Step 1: Master the Problem Statement

Here's a scenario that happens all the time: An engineer gets excited about a system design problem and immediately starts drawing boxes and talking about microservices.

Two hours later, they realize they've designed something completely different from what was asked.

Understanding the problem statement is your foundation. Everything else builds on top of this understanding.

Consider this example:

• Problem: "Design a URL shortener that handles 100 million requests per month"
• Wrong approach: Design for 1 billion requests (over-engineering)
• Right approach: Design specifically for 100 million requests

When you design within constraints, you create highly optimized solutions. And here's the magic:

A system optimized for 100 million can often scale to 200 million or even 1 billion with minor adjustments.

Constraints aren't limitations - they're your guide to building the perfect solution for the actual problem.