Brainstorming Ideas Into Designs

Use this before any creative work - creating features, building components, adding functionality, or modifying behavior.

Overview

Turn ideas into fully formed designs through collaborative dialogue. Understand before implementing.

The Process

Understanding the idea:

• Check out current project state first (files, docs, recent changes)
• Ask questions one at a time to refine the idea
• Prefer multiple choice questions when possible
• Only one question per message - break complex topics into multiple questions
• Focus on: purpose, constraints, success criteria

Exploring approaches:

• Propose 2-3 different approaches with trade-offs
• Lead with your recommended option and explain why
• Present options conversationally

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 clarify if something doesn't make sense

After the Design

Documentation:

• Write the validated design to a planning document
• Commit the design before starting implementation

Implementation:

• Ask: "Ready to set up for implementation?"
• Use writing-plans.md skill to create detailed implementation plan

Key Principles

• One question at a time - Don't overwhelm with multiple questions
• Multiple choice preferred - Easier to answer when possible
• YAGNI ruthlessly - Remove unnecessary features from designs
• Explore alternatives - Always propose 2-3 approaches before settling
• Incremental validation - Present design in sections, validate each
• Be flexible - Go back and clarify when something doesn't make sense

When to Use

Use this skill when the task directly matches the workflow described above.

When Not to Use

Do not use this skill when the request is unrelated, low-stakes, or better handled by a simpler direct response.