IntermediateSITUATIONAL
Suppose your product manager asks you to add a complex new feature to an existing page that already makes several API calls and feels sluggish to users. How would you redesign the client–server interaction to improve both performance and user experience?
Full Stack Developer
General

Sample Answer

I’d step back and treat it as a flow redesign, not just “add one more call.” On a recent dashboard project, the page was doing 7 sequential API calls and initial load was ~6–7 seconds for ~20k users. Before adding a new analytics widget, I worked with the backend engineer to introduce a single aggregated endpoint that returned the core data the page needed in one round trip, and moved all heavy computations server-side. On the client, I split rendering into critical vs. non‑critical. Above‑the‑fold data used the new aggregate endpoint and loaded first; secondary widgets loaded lazily and in parallel. We also added HTTP caching (ETags) and normalized the data in a client store so multiple components reused the same response instead of refetching. Net result: perceived load time dropped to ~1.8 seconds, total API calls on first paint went from 7 to 2, and we were able to add the new feature without any increase in user‑reported slowness.

Keywords

Consolidate multiple API calls into aggregated endpointsPrioritize critical path and lazy‑load non‑critical dataMove heavy computation to the server and enable cachingMeasure and communicate concrete performance improvements
Related Questions

On your resume you mention working on a cross-functional project (e.g., involving multiple teams or stakeholders). Describe a situation from that project where priorities conflicted—how did you navigate the trade-offs and what was the final outcome?

IntermediateSITUATIONAL

Walk me through a recent multi-channel digital marketing campaign you managed end-to-end. How did you set objectives, choose channels, allocate budget, and measure success?

IntermediateBEHAVIORAL

In your civil engineering studies, what specific design coursework or project work did you complete related to irrigation channels or canals (e.g., design of lined/unlined canals, distributaries, minors)? Describe one such design in detail, including how you determined discharge, permissible velocity, section dimensions, and lining choice for Gujarat-type soil and climate conditions.

IntermediateTECHNICAL

Based on your hydrology and irrigation engineering background, explain how you would estimate the irrigation water requirement for a kharif crop in a semi-arid region of Gujarat. Walk me through each step: from reference evapotranspiration estimation, crop coefficient selection, effective rainfall calculation, to arriving at canal discharge for a given command area.

IntermediateTECHNICAL

In your resume you note improving or optimizing [a process, KPI, or metric]. What specific baseline metrics did you start from, what steps did you personally take, and how did you verify that the improvement was due to your changes rather than external factors?

IntermediatePROBLEM_SOLVING