The core sort wiring wasn't bad, I had state for the sort field and direction and just passed a comparator down.
Start by clarifying the requirements and constraints, then propose a clean, extensible sorting mechanism that can be applied on the client or server side. Discuss trade-offs between client-side and server-side sorting, and how to persist user preference using localStorage or URL query params. Finally, outline a step-by-step implementation plan and mention testing and edge cases.
Pro tip: Demonstrate awareness of scalability and user experience: for large datasets, server-side sorting with pagination is more efficient, but for small datasets, client-side sorting is simpler. Also, using URL query params makes the sort state shareable and bookmarkable, which is often preferred over localStorage.
Ask about expected data volume, whether sorting should be client-side or server-side, and if the sort preference should be shareable via URL. Confirm the desired default sort order.
Propose a comparator function that takes a sort key (timestamp or userId) and direction (asc/desc). If server-side, define API query parameters like ?sortBy=timestamp&order=desc.
Use URL query params for shareability and bookmarking, or localStorage for simplicity. Discuss how to read the preference on page load and update it when the user changes the sort.
Consider empty states, invalid sort keys, and performance with large lists. Write unit tests for the comparator and integration tests for persistence.
Compare client vs server sorting, localStorage vs URL params, and how the design can be extended to support additional sort keys or multi-column sorting.
AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.