Bloomberg System Design Interview: Secure Client Portal

The interviewer opens

Hello, and thanks for joining. Welcome to your interview for the Senior Software Engineer role at Bloomberg. We'll design a system together, with you sketching on the whiteboard on the right of your screen as you talk, and you can pause at any time with the Pause button at the top right if you need a break.

The problem is a client self-service portal for a financial data company, which fits well with how sensitive client data is handled at Bloomberg. It's up in the Problem tab, so please read through it and ask anything you'd like clarified before you start drawing.

The problem

Design a web application where users of a financial data company can onboard, reset their password, request information about companies, and raise IT help requests. Each capability must be deployable independently, and the data handled is highly sensitive financial information.

Must do

• New users can onboard: register, verify identity, and get an account
• Users can reset a forgotten password
• Users can request and view information about companies they are entitled to
• Users can raise IT help requests and track their status

Must hold

• Every request must be authenticated and validated; data is highly sensitive
• Each capability can be deployed independently without taking others down