SDOJ: Gamified Interview Prep Platform
InterviewReady
MY ROLE
Product Design & Growth
Brand Strategy
timeline
Apr 2023 - Present
team
Gaurav Sen
Shubham Singh
Mohd. Touseef
Dinkar Sharma
Safwat Imran
Blossom Coelho
project overview
The Challenge
research insights
Identifying Core Needs
Through user research and competitive analysis, we identified two main gaps:
Tools don’t simulate the time-pressured, multi-decision structure of real system design interviews.
Users need a more hands-on, complex problem-solving environment to feel prepared.
These insights shaped our solution: System Design Judge (SDOJ)—a gamified platform that brings real-world complexity to the practice space.
solution overview
SDOJ is an interactive platform offering multi-level, timed puzzles that replicate the real-world demands of system design interviews. This approach combines autonomy, adaptability, and pressure-based challenges to build user confidence.
First Proof of Concept
We started with a basic version of SDOJ to gauge interest and functionality. This proof of concept set the foundation for SDOJ’s core features and gameplay modes.
Key Features
Gamified Decision-Making
User Autonomy: Players control each decision in the interview simulation, facing time penalties for incorrect choices. This contrasts with traditional quizzes, offering users a more realistic sense of control and consequence.
Dynamic Puzzle Generation: Each puzzle adapts based on the user’s skill level, ensuring ongoing challenges that grow with the user.
game mode 1: component puzzle
This mode presents multi-phase system design puzzles where users must balance speed with accuracy.
game mode 2: capacity estimation
This mode challenges users with real-world estimation problems, pushing them to calculate capacity and performance needs under a time limit.
Enhancing User Experience
Mobile-Friendly Version
Recognizing the need for on-the-go practice, we designed mobile-optimized versions of each game mode, enabling users to simulate interviews wherever they are.
Retro Mode
After each session, users receive feedback in a retrospective format, walking them through their decisions with insights on improvement areas. 90% of users found this mode crucial for learning from their mistakes.
Unguided Mode for Advanced Users
Feedback from experienced users led us to introduce an Unguided Mode. This mode increases complexity, allowing users to modify components independently before integrating them. This feature boosted engagement among advanced users by 22%.
results & impact
Games Played: 72,000+ Games played within the first 6 months of launch.
User Confidence: 80% of users report feeling better prepared for interviews.
Satisfaction Score: An average of 4.7/5 rating from users.
Reflection and Future Directions
Working on SDOJ highlighted the power of iterative design and the need to balance simplicity with complexity for diverse skill levels. Moving forward, I aim to expand into industry-specific scenarios and add a peer review feature for collaborative problem-solving. We’re also exploring live, peer-to-peer mock interviews to simulate real interview environments even more closely.
