Tasks
About These Tasks
This is not a test with a correct answer. We are more interested in how you think than what you build.
- You may use existing tools, libraries, papers, blogs, or products
- Make assumptions, but state them clearly
- Trade completeness for clarity
- Timebox yourself to the suggested duration
- Submit whatever best represents your thinking
Timebox: 1–2 hours total
Systems Thinking
You are given an organization with 20+ internal applications, a mix of legacy systems and modern services, and no single source of truth for data. Design a lightweight way to observe how data flows between these systems without rewriting or replacing them. You do not need to implement anything.
- Describe your approach
- Explain why you chose this approach
- Mention what you deliberately chose not to do
- Ability to abstract and simplify
- Restraint in avoiding over-engineering
- Layered thinking over tool-first thinking
Research and Synthesis
Pick one existing product or open-source project that attempts to unify, observe, or move data across systems. Analyze it from first principles.
- What problem the product is actually solving
- Where it works well
- Where it breaks down in real-world organizations
- Sources or references used
- Ability to leverage existing knowledge
- Understanding of context beyond features
- Signal-to-noise filtering
Product Thinking
Imagine a tool that sits on top of existing enterprise systems and gives engineers visibility into what is happening. Design the first user interaction.
- What the first screen shows
- What information is intentionally hidden
- One decision that may frustrate power users and why you would still make it
- Prioritization and taste
- User empathy
- Willingness to make trade-offs
Handling Ambiguity
Consider the statement: 'The system should adapt to existing infrastructure.' Interpret what this could mean, select one interpretation, and explain how you would validate whether it is correct.
- Multiple possible interpretations
- A chosen interpretation
- A validation or feedback mechanism
- Comfort with ambiguity
- Assumption-making
- Feedback-loop driven thinking