Brainstorming Ideas Into Designs

Overview

Transform rough ideas into fully-formed designs through structured questioning and alternative exploration.

Core principle: Ask questions to understand, explore alternatives, present design incrementally for validation.

Announce skill usage at start of session.

When to Use This Skill

Activate this skill when:

• Request contains "I have an idea for..." or "I want to build..."
• User asks "help me design..." or "what's the best approach for..."
• Requirements are vague or high-level
• Multiple approaches might work
• Before writing any code or implementation plans

The Three-Phase Process

Phase 1: Understanding

Goal: Gather purpose, constraints, and success criteria.

Process:

• Check current project state in working directory
• Ask ONE question at a time to refine the idea
• Use AskUserQuestion tool when presenting multiple choice options
• Gather: Purpose, constraints, success criteria

Tool Usage: Use AskUserQuestion for clarifying questions with 2-4 clear options.

Example: "Where should the authentication data be stored?" with options for Session storage, Local storage, Cookies, each with trade-off descriptions.

See references/example-session-auth.md for complete Phase 1 example.

Phase 2: Exploration

Goal: Propose 2-3 different architectural approaches with explicit trade-offs.

Process:

• Propose 2-3 different approaches
• For each: Core architecture, trade-offs, complexity assessment
• Use AskUserQuestion tool to present approaches as structured choices
• Include trade-off comparison table when helpful

Trade-off Format:

See references/example-session-dashboard.md for complete Phase 2 example with SSE vs WebSockets vs Polling comparison.

Phase 3: Design Presentation

Goal: Present complete design incrementally, validating each section.

Process:

• Present in 200-300 word sections
• Cover: Architecture, components, data flow, error handling, testing
• Ask after each section: "Does this look right so far?"
• Use open-ended questions to allow freeform feedback

Typical Sections:

1. Architecture overview
2. Component details
3. Data flow
4. Error handling
5. Security considerations
6. Implementation priorities

Validation Pattern: After each section, pause for feedback before proceeding to next section.

Tool Usage Guidelines

Use AskUserQuestion Tool For:

• Phase 1: Clarifying questions with 2-4 clear options
• Phase 2: Architectural approach selection (2-3 alternatives)
• Any decision with distinct, mutually exclusive choices
• When options have clear trade-offs to explain

Benefits:

• Structured presentation of options with descriptions
• Clear trade-off visibility
• Forces explicit choice (prevents vague "maybe both" responses)

Use Open-Ended Questions For:

• Phase 3: Design validation
• When detailed feedback or explanation is needed
• When the user should describe their own requirements
• When structured options would limit creative input

Non-Linear Progression

Flexibility is key. Go backward when needed - don't force linear progression.

Return to Phase 1 when:

• User reveals new constraint during Phase 2 or 3
• Validation shows fundamental gap in requirements
• Something doesn't make sense

Return to Phase 2 when:

• User questions the chosen approach during Phase 3
• New information suggests a different approach would be better

Continue forward when:

• All requirements are clear
• Chosen approach is validated
• No new constraints emerge

Key Principles

After Brainstorming Completes

Consider these optional next steps:

• Document the design in project's design documentation
• Break down the design into actionable implementation tasks
• Create a git branch or workspace for isolated development

Use templates in assets/design-doc-template.md and assets/decision-matrix-template.md for structured documentation.

Examples

Complete brainstorming sessions:

• references/example-session-auth.md - Authentication storage design (JWT vs Session vs Cookies)
• references/example-session-dashboard.md - Real-time dashboard design (SSE vs WebSockets vs Polling)

Output templates:

• assets/design-doc-template.md - Structured design document format
• assets/decision-matrix-template.md - Weighted decision comparison format