AI & Technical question

Design an API and schema for a shopping list app.

Practice this question out loud. An AI interviewer asks it, follows up like a real interviewer would, and scores your answer. Type or speak.

What this question tests

Technical product thinking, translating user needs into concrete API endpoints and a data schema.

Clarify the client, mobile app, web, and whether third party integrations like Alexa need access.
Define the core entities, User, List, Item, with attributes like quantity, category, and checked status.
Design the schema, a List belongs to a User and can be shared with other Users, Items belong to a List.
Define the core endpoints, create/get/update/delete for lists and items, plus an endpoint to share a list with collaborators.
Consider real-time sync, e.g. a websocket or polling endpoint so multiple people checking off items see updates live.
Define success criteria for the API design, low latency for item updates and support for offline then sync behavior.

Models sharing and collaboration explicitly in the schema, not just a single-user list, since shopping lists are often shared.
Separates read and write patterns, e.g. a lightweight GET for list summaries versus a detailed GET for full item state.
Addresses real-time or near real-time updates, since multiple people editing the same list concurrently is the core use case.
Mentions offline support, since users check off items in a store with poor connectivity, then sync later.

Chapters of the AI PM course that teach what this question tests.