Brainstorming Ideas Into Designs

Overview

Help turn ideas into fully formed designs and specs through natural collaborative dialogue.

Start by understanding the current project context, then ask questions one at a time to refine the idea. Once you understand what you’re building, present the design in small sections (200-300 words), checking after each section whether it looks right so far.

Tool Usage

ALWAYS use the AskUserQuestion tool when asking questions to the user. This provides a structured interface for gathering input.

• Use multiSelect: false for single-choice questions (most common)
• Use multiSelect: true when multiple options can be selected together
• Provide 2-4 clear options with descriptions
• Keep the header short (max 12 chars) – e.g., “Approach”, “Auth type”, “Storage”
• Always include your recommendation: Put your recommended option first and add “(Recommended)” to the label
• Always explain why: In the question text or option descriptions, explain your reasoning for the recommendation

The Process

Understanding the idea:

• Check out the current project state first (files, docs, recent commits)
• Use AskUserQuestion to ask one question at a time to refine the idea
• Prefer multiple choice questions when possible, but open-ended is fine too
• Only one question per message – if a topic needs more exploration, break it into multiple questions
• Focus on understanding: purpose, constraints, success criteria

Exploring approaches:

• Propose 2-3 different approaches with trade-offs
• Present options conversationally with your recommendation and reasoning
• Lead with your recommended option and explain why
• Consult the Oracle when facing complex architectural decisions (see below)

Presenting the design:

• Once you believe you understand what you’re building, present the design
• Break it into sections of 200-300 words
• Use AskUserQuestion after each section to validate (e.g., “Does this section look right?”)
• Cover: architecture, components, data flow, error handling, testing
• Be ready to go back and clarify if something doesn’t make sense

Key Principles

• Use AskUserQuestion tool – Always use the tool for structured user input
• Recommend with reasoning – Every question must include your recommendation and why
• Consult Oracle proactively – Get second opinions on complex decisions
• One question at a time – Don’t overwhelm with multiple questions
• Multiple choice preferred – Easier to answer than open-ended when possible
• YAGNI ruthlessly – Remove unnecessary features from all 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

Oracle Consultation

Proactively invoke the Oracle skill to get a second opinion when:

• Complex architectural decisions – Multiple viable patterns with significant trade-offs (e.g., microservices vs monolith, event-driven vs request-response)
• Security-sensitive designs – Authentication flows, data encryption, access control patterns
• Performance-critical choices – Caching strategies, database indexing, algorithm selection
• You’re uncertain – When you have a recommendation but want validation before presenting to the user

How to Consult

Use the Skill tool to invoke the oracle: Skill(skill: "oracle"). The oracle’s instructions will be loaded and guide you through the consultation process.

Reaching Consensus

When Oracle’s opinion differs from yours:

1. Present both perspectives to the user with clear reasoning
2. Highlight where opinions align – these are likely the right choices
3. Explain disagreements honestly – “Oracle suggests X because [reason], but I lean toward Y because [reason]”
4. Let the user decide on contentious points with full context

When NOT to Consult

• Simple, straightforward decisions with obvious answers
• Minor implementation details that don’t affect architecture
• When the user has already expressed a strong preference