Product Manager Interview (+ AI PM) · Product Sense & Design · Lesson 2 of 3
The CIRCLES method
CIRCLES is the most-cited structure for product-design questions. It keeps you organized and makes your thinking legible to the interviewer, who is grading structure as much as ideas.
- C — Comprehend the situation: clarify scope, goal, and constraints.
- I — Identify the customer: choose a user segment (persona).
- R — Report the customer's needs: their jobs, pains, and gains.
- C — Cut through prioritization: pick the needs worth solving now.
- L — List solutions: brainstorm several ideas for the chosen need.
- E — Evaluate trade-offs: weigh solutions on impact vs effort / risk.
- S — Summarize your recommendation: state the pick and why.
Signpost the stepsSay the step names out loud: 'First let me comprehend the goal… now let me identify the user…'. Signposting shows structure and keeps you (and the interviewer) oriented — a huge, cheap scoring win.
Don't recite CIRCLES robotically — it's a scaffold, not a script. Spend your time where the value is (usually needs → prioritize → evaluate) and move fast through the obvious parts.
◆ Lock it in
- CIRCLES = Comprehend, Identify, Report needs, Cut/prioritize, List, Evaluate, Summarize.
- Signpost each step out loud — structure is graded directly.
- It's a scaffold, not a script — spend time on needs, prioritization, and trade-offs.
Feynman drill — say it out loudWalk through the CIRCLES steps and say which two steps usually deserve the most airtime.
Step 1 rate your confidence · Step 2 pick your answer
What does the 'E' in CIRCLES stand for?
Step 1 — how sure are you?