Brainstorming Ideas Into Designs

Overview

Transform ideas into comprehensive designs through structured dialogue.

Core principle: Progressive refinement through targeted questions, then present approaches with trade-offs.

Announce at start: "I'm using the brainstorming skill to explore this idea."

The Process

Phase 1: Understanding the Idea

1. Assess current state - What exists today?
2. Ask clarifying questions - One at a time, prefer multiple choice
3. Refine progressively - Each answer narrows scope

Question patterns:

• "What problem does this solve?"
• "Who is the primary user?"
• "What are the constraints?"
• "What does success look like?"

Phase 2: Exploring Approaches

Present 2-3 approaches with trade-offs:

• Lead with recommended option
• Explain rationale clearly
• Show contrast between options

Phase 3: Presenting Design

Break into sections of 200-300 words:

• Architecture
• Components
• Data flow
• Error handling
• Testing approach

Validate after each section.

After the Design

Documentation:

• Write to docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<feature-name>.md
• Commit to git

Implementation:

• Confirm readiness
• Use appropriate skills for execution

Key Principles

• One question at a time (avoid overwhelm)
• Prefer multiple choice options
• YAGNI: ruthlessly remove unnecessary features
• Validate incrementally

Red Flags - STOP

• Skipping questioning phase
• Presenting single approach only
• Assuming requirements without validation
• Over-engineering features not needed