Brainstorming Ideas Into Designs

Overview

Turn ideas into fully formed designs through collaborative dialogue. Understand first, explore options, then present the design in digestible sections.

The Process

Understanding the idea:

• •Check current project state first (files, docs, recent commits)
• •Ask questions one at a time
• •Prefer multiple choice when possible
• •Focus on: purpose, constraints, success criteria

Exploring approaches:

• •Propose 2-3 approaches with trade-offs
• •Lead with your recommendation and reasoning

Presenting the design:

• •Once you understand what you're building, present the design
• •Break into sections of 200-300 words
• •Ask after each section whether it looks right
• •Cover: architecture, components, data flow, error handling, testing
• •Be ready to go back and revise

After the Design

Documentation:

• •Write validated design to docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md
• •Commit the design document

Implementation (if continuing):

• •Ask: "Ready to set up for implementation?"
• •Use the git-workflow skill to create an isolated workspace
• •Use the planning skill to create a detailed implementation plan

Key Principles

• •One question at a time — don't overwhelm
• •Multiple choice preferred — easier than open-ended
• •YAGNI ruthlessly — remove unnecessary features
• •Explore alternatives — always propose 2-3 approaches
• •Incremental validation — present in sections, validate each