Brainstorming Ideas Into Designs

Turn ideas into designs through collaborative dialogue, BEFORE any code. Pairs with Brian's 14-independent-idea-engine and the SUPREME "brainstorm-first" rule.

"Too simple to need a design" is the trap

"Simple" projects (todo list, one-function util, config change) hide the most unexamined assumptions. Design can be a few sentences — but present it and get approval.

Checklist (one task each, in order)

1. Explore project context — files, docs, recent commits. Follow existing patterns.
2. Offer the visual companion just-in-time — NOT upfront. Offer (own message) the first time a question is genuinely clearer shown than told; never if no visual question arises. See visual-companion.md.
3. Ask clarifying questions — one per message, multiple-choice preferred. Purpose / constraints / success criteria.
4. Propose 2-3 approaches — trade-offs, lead with your recommendation + why.
5. Present design — sections scaled to complexity (sentences → 200-300 words). Approval after each. Cover architecture, components, data flow, error handling, testing.
6. Write design doc — docs/superpowers/specs/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md (user pref overrides path), commit.
7. Spec self-review — inline scan: placeholders/TBD, contradictions, ambiguity, scope. Fix and move on; no re-review.
8. User reviews written spec — ask, wait. Changes → fix + re-review. Proceed only on approval.
9. Transition — invoke writing-plans. This is the ONLY skill you invoke next — never frontend-design, mcp-builder, or any other implementation skill.

Scope before refining

• If the request spans multiple independent subsystems (chat + storage + billing + analytics), flag it BEFORE refining details.
• Too large for one spec → decompose into sub-projects (pieces, relations, build order); brainstorm the first through the normal flow. Each sub-project gets its own spec → plan → implement cycle.

Design for isolation

• Split into units with one clear purpose, well-defined interfaces, independently testable. For each: what it does, how to use it, what it depends on.
• Can someone understand a unit without reading internals? Can you change internals without breaking consumers? If not, boundaries need work. A file growing large signals it does too much.

Working in existing code

• Explore structure first; follow existing patterns.
• Fold in targeted improvements where existing problems affect the work (oversized file, tangled responsibilities) — like a good dev improving code they touch. No unrelated refactoring.

Principles

• One question at a time; multiple-choice preferred.
• YAGNI ruthlessly. Always explore 2-3 approaches. Validate incrementally. Go back and clarify when something doesn't fit.

Visual Companion (summary)

A browser tool, not a mode — available for visual questions, doesn't route every question through the browser.

• Offer just-in-time, as its own message — no other content. Wait for response. Accept → start server with --open. Decline → text-only, don't re-offer.
• Decide per question: would the user understand this better seen than read? Browser for mockups / wireframes / layout comparisons / diagrams; terminal for requirements / concepts / tradeoffs / scope. A UI topic is not automatically a visual question.
• On accept, read visual-companion.md before proceeding.