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Understanding the Differences between Meta's SWE Product Architecture and System Design Interviews
By Evan King
May 24, 2024

Let me guess, you have the Meta on-site interviews coming up, and your recruiter just offered you a choice between a system design interview and a Product Architecture interview. Naturally, you immediately have two questions:
- What is the difference between product and system design?
- Which one do I have a better chance of doing well in?
Cut to the Chase
What is the System Design Interview?
Example System Design Questions
How are you evaluated?

- Problem navigation: Interviewers are keen to see how well you can dive into the heart of the challenge. They'll look for your ability to pinpoint and tackle the key issues in a system's design. This often involves sorting out the most pressing needs and knowing where to focus your efforts for maximum impact.
- Solution design: Here, it's all about your knack for creating system architectures that are not just functional, but scalable and resilient too. The interviewer will observe how you balance the delicate act of juggling performance, scalability, maintenance ease, and cost efficiency in your design.
- Technical excellence: You'll be expected to showcase a deep understanding of various tech tools and practices. This is where your expertise really shines – demonstrating that you're not just up to date, but possibly ahead of the curve when it comes to the latest in system design.
- Technical communication: One of the key skills you need to demonstrate is your ability to clearly articulate your ideas. It's not just about what you design, but how you explain it. The interviewer will look for clarity in your communication, ensuring you can convey complex ideas in a way that's understandable to everyone, technical background or not.
How to prepare?
- Go to the Common Problem breakdowns here.
- Choose a problem, read the title, and open up an Excalidraw whiteboard (this is what you'll use in your Meta interview).
- Start a 35 minutes times (the amount of time you'll have in your interview) and try to solve the problem following the delivery framework outlined here.
- At the end of the 35 minutes, you'll recognize the concepts you felt shaky on. Open up ChatGPT or Google and answer your own questions.
- Lastly, head back to the answer key and compare your solution to the one provided.
- Rinse and repeat for all common problems, starting with the ones linked above.
What is the Product Architecture Interview?
Example Product Architecture Questions
- Design Just the UX and APIs for Newsfeed
How are you evaluated?
- Problem Navigation: This is about how you identify and approach the core issues at hand. In System Design, this means dissecting large-scale, complex systems and pinpointing scalability and reliability challenges. In Product Architecture, however, it revolves around understanding user needs and how different components of a product interact to fulfill these needs. Your ability to navigate through these challenges and set priorities will be under scrutiny.
- Solution Design: Here, your capability to devise effective solutions is evaluated. In System Design interviews, this translates to creating architectures that are scalable, efficient, and robust. In Product Architecture, the focus shifts to creating functional, user-friendly, and intuitive solutions. The emphasis in Product Architecture is on the practical implementation of features that directly impact user experience and product functionality.
- Technical Excellence: Regardless of the interview type, a high level of technical proficiency is imperative. In System Design, this means demonstrating a thorough understanding of complex, distributed systems and the latest in scalable architecture. In Product Architecture, it's more about showcasing your expertise in API design, data modeling, and client-server dynamics. It's essential to show that you're not only technically adept but also current with the latest trends and best practices in your field.
- Technical Communication: Clear and effective communication is critical in both interview types. However, the content of your communication will vary. In System Design, you'll be explaining complex systems and architectures, often involving abstract concepts. In Product Architecture, your communication should clearly convey how the product features you design will enhance user experience and meet the product's functional objectives.
How to prepare?
- Go to the Common Problem breakdowns here.
- Choose a problem, read the title, and open up an Excalidraw whiteboard (this is what you'll use in your Meta interview).
- Start a 35 minutes times (the amount of time you'll have in your interview) and try to solve the problem following the delivery framework outlined here.
- At the end of the 35 minutes, you'll recognize the concepts you felt shaky on. Open up ChatGPT or Google and answer your own questions.
- Lastly, head back to the answer key and compare your solution to the one provided.
- Rinse and repeat for all common problems, starting with the ones linked above.
Same Question, Different Focus
System Design Interview: Designing Ticketmaster
- Database Sharding/Partitioning: You'd discuss strategies for partitioning the database to efficiently manage and access large volumes of event and user data, ensuring quick response times even under heavy load.
- Handling Double Booking: Implementing robust mechanisms, like distributed locks, to prevent issues like double booking of tickets. This would involve a discussion on maintaining data consistency and integrity across distributed systems.
- Scalability for High Traffic Events: Designing the system to scale effectively during peak times, such as high-demand event ticket sales. This could involve strategies like load balancing, caching, and efficient use of resources to handle massive spikes in user traffic.
- Fault Tolerance and High Availability: Ensuring the system remains operational and maintains a high level of performance and reliability, even in the face of hardware failures or network issues.
- Security and Fraud Prevention: Addressing how the system would safeguard against security threats and fraudulent activities, protecting user data and transaction integrity.
Product Architecture Interview: Designing Ticketmaster
- API Design: Developing robust and scalable APIs for tasks like browsing events, handling bookings, and processing payments, with a focus on efficiency and ease of use.
- Data Modeling: Discussing how to model data to support functionalities like personalized event recommendations, user preferences, and real-time ticket availability updates.
- Client-Server Interaction: Ensuring smooth and efficient communication between the user interface and the server, particularly under varying network conditions and device capabilities.
- Feature Implementation: Discussing how to implement and prioritize features like virtual queues for high-demand events, secure payment processing, and user account management.
So, Which Interview Type is Right For You?
Why Opt for System Design?
- Alignment with Experience: If your experience leans more towards large-scale infrastructure, backend systems, or performance optimization, the System Design interview is where you can leverage this expertise. It's an excellent match for those who have a history of tackling challenges in scalability, reliability, and efficiency in complex systems.
- Extensive Resources: The System Design interview preparation benefits from a wealth of resources. Books like "Designing Data-Intensive Applications" by Martin Kleppmann and a long list of online resources like Hello Interview's AI Mocks will get you ready.
- Structured Approach: System Design interviews tend to have a more standardized format, allowing for a systematic and predictable preparation process. Knowing the types of questions and scenarios to expect can be a significant advantage.
- Broad Relevance: Skills honed for System Design interviews are widely applicable across a variety of engineering roles. This universality means that the effort you put into preparing for this type of interview can benefit your career long-term, beyond just the interview at Meta.
Why Opt for Product Architecture?
- Demonstrate Specific Expertise: If you have strong experience in full-stack or backend development, particularly with user-facing features, the Product Architecture interview is an ideal platform to showcase these skills. This interview type is specifically suited for those who excel in areas like API design and client-server interaction.
- User Experience Focus: This interview type allows you to demonstrate how your technical decisions positively impact the user experience. It's perfect for those passionate about creating intuitive and engaging products that users love.
- Targeted Preparation: Although resources for Product Architecture are less plentiful than for System Design, the available material allows for more focused and in-depth study. Specializing in key areas like API design can give you a distinct edge. Note, the available System Design resources are still of great value for Product Architecture, as there is a ton of overlap.
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Evan, Co-founder of Hello Interview and former Staff engineer at Meta, possesses a unique vantage point having been on both sides of the tech hiring process. With a track record of conducting hundreds of interviews and securing offers from top tech companies himself, he is now on a mission to help others do the same.
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