I went straight to the basics first, capacity, floors, buttons, which in hindsight was probably the most boring possible read of the prompt.
Start by clarifying the scope and goals of the elevator design—who are the users, what building type, and what constraints exist—then propose a bold, user-centric vision that leverages emerging technologies. Structure your answer around a clear framework that balances creativity with feasibility, and be ready to iterate based on feedback.
Pro tip: Anchor your creative ideas in a deep understanding of user pain points and business viability; Google values moonshots that are grounded in real user needs and have a plausible path to implementation.
Ask questions to understand the context: Is this for a skyscraper, a low-rise, or a new city? Who are the primary users? What are the budget, safety, and regulatory constraints? This ensures your design is relevant and addresses real needs.
Identify key user groups (e.g., daily commuters, elderly, disabled, delivery robots) and their frustrations with current elevators: wait times, crowding, accessibility, energy efficiency. This human-centered lens will drive meaningful innovation.
Generate creative ideas that address the pain points: AI-powered predictive dispatching, personalized destination control, modular elevator pods that move horizontally and vertically, energy-regenerative systems, or integration with building IoT for seamless journeys.
Evaluate ideas based on impact vs. feasibility. Select one or two high-potential concepts to develop further, outlining a minimal viable product (MVP) and how you would test it (e.g., simulation, pilot in a Google office).
Propose metrics like average wait time, user satisfaction, energy consumption, and throughput. Describe how you would gather feedback and iterate to improve the design over time.
AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.