How would you design Instagram?

Question

I've gotten this problem _twice_ now from Trendy SV Companies and I've come up short each time. I'm clearly missing something in my explanation. If you give this problem, could you walk through the solution please?Cheers!

natdempk · Accepted Answer

Can you talk a little more about the types of roles you're interviewing for and what your typical answer looks like? I think that would be useful to provide more context for any answer.

gitgud · Answer

Well that's a flawed question, as no one ever designed instagram, it evolved through iteration to its current state.
If you tried to clone instagram now, it would take years to replicate every feature (for a single dev).
A better answer is to say you would design instagram the way they originally did.... Start with a simple photo sharing platform and add features based on user feedback and demand.
That way you're solving problems people are having, not copying a solution that already exists.