Can you walk me through the process you would use to design an application that helped users manage their company health benefits?
During an interview as a senior staff engineer, you may be presented with a technical problem or practical development assignment. The interviewer doesn't expect you to design the application or resolve the problem. They are interested in the process you use to achieve the objective of the exercise. The best way to respond to this type of question is to break the process down into discrete steps, detailing each step and then discussing the results you expect to achieve.
"If I were asked to design an application which helped users manage their company health benefits, the first thing I would do would be to meet with the project stakeholders to discuss their requirements and expected outcomes. I would want to get a clear picture of what they're trying to achieve before beginning the project. I would then create a development plan and review it with the stakeholders to confirm that I accurately captured their requirements. Next, I would assign different parts of the development project to each team member based on their specific skills and experience. Throughout the development, I would assess our progress and take steps to put the project back on track if it fell behind. Before releasing the application into production, I would test its functionality and the results it produced and stress test it to make sure it would work as designed. After the application was released, I would continue to monitor the software and apply any patches or bug fixes necessary to keep it functioning properly."
