System Design Interview Tip #4: Tackling deep dive

Deep dive is where we shine. Use this opportunity to demonstrate our ability to identify problems and develop solutions with well-justified trade-offs.

Following our 4-step interview framework, by the time we reach the deep dive section, we should have accumulated a list of potential deep dive topics discovered during high level design.

From the list, rank the topics by importance. The more critical the issue the better it is for a deeper dive.

Here are some suggestions on how to tackle each one.

1. Clearly articulate why it is a problem and why it is important to solve.
2. Propose solutions. In an interview setting, two are usually enough.
3. Discuss trade-offs.
4. Pick a solution and defend our decision with strong technical reasoning. Engage the interviewer and resolve any disagreement.

What were some of your favorite deep dive discussions?

Published: 2022-05-23