Have you ever felt stuck trying to pinpoint the most pressing customer pain points in a Product Sense interview? Here’s the trick: think like you’re playing Family Feud.

If you’re in the middle of Product Sense interview prep, few things are more important than identifying solid pain points. To excel, you need to focus on the issues that matter most to the customer group you’ve chosen. Instead of simply evaluating which pain points have the most “impact” or “reach,” imagine yourself playing a round of Family Feud, where the category is the pain points of your selected customer group.

Here’s how to do it right:

Start With the Right Customer Group

The key to identifying meaningful pain points lies in your choice of customer group. Define distinct groups based on real differences in behavior and needs. This will make sure you will have pain points that are specific to your group instead of generic pain points applicable to anyone. For example:

• Daily Commuters: These people likely know their parking routines but might struggle with occasional disruptions.

• Occasional Travelers: Urban residents who use cars sporadically for errands or outings. They may face unpredictable parking challenges.

• Tourists: Visitors unfamiliar with a city who value convenience and ease of navigation.

Each of these groups experiences parking differently, and understanding their specific journeys will help you focus your analysis.

Play Family Feud With Pain Points

Now, imagine a Family Feud board. The top answers represent the most obvious and widely shared pain points for your selected customer group. For occasional travelers, for instance, the board might look like this:

1. I don’t know where to find available parking.

2. I’m worried about the safety of my car.

3. I want to park close to my destination.

Do these seem to obvious? Good, that means they will be high on the Family Feud board. Avoid overthinking or trying to be too creative—your goal is to identify the issues your customer group would unanimously agree are real pain points. Save your creativity for the solutions section.

Empathize Through the User Journey

If you’re having trouble thinking of pain points, put yourself in their shoes by evaluating their customer journey.Let’s take the example of an occasional traveler running an errand across town:

1. Before leaving home: They grab their keys, hop in the car, and punch their destination into Google Maps.

2. En route: They start navigating, but parking isn’t on their radar yet. They’re focused on getting there.

3. Arrival: They realize they have no idea where to park. Stress levels rise as they circle the block, unsure if available spots are legal, safe, or too far from their destination.

This exercise can be an internal one while you think of pain points. The key here is to feel the sweat on your brow. Experience the customer’s pain as much as possible! That’s empathy—that’s what it takes.

Final Thoughts

Remember, your goal is to identify the biggest, baddest pain points. Usually those pain points are the most obvious, not the least. You don’t earn any points from thinking of clever but unrealistic pain points.

Get this right, and you won’t just stand out—you’ll demonstrate the kind of product intuition companies are eager to hire.