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Fix unclear delivery addresses

UberTechnical Program Manager · Technical Screen
MediumTechnical Program ManagerTechnical ScreenProduct / Decision Making

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Diagnose and fix unclear delivery addresses in a marketplace delivery product. Covers root-cause analysis, risky-address detection, address validation, courier recovery, metrics, guardrails, and phased rollout.

A customer does not receive a delivery because the delivery address is unclear.

As a product or operations leader, explain how you would diagnose the root cause, prioritize solutions, and improve the delivery experience for both customers and couriers.

Constraints & Assumptions

  • Do not jump straight to one feature; first define the failure mode and quantify impact.
  • Consider the full journey: address entry, geocoding, pin placement, courier navigation, arrival, contact, and handoff.
  • Balance prevention with recovery when a courier is already at the destination.
  • Avoid adding unnecessary checkout friction for low-risk orders.

Clarifying Questions to Ask

  • What does "does not receive delivery" mean: cancellation, refund, wrong dropoff, late handoff, or customer unavailable?
  • Which markets, address types, and order types are most affected?
  • Are failures concentrated in apartments, campuses, malls, offices, hotels, or new developments?
  • What data do we have on geocoding confidence, courier wait time, support contacts, and refunds?

Follow-up questions

  • How would you detect a risky address before checkout?
  • How would you design the courier recovery flow?
  • What data would you store from successful handoffs?
  • How would you avoid making checkout worse for most users?