How do you explain your systems design choices?

1 Know your audience

The first step is to understand who you are talking to and what they need to know. Different audiences have different levels of technical knowledge, interests, and concerns. For example, stakeholders may care more about the business value, scalability, and reliability of your system, while developers may care more about the data structures, algorithms, and trade-offs of your system. You should tailor your explanation to suit the audience's background, goals, and expectations.

2 Use diagrams and examples

The second step is to use visual aids and concrete examples to illustrate your design choices. Diagrams can help you show the high-level components, interactions, and flows of your system, as well as the key design principles and patterns you applied. Examples can help you demonstrate how your system works in specific scenarios, such as normal operation, failure cases, and edge cases. You should use clear and consistent notation, labels, and colors for your diagrams and examples, and explain any assumptions or simplifications you made.

3 Highlight the benefits and trade-offs

The third step is to highlight the benefits and trade-offs of your design choices. You should explain why you chose a certain approach, technology, or tool over other alternatives, and how it helps you achieve the requirements and constraints of the problem. You should also acknowledge the limitations and drawbacks of your design choices, and how you mitigated or accepted them. You should be honest and objective about the pros and cons of your system, and avoid overselling or underselling your solution.

4 Anticipate the questions and feedback

The fourth step is to anticipate the questions and feedback you may receive from your audience, and prepare your answers and responses. You should think about the common or likely questions that may arise from your design choices, such as how you tested your system, how you measured its performance, how you handled security and privacy issues, and how you planned for future changes and extensions. You should also be open to constructive feedback and suggestions, and show how you can incorporate them into your system or improve your design.

5 Practice and refine

The fifth step is to practice and refine your explanation before you present it to your audience. You should rehearse your explanation with a colleague, a friend, or yourself, and check if it is clear, concise, and coherent. You should also review your diagrams and examples, and make sure they are accurate, relevant, and consistent. You should also seek feedback from others who have experience or expertise in systems design, and learn from their insights and tips.

6 Follow up and document

The sixth step is to follow up and document your explanation after you present it to your audience. You should thank your audience for their time, attention, and feedback, and answer any remaining or follow-up questions they may have. You should also document your explanation in a written or recorded format, and share it with your audience and other relevant parties. You should also update your documentation as your system evolves or changes, and keep it up to date and accessible.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?