Interview Question: Tell me about a time you had to explain a technical concept to a non-technical person.
Great engineers can communicate complex ideas simply. Interviewers want to see you can bridge the gap between technical and non-technical worlds—a critical skill for collaboration with product, design, leadership, and customers.
What Interviewers Are Looking For
- Empathy: Can you understand their perspective and knowledge level?
- Simplification: Can you remove jargon without losing meaning?
- Analogies: Can you relate technical concepts to familiar ideas?
- Focus on Impact: Can you explain why it matters to them?
STAR Framework
S - Situation
What concept did you need to explain? Who was the audience?
A - Action
- Assess their existing knowledge
- Use analogies and visual aids
- Focus on business impact, not technical details
- Check for understanding and adjust
R - Result
They understood and made an informed decision.
✓ Strong Answer
"I needed to explain our caching strategy to the CEO. Instead of talking about Redis and TTLs, I used a library analogy: 'Instead of walking to the warehouse for every book request, we keep popular books at the front desk.' Then I translated to business impact: 'This will make our app 3x faster and reduce server costs by 40%.' They immediately approved the project."