As the Product Manager for Instagram Stories, what is your primary metric for success?

In this question, the interviewer wants to assess your understanding of the primary factor that determines success or the main focus for the product you oversee. Specifically for Instagram Stories, you are being asked to identify the North Star metric—the single metric that most effectively conveys the essential value your product offers to customers. As a product manager, your goal is to enhance this metric. It should indicate customer usage and engagement, as these are typically strong indicators of the product's overall performance. Keep in mind that an effective North Star Metric should be in line with the product roadmap and vision, represent value for both users and the business, and should ideally be shaped by user interactions on the platform.

For Instagram Stories, which focus heavily on user engagement and interaction, the primary metric to consider could be "Daily Active Users (DAU) viewing Stories." This metric indicates the number of distinct users who view Stories on Instagram each day. It is closely linked to user engagement and the adoption of the Stories feature. Additionally, if we are increasing this important metric, it suggests we are successfully maintaining and potentially growing the usage of Instagram Stories.

A valuable North Star metric for Instagram Stories might be the "Average number of Stories shared per user each day." This metric reflects both the consumption and creation of Stories. An increase in users actively creating and sharing Stories suggests higher user adoption and engagement, which also enhances the overall content on the platform, leading to increased user interaction, longer time spent, and potentially higher advertising revenue.