Julie Zhuo: How a Facebook Designer Thinks [Entire Talk]

TL;DR

Start product development by identifying the human problem, verifying that it is real, and defining how success will be recognized. A strong problem statement uses straightforward language, avoids prescribing a solution, reaches the underlying cause, and focuses on what people need rather than how a company can win or improve an internal metric.

Transcript

(audience applause) - Hi everyone. So I know this is probably a huge cliche since probably every single speaker says this, but it's a huge honor to be here. I was sitting in your seats about 10 years ago which seems like not that long and yet quite a long time. My class, the class of '06 just celebrated our 10 year reunion here like a couple months... Read More

Key Insights

• Product ideas should begin with the question, "What people problem are we trying to solve?" This framing keeps teams focused on experiences that people can recognize and describe, rather than internal objectives such as optimizing a page's click-through rate.
• A people problem is human and straightforward. It should use words that someone outside the technology community might naturally use, avoiding internal language and technical terms such as CTR, optimize, or integrate that can obscure the actual need.
• A strong problem statement is solution-agnostic. Beginning with a plan to build an app or design a website prematurely restricts the answer, because the assumed format may not be the most appropriate way to address the underlying problem.
• A valid people problem does not define success as the company or team winning. People care about finding the best answer to their difficulty, not whether a particular service becomes the leading provider of that answer.
• The root cause matters more than a surface observation. Saying that people are not discovering a page identifies what is happening, but a useful statement asks why, including whether the page is too hidden or confusing to find.
• People problems can be functional, emotional, or social. A confusing flow is one kind of difficulty, while wanting to feel belonging or validation can also represent a genuine need that product teams should recognize.
• Product confidence comes from answering three questions: what people problem is being solved, how the team knows it is real, and how the team will know it has been solved. Together, these questions connect problem selection, evidence, and evaluation.
• A simple shared framework can guide multiple disciplines. Facebook intended engineers, designers, and product managers to remember and apply the same three questions during team meetings, product reviews, idea development, and conversations with colleagues.

Questions & Answers

Q: What three questions should teams ask before building a product feature?

Teams should ask what people problem they are trying to solve, how they know it is a real problem, and how they will know when they have solved it. The framework is designed to help engineers, designers, and product managers evaluate whether an idea is on track before and during development, rather than relying only on their initial excitement about building it.

Q: What is a people problem in product design?

A people problem is a difficulty that an ordinary person could recognize and express in straightforward language. It describes what someone actually wants, feels, or struggles to do. It is not an internal business target such as improving click-through rate, and it should not be framed around a company's desire to win or make its service the best.

Q: How do you write a strong people problem statement?

Write the problem in human, straightforward language that someone outside the technology community could use. Keep it independent of any predetermined solution, focus on the person's need rather than the company's success, and investigate why the problem occurs. The statement may address functional confusion, but it can also capture emotional or social needs such as belonging or validation.

Q: Why should a problem statement avoid prescribing an app or website?

A problem statement should avoid prescribing an app or website because doing so constrains the solution before the underlying need is fully understood. The app may not be the right response, and the answer may not require a website. Keeping the statement solution-agnostic allows the team to explore approaches based on the actual people problem instead of an assumed product format.

Q: Why are business metrics not sufficient as people problems?

Business metrics describe outcomes a team or company wants, but they do not necessarily express what a person is experiencing. For example, optimizing a page's click-through rate is an internal objective, not a problem someone on the street would naturally articulate. Translating the metric into a clear human difficulty helps the team understand what it is genuinely trying to improve for people.

Q: How can product teams identify the root cause of a user problem?

Product teams should go beyond describing what is happening and ask why it is happening. If people are not discovering a page, the team should investigate whether the page is too hidden, too confusing to find, or affected by another underlying issue. A useful people problem statement captures that reason rather than stopping at the visible symptom.

Q: Can product design address emotional and social problems?

Product design can address emotional and social problems as well as functional ones. Zhuo notes that people may want to feel that they belong or that they are validated. These needs can qualify as people problems because individuals may genuinely express them, just as they might describe difficulty navigating a confusing flow or finding others who share an interest.

Q: How did Julie Zhuo move from engineering into design at Facebook?

Zhuo joined Facebook in 2006 as an engineering intern assigned to work on photo features. On her first day, her mentor said she was changing from engineering to product management and introduced Zhuo to the design team. Zhuo began sitting with that group and became fascinated by understanding what people feel, think, and comprehend while using a product.

