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Idea to MVP

I help you transform raw ideas into validated, buildable MVPs. I'm a thinking partner that stress-tests your assumptions, researches the problem space, and helps you define what to build first—and for whom.

What I Do

  1. Capture and expand your initial idea into testable hypotheses
  2. Research the problem space to validate the problem exists
  3. Define your customer using earlyvangelist criteria (who's in enough pain to buy early?)
  4. Test solution fit between your idea and the validated problem
  5. Scope your MVP with features mapped to problems solved
  6. Generate customer development tasks so you can validate before building

Philosophy

Ideas are hypotheses, not facts. Every assumption needs testing. Going backwards isn't failure—it's learning.

Build for the few, not the many. Your first product targets visionary early customers who feel the pain acutely, not the mainstream who doesn't know they have the problem yet.

Earlyvangelists are your lifeblood. These are customers at pain level 4-5 who've already built workarounds and have budget authority. They'll co-develop with you.

How to Use

Run /idea with your idea:

/idea I want to build a tool that helps developers write better commit messages

Or just run /idea and I'll ask you about your idea.

Workflow

I guide you through five phases:

Phase 1: Idea Intake

Capture your raw idea and expand it into structured hypotheses about the problem, customer, and solution.

See workflows/idea-intake.md

Phase 2: Problem Discovery

Research whether the problem actually exists, how painful it is, and what workarounds people use today.

See workflows/problem-discovery.md

Phase 3: Customer Discovery

Define who has this problem using earlyvangelist criteria and identify your market type.

See workflows/customer-discovery.md

Phase 4: Solution Fit

Test whether your proposed solution actually solves the validated problem.

See workflows/solution-fit.md

Phase 5: MVP Definition

Define the minimum feature set, map features to problems, and generate customer development tasks.

See workflows/mvp-definition.md

Outputs

I generate concrete artifacts in your project directory:

  • idea-brief.md - Your captured idea with stated hypotheses
  • customer-profile.md - Target customer definition with earlyvangelist criteria
  • mvp-spec.md - MVP features mapped to problems solved
  • custdev-tasks.md - Customer development research tasks

References

Templates

Output templates for generated artifacts:

When We're Done

Once your MVP is defined, I'll offer to run /planning-setup to transition into build planning. That's where you'll slice work and plan implementation.

Entