Ask HN: How to excel in system design interviews with smallscale app experience?

A challenge I'd love the community's input on. Coming from a background of successfully delivering web applications over the last 15 years (mostly small to medium scale), I'm now preparing for interviews where system design plays a crucial role.

While I've mastered building efficient small to medium-scale systems, I find myself in uncharted territory when discussing highly distributed architectures.

I've been studying comprehensive resources (Alex Xu's books, DDIA), but there's still a gap between theory and interview performance.

My main hurdles:

- Converting theoretical knowledge into practical system design proposals

- Steering technical discussions effectively

- Making and defending architectural decisions with solid reasoning

For those who've made this transition:

- What techniques helped you apply book knowledge in interview scenarios?

- How did you develop practical system design skills?

- What helped you discuss large-scale systems convincingly despite limited hands-on experience?

Particularly interested in concrete methods and resources that led to interview success.

Anyone who's crossed this bridge, I'd value your insights!"