Brainstorming Ideas Into Designs

Turn ideas into fully formed designs through natural collaborative dialogue.

Process: Understand context → Ask questions one at a time → Explore approaches → Present design incrementally → Validate each section.

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Phase 1: Understanding

Check Project Context

Before asking questions:

• Review relevant files, docs, recent commits
• Understand existing patterns and constraints
• Note what's already built that relates

Ask Questions

Rules:

• One question per message
• Prefer multiple choice when possible
• Open-ended when exploration needed
• Break complex topics into multiple questions

Focus on:

• Purpose: What problem does this solve?
• Constraints: What must it work with?
• Success criteria: How do we know it's done?

Value Pre-flight

Before exploring approaches, run these four checks on the idea:

Check	Question	Red Flag
Clarity	Can someone explain what this does in one sentence?	They describe internals, not outcomes
Timeline	Is the value immediate or does it compound over time?	Neither — value is vague or hypothetical
Perception	Can the user see/feel it working?	Value is invisible or requires explanation
Discovery	Does the user seek this out, or must they stumble into it?	Must be explained repeatedly to new users

Any red flags → address them as design constraints in Phase 2, not afterthoughts.

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Phase 2: Exploring Approaches

Once you understand the goal:

1. Propose 2-3 different approaches
2. Include trade-offs for each
3. Lead with your recommendation and why
4. Let user choose or refine

Example:

I see three approaches:

1. **Component-based** (recommended) - Fits your existing pattern,
   easiest to test, but more files.

2. **Inline** - Fewer files, but harder to reuse and test.

3. **Hook-based** - Most flexible, but adds complexity you may not need.

I'd go with #1 because [reasoning]. Thoughts?

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Phase 3: Presenting Design

Once approach is chosen:

1. Present in sections (200-300 words each)
2. After each section: "Does this look right so far?"
3. Be ready to revise if something doesn't fit

Cover:

• Architecture / component structure
• Data flow
• Error handling
• Testing approach
• Edge cases

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Phase 4: After Design

Document

Write validated design to:

docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md

Commit to git.

Implementation (if continuing)

Ask: "Ready to set up for implementation?"

Then:

1. Use dm-work:worktrees to create isolated workspace
2. Create beads for implementation tasks
3. Use dm-work:orchestrator patterns for delegation

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Key Principles

Principle	Why
One question at a time	Don't overwhelm
Multiple choice preferred	Easier to answer
YAGNI ruthlessly	Remove unnecessary features
Explore alternatives	Always 2-3 approaches before settling
Incremental validation	Present design in sections
Be flexible	Go back when something doesn't fit

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Anti-Patterns

Don't	Do Instead
Jump to implementation	Understand first, design second
Ask 5 questions at once	One question per message
Present monolithic design	Break into 200-300 word sections
Skip trade-off discussion	Always propose 2-3 approaches
Assume you understand	Validate understanding with user

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Quick Reference

1. Check project context (files, docs, commits)
2. Ask questions one at a time (prefer multiple choice)
3. Propose 2-3 approaches with trade-offs
4. Present design in sections, validate each
5. Write to docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md
6. If implementing: worktree → beads → orchestrate