It would be great if every interview was like this. But I see system design, even at top tier companies, to be similar to leetcode. An algorithmic problem with a standard solution, where the interviewer is looking for that standard solution. There is more degrees of freedom, but not really. Interviewers are looking for memorized answers from the same few prep materials.
Unfortunately, that type of experience is becoming more and more common, and that speaks to the interviewers and their lack of understanding of the whys of the systems design interview process itself...
I suppose this is one more sad byproduct of the title/level-inflation or skill-dilution that has been happening across industry, as well as the 'gamification' of the interview process on both sides.
Some interviewers can also end up being lazy as well.
