Brainstorming Ideas Into Designs

Goal

Transform "vague ideas/requirements" into

actionable designs and specifications

, producing reusable file artifacts (rather than just staying in chat).

Key requirement:

Ask only one question at a time

. If a topic is complex, break it into multiple rounds of Q&A—don't throw out a checklist all at once.

Core Process (Must Follow)

0) Check Project Context First (Required When Repo Exists)

Before asking questions, quickly check:

Key documentation:

README.md

,

docs/

,

design-system.md

(if exists)

Tech stack and constraints:

package.json

/

Cargo.toml

/

pyproject.toml

etc.

Structure overview: top-level directories, main modules

Recent changes:

git log -n 10 --oneline

(if it's a git repo)

Output a

very brief

context summary: what you observed + possible constraint points (don't start designing yet).

1) Understand the Idea (One Question at a Time)

Goal is to gather the minimum information set (purpose / constraints / success criteria).

Rules:

Each message asks

1 question

only

Prefer multiple choice (reduce user's cognitive load), use open questions only when necessary

Ask direction-determining questions first (goals/success criteria/non-goals), then details

2) Explore Solutions (2-3 Options + Trade-offs)

After you understand the requirements:

Provide 2-3 options (A/B/C)

Explain trade-offs for each (complexity/risk/iteration speed/long-term cost)

Give your recommended option first

, then explain why

3) Output Design (200-300 Word Segments + Confirm Each)

When you're confident you understand what needs to be done, start outputting the design spec.

Requirements:

Output in segments (~200-300 words each)

Ask for confirmation at the end of each segment: e.g., "Does this look good?"

Design should at least cover:

Architecture and module boundaries

Core data flow (input → processing → output)

Error handling and edge cases

Testing and validation strategy (minimum viable set)

If user disagrees with a segment: go back to questioning/option phase to clarify—don't push forward.

Artifacts and Persistence (Strongly Recommended)

Write Design Document

Prefer writing to run directory (artifact-first):

run_dir/evidence/YYYY-MM-DD--design.md

If there's no

run_dir

but there is a

repo_root

:

Create

runs/brainstorm/active//

, and write design to

evidence/

Note: Writing files is a write operation; if this is the user's project repo, confirm "should I persist to the project?" before writing.

Enter Implementation (Optional)

After design is confirmed, ask one question to let user choose next step:

Enter implementation directly (recommend

workflow-ship-faster

or

workflow-feature-shipper

)

Write implementation plan first (persist as checklist items in

run_dir/tasks.md

, then wait for confirmation)

Need research/code reading first (split to

run_dir/evidence/parallel//

and do in parallel)

Key Principles

One question at a time

Never ask 5 questions in one message

Multiple choice preferred

Help user respond faster and more effectively

YAGNI

Actively remove "not needed yet" features from the design

Incremental validation

Output design in segments, confirm each one