I rambled a bit at the start trying to pick the right example, which probably cost me.
Choose a project where you led the design of a complex system, and narrate it as a story: start with the problem and constraints, then walk through your iterative design process, highlighting key decisions and trade-offs. Emphasize how you validated the design and adapted to changing requirements, and conclude with measurable outcomes.
Pro tip: Amazon values customer obsession and ownership, so frame your design decisions around customer impact and long-term maintainability, and explicitly discuss how you incorporated feedback and iterated.
Briefly describe the project, the business problem, and the key requirements and constraints (e.g., scale, latency, cost, team size).
Explain how you gathered requirements, researched options, and defined success criteria, including any collaboration with stakeholders.
Walk through the architecture you proposed, focusing on 2-3 critical decisions, the alternatives considered, and why you chose your approach.
Describe how you tested the design (e.g., prototypes, load tests, reviews) and how you adapted based on feedback or changing conditions.
Conclude with the impact (e.g., performance improvements, cost savings, customer satisfaction) and what you learned or would do differently.
AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.