitive response would you expect and how would you prepare?
  • What would you do if usage data contradicts user feedback?
  • How would you handle pushback from engineering on feasibility?
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Sample Answer
Problem Framing

To effectively diagnose the 15% drop in engagement at Mastercard, we need to first define what engagement means in this context. Engagement could involve the frequency of transactions, usage of mobile...

User & Market Context

The primary users of Mastercard's services are consumers and merchants. For this analysis, we should focus on two key personas: consumers who utilize Mastercard for everyday purchases and small to med...


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