What should you do first in a system design interview?

Question

What should you do first in a system design interview?

Option A

Choose a database and schema

Option B — Correct answer

Clarify functional and non-functional requirements

Good candidates confirm scope before solutioning.

Option C

Estimate hardware cost

Option D

Discuss deployment tooling

Explanation

Requirement clarification defines the scope. Without it, you risk solving the wrong problem.

Quiz: System Design Round Framework