Category: quiz

redesignAnswer: If two 12-packs of Diet Pepsi cost $6.98, how much does one cost?

Rakesh Agrawal

Like many marketing and pricing questions, this one doesn’t have a “right” answer. It depends on the philosophy of the company and what you’re trying to achieve.

Here, you’re balancing the consumer desire for “fairness” with the desire to maximize either revenue or margin.

The “fair” answer is $3.49, which is exactly half of the cost for two. The revenue maximization answer is $6.97, because it basically forces everyone to buy two.

There are other considerations, too:

  • Will you look like you’re forcing consumers into bad choices? Especially with health concerns, you might look dickish to regulators. A great example of this is when McDonald’s offered 1 pie for 99 cents and two pies for $1. This played into the notion that McDonald’s wants you to eat poorly. Bad for PR.
  • CPGs like PepsiCo offer a wide range of marketing incentives depending on volume.

In general, I find that stores like Target tend toward the “fair” end of the spectrum in unit pricing. Drug stores such as, Walgreen’s and CVS, and C-stores, like 7-11, tend toward the revenue maximization.

The picture in the question was taken at a 7-11. The price for two was $6.98. The price for one was “up to $5.99” on the sign. I didn’t try to buy a single unit just to see what the actual price was.

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redesignAnswer: The easiest, most productive way to improve @Uber screen is…

Rakesh Agrawal

… to add the color of the vehicle.

Having the picture of the driver, type of vehicle or license plate number isn’t useful when you’re trying to spot the car from a block and a half way.

You can see color from a block and a half or two blocks. (Depending on the size of the blocks, of course.) If you’re well versed in vehicle models, you might be able to see it from half a block or a block. (Unless it’s a Prius, of which there are many.) You certainly can’t read the license plate until the driver is a few feet away.

The driver’s picture is useless until the driver is right in front of you. Maybe when the driver is within 10-20 feet, the map and the vehicle info zooms into a picture of the driver.

Putting the color of the vehicle would be a huge improvement.

It would make it easer:

  • For passengers to find their driver.
  • Get passengers to hold their phone out or otherwise signal the driver.

It would also prevent incidents like what happened to me on Sunday — the driver sped past me at at least 30 mph. And then backed up several hundred feet in one-way traffic. Clearly unacceptable in my book.

redesignQuiz: What’s the easiest, most productive way to improve this @uber screen?

Rakesh Agrawal2 Comments

Difficulty: Moderate. Sam got it in about 15 seconds, but she is brilliant.

One small change to this screen would greatly enhance this Uber experience. What is it?

Uber screen

redesignAnswer: What the paper clip is for

Rakesh Agrawal

I use the paper clip primarily for ejecting SIMs. I also some times use it to reset routers and other similar devices.

Other people responded: to clean keyboards (I use business cards for that) and hanging things. Most paper clips probably won’t bear much load, but you could hang light things.

Apparently there a couple of other things people discovered in that photo.

redesignQuiz: Why was I able to buy a $140 Virgin America ticket from Expedia for $91?

Rakesh Agrawal1 Comment

Difficulty level: Hard. But you can solve this without detailed knowledge of the airline industry.

Last night, I was trying to a book ticket LAX-SFO on July 14. I’m going to YxYY in Palm Springs and need a way to get back home. Around 9:55, I did a Kayak search, as I often do, to start the process. I saw that Virgin America had a fare of $91. I went to the Virgin America site and saw the $91 fare. After I selected the seat, I got a message that my seat was taken. I re-ran the search and saw that the lowest fare on July 14 was now $140. I checked on Priceline. Same thing.

I looked at the clock. It was now 10:03. I knew exactly what to do: I went to Expedia and booked the ticket for $91. In addition to inconveniencing me, Virgin America lost whatever they have to pay to Expedia.

Why was I able to book the ticket for $91?

Note that this is not a one-time fluke where there is a fare mistake. I have taken advantage of those in the past; I once flew roundtrip business class to London for less than $91.

If you’re in the travel industry, instead of commenting, please send your answer to redesign@agrawals.org.

The solution is here.