System Design Templates

Templates are the repeatable structure you use under interview pressure. Use them as checklists, not scripts: adapt the depth to the prompt and the interviewer’s follow-up.

Templates

• HLD template - requirements, scale, API, data model, architecture, bottlenecks, and tradeoffs.
• LLD template - entities, APIs, classes, state, patterns, and extensibility.
• Interview framework (RESHADED) - a 7-step driver for unknown system-design prompts.

Visual Enrichment Steps

Use Docs visual enrichment workflow sparingly here. The strongest visuals are one-page flowcharts that show how the interview moves from requirements to design, bottlenecks, and tradeoffs.