obra-brainstorming
Scannednpx machina-cli add skill faulkdev/github-copilot-superpowers/brainstorming --openclawBrainstorming 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.
The Process
Understanding the idea:
- Check out the current project state first (files, docs, recent commits)
- Ask questions one 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
Presenting the design:
- Once you believe you understand what you're building, present the design
- Break it into sections of 200-300 words
- Ask after each section whether it looks right so far
- 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
docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md - Use elements-of-style:writing-clearly-and-concisely skill if available
- Commit the design document to git
Implementation (if continuing):
- Ask: "Ready to set up for implementation?"
- Use
obra-using-git-worktreesto create isolated workspace - Use
obra-writing-plansto create detailed implementation plan
Key Principles
- 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
Source
git clone https://github.com/faulkdev/github-copilot-superpowers/blob/integrate-obra-superpowers/.github/skills/obra/brainstorming/SKILL.mdView on GitHub Overview
obra-brainstorming helps turn ideas into fully formed designs through collaborative dialogue. It begins by understanding the current project context—files, docs, and recent commits—and asks one clarifying question at a time to refine the idea. Once the intent is clear, it presents the design in 200-300 word sections and validates after each step to ensure alignment.
How This Skill Works
The process starts by assessing the current project state, then iteratively clarifies requirements with single, focused questions (preferably multiple-choice). It then explores 2-3 design approaches with explicit trade-offs, presenting options and the recommended path. Finally, it delivers the design in structured sections (200-300 words each) covering architecture, components, data flow, error handling, and testing, asking for validation before moving on. Documentation of the validated design is written to docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md and committed to git if proceeding to implementation.
When to Use It
- When starting a new feature or feature set to ensure clear scope and design intent.
- When building or modifying components, functionality, or behavior to gather requirements upfront.
- When clarifying user intent, constraints, and success criteria before implementation.
- When evaluating design approaches or architectural options with trade-offs.
- When preparing documentation and handoff for a design to teammates and stakeholders.
Quick Start
- Step 1: Review the current project state (files, docs, recent commits) to ground the discussion.
- Step 2: Ask one clarifying question at a time to refine the idea; use multiple-choice when possible.
- Step 3: Present the design in 200-300 word sections, validating after each before advancing.
Best Practices
- Ask one clear question at a time; avoid overwhelming with multiple questions per message.
- Prefer multiple-choice questions when possible to speed clarity and reduce ambiguity.
- Propose 2-3 design approaches with explicit trade-offs before settling on a choice.
- Lead with the recommended option and explain why it’s favored, including risks and mitigations.
- Present the design in 200-300 word sections and validate after each section; document the final design to docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md and commit.
Example Use Cases
- Brainstorming a new onboarding flow for a SaaS product to reduce drop-off and capture key success metrics.
- Designing a component library update to support dark mode and accessibility requirements.
- Planning a mobile app feature with offline data sync and conflict resolution.
- Architecting a data collection and analytics flow to improve telemetry and event guarantees.
- Exploring a plugin architecture to enable third-party integrations with minimal coupling.
