What objectives will you establish for Door Dash? What will serve as your guiding principle? When choosing between developing new features, such as enhancing daily orders (like offering discount coupons), or onboarding new restaurants (for instance, streamlining the onboarding process), what criteria will you prioritize?

This question necessitates a comprehensive response, demonstrating your awareness of the company's operations, your ability to think strategically, and your capacity to set realistic goals aligned with the company's mission. In this context, the term "North Star" metaphorically represents the primary goal or a fundamental guiding principle for you in enhancing Door Dash's overall growth. The interviewer wants to gauge whether you would prioritize implementing features that increase daily orders (such as discount coupons) or concentrate on onboarding new restaurants by streamlining the process. To prepare, familiarize yourself with Door Dash's business model, its position in the market, and potential areas for improvement. Your prioritization should be heavily influenced by the current needs of the business, taking into account factors like market trends, customer requirements, business strategies, and competitive landscape.

If I had the chance to establish goals for Door Dash, my primary focus would be on enhancing the experiences of both customers and restaurants. I would break this goal down into two categories: qualitative and quantitative. The qualitative aspect would involve boosting customer satisfaction and expanding restaurant partnerships, while the quantitative aspect would focus on increasing the average order value and the number of monthly active users. When it comes to prioritizing between introducing new features, such as discount coupons, or onboarding new restaurants, the decision would largely depend on the current business landscape and insights from market research. If the data shows a drop in daily orders, it might be prudent to first implement features that could boost orders, like offering discount coupons. Conversely, if there's a demand for additional restaurants or new regions, prioritizing a streamlined onboarding process for restaurants would be essential. Ultimately, it’s crucial to prioritize consumer demand and business needs when making these decisions.

I think that establishing goals for Door Dash should mainly focus on acquiring new customers, retaining existing ones, and increasing our restaurant partnerships. Throughout this goal-setting process, my guiding principle would be to fundamentally simplify and improve the food ordering experience for customers, as well as the partnership experience for restaurants. In terms of increasing daily orders and onboarding new restaurants, my prioritization will be heavily driven by data. If user interaction data indicates a strong customer base but low order frequency per customer, prioritizing features like discount coupons to encourage more orders would be essential. On the other hand, if the data reveals a high demand for additional restaurants or cuisines, enhancing the onboarding process for new restaurant partners would take precedence. This data-centric approach enables decisions that closely match user needs while fostering business growth at the same time.