📐 LLD Interview Notes | LLD's Notes
📐 Low-Level Design (LLD)
Interview Preparation Notes
Tilak's Personal Study Notes — Campus Placement Edition
📅 Date 📚 Subject 🎯 Focus
May 2026 LLD Fundamentals Interviews
1. What is LLD?
Low-Level Design (LLD) is the detailed design of software components done BEFORE writing actual
code. It is the blueprint for how each class and method in your system will work.
▶ Core Focus Areas of LLD
• Classes — What classes exist and what they represent
• Objects — How instances behave and interact
• Methods — What operations each class exposes
• Relationships — How classes relate (inheritance, composition, association)
• Data Flow — How data moves between components
• Internal Logic — The algorithmic decisions inside each component
💡 Simple Definition: LLD explains HOW each module of the system will actually work
internally — not just WHAT it does, but the step-by-step mechanics behind it.
▶ LLD as a Bridge
LLD sits between two worlds:
High-Level Design ⟶ 📐 LLD → Actual Code
(Architecture) Takes abstract modules and defines the concrete classes,
relationships, and logic that developers will implement.
2. Real Industry Meaning of LLD
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📐 LLD Interview Notes | LLD's Notes
In real companies, LLD is far more than just drawing a class diagram. It is a professional discipline with
real business consequences.
▶ What LLD Really Means in Industry
• Maintainable Code — Writing
• Reusable Components — Designing
• Bugs — Reducing
• Easy to Extend — Making systems
• Multiple Developers — Helping
• Future Requirements Safely — Handling
🎯 Main Goal: Build software that can SURVIVE changes in the future. A good LLD today
saves weeks of debugging and refactoring later.
3. HLD vs LLD — Full Comparison
Understanding the difference between HLD and LLD is a common interview question. Be ready to
explain both with examples.
Aspect HLD (High-Level Design) LLD (Low-Level Design)
Focus System architecture Internal class design
Perspective Big picture view Detailed implementation
Components Modules / Services Classes / Methods
Abstraction Abstract Concrete & Detailed
Example Payment Service (module) PaymentProcessor class
Who reads it? Architects & Managers Developers
Output Architecture diagram Class diagrams, code logic
📌 Interview Tip: HLD answers 'WHAT modules exist and HOW they communicate'. LLD
answers 'HOW each module is implemented internally with classes and methods'.
4. Real Example — Food Delivery App
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📐 LLD Interview Notes | LLD's Notes
Let's walk through how HLD and LLD differ on a concrete, interview-relevant example: a food delivery
application (think Swiggy or Zomato).
HLD View 📐 LLD View
Modules defined: Classes & interfaces:
• User Module • [Link]
• Payment Module • [Link]
• Order Module • PaymentStrategy (interface)
• Restaurant Module • [Link]
• Delivery Module • Database handling logic
• Validation logic
🔑 Key Insight: HLD says 'we need a Payment Module'. LLD says 'the Payment Module has
a PaymentStrategy interface, with UPI, Card, and Wallet as concrete implementations —
this is the Strategy Pattern'.
5. Main Goals of Good LLD
A well-designed LLD produces a system with these six core qualities. In interviews, you should be able
to explain each with an example.
Goal Why It Matters
🔧 Maintainable Code can be easily understood and modified
by any developer.
🔌 Extensible New features can be added with minimal
changes to existing code.
♻️ Reusable Components can be used across different
parts of the system.
📈 Scalable System can handle increasing load without a
redesign.
🧪 Testable Each component can be independently unit
tested.
📖 Readable Code reads like well-structured, self-
documenting prose.
📝 Interview Tip: If asked 'what makes a good LLD?', mention at least 4 of these 6 goals
with a one-line example each. Examiners love concrete justification.
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📐 LLD Interview Notes | LLD's Notes
6. Quick Revision Checklist
Before your interview, make sure you can confidently answer all of these:
☐ Define LLD in one sentence (focus on HOW, not WHAT)
☐ Explain how LLD bridges HLD and actual code
☐ List 6 real-world goals of LLD (Maintainable, Extensible, Reusable, Scalable, Testable,
Readable)
☐ Compare HLD vs LLD with a concrete example (Food Delivery App)
☐ Explain WHY LLD matters in real industry (team collaboration, future changes)
☐ Name at least 3 classes from the Food Delivery LLD example
7. Key Terms to Know
These terms will appear in LLD interviews. Know each one precisely.
Term Meaning
Class Blueprint/template that defines attributes (fields) and behaviors
(methods) of objects.
Object A specific instance of a class with real values assigned to its
attributes.
Method A function defined inside a class that operates on the object's
data.
Interface A contract that defines WHAT methods a class must implement,
but not HOW.
Inheritance A child class automatically gets all attributes and methods of its
parent class.
Composition 'Has-A' relationship — one class contains an instance of another
as a field.
Abstraction Hiding internal complexity and exposing only what the user of a
class needs.
Encapsulation Bundling data (fields) and methods together, restricting direct
access from outside.
Cohesion How focused a class is on a single responsibility. High cohesion =
good design.
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📐 LLD Interview Notes | LLD's Notes
Term Meaning
Coupling How dependent classes are on each other. Low coupling = easy to
change independently.
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