Summary

In this video, the speaker talks about her journey from being a student at Stanford to working at Facebook and leading the design team. She discusses the importance of understanding the people problem that the product is trying to solve, validating the problem with evidence, and setting measurable goals to determine the success of the product. She also shares examples of how these principles were applied in the development of features like Groups, Reactions, and Facebook Live.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did the speaker's experience at Stanford shape her career?

The speaker mentioned that she was inspired by the stories of successful entrepreneurs who had graduated from Stanford, which motivated her to pursue a career in Silicon Valley. She also participated in the Mayfield Fellows Program, which exposed her to the world of entrepreneurship and allowed her to intern at a startup.

Q: What influenced the speaker's decision to pursue a career in design?

The speaker initially started as an engineer at Facebook but ended up in the design team by chance. She was introduced to a group of designers on her first day and found the combination of design and coding exciting. She realized that design allowed her to understand the experience of users and think about how they interact with the products being built.

Q: What were some of the products the speaker worked on at Facebook?

The speaker mentioned working on features like Photos, Newsfeed, the Facebook platform, Profile, and Timeline. She leads a team that works on design for all of the core features of the Facebook application, including catching up with friends, sharing, watching videos, and joining groups.

Q: What are the three questions that the speaker's team at Facebook asks when developing a product?

The first question is "What people problem are we trying to solve?" The team focuses on understanding the problem from the perspective of the users and framing it in a human and straightforward way. The second question is "How do we know this is a real problem?" The team looks for evidence through qualitative and quantitative research to validate the problem and determine if it's worth solving. The third question is "How will we know if we solved this problem?" The team sets measurable goals and metrics to determine the success of the product.

Q: Can you give an example of a valid people problem statement?

One example is the desire to connect with others who have similar interests but not knowing where to find them. The speaker mentioned attending a conference where influential bloggers and journalists who were mothers expressed the need for a community of other new moms to share experiences and seek advice.

Q: How did the speaker validate the need for a solution to the problem of finding communities and groups?

The team at Facebook looked at data that showed a significant number of group memberships were initiated through the "Groups You Should Join" feature. They also conducted focus groups and talked to users who expressed the challenge of finding like-minded communities.

Q: How did the speaker validate the need for a solution to the problem of expressing emotions beyond liking on Facebook?

The team at Facebook looked at how people were currently expressing their feelings through comments, stickers, and emojis. They also observed that the absence of a dislike button led to requests for an alternative way to express emotions other than just liking a post.

Q: How did the speaker measure the success of the groups and reactions features on Facebook?

For groups, the team looked at the number of meaningful joins, indicating that users were actively engaging with the groups they joined. For reactions, the team measured the adoption rate compared to previous tools like stickers and short comments. They also assessed the universality of the selected reactions and the positive impact on the poster's experience based on user surveys and feedback.

Q: Has the speaker discussed the success of the Facebook Live feature?

Yes, the speaker mentioned that the success of the Facebook Live feature was measured by the number of repeat broadcasters and the viewership of live videos. They also wanted to ensure that the content being broadcasted was interesting and that the experience was enjoyable for both the broadcaster and the viewer.

Q: How does the speaker suggest approaching the development of a product or feature?

The speaker suggests asking the three questions mentioned earlier in the process: 1) What people problem are we trying to solve? 2) How do we know this is a real problem? 3) How will we know if we solved this problem? By answering these questions, teams can stay focused on the needs of users, validate their assumptions, and set measurable goals for success.

Takeaways

The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding the people problem being solved, validating the problem with evidence, and setting measurable goals for success. By keeping these principles in mind, teams can develop products and features that are meaningful and valuable to users. Additionally, it is crucial to continuously iterate and learn from the results to further improve the user experience.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Julie Zhuo traces her path from studying computer science at Stanford to joining Facebook as an engineering intern in 2006. After an unexpected mentor change placed her beside the design team, she became interested in understanding what people feel, think, and comprehend while using products, eventually leading design for Facebook's core features.

• Successful product development begins with a clearly stated people problem. The statement should sound natural to someone outside the technology industry, remain independent of any proposed app or website, avoid centering the company's ambitions, identify why the difficulty occurs, and recognize that functional, emotional, and social needs can all matter.

• Facebook developed three questions for evaluating whether product work is on track: What people problem are we solving, how do we know it is real, and how will we know if it has been solved? These questions give engineers, designers, and product managers a shared framework for discussing ideas, reviewing products, and assessing outcomes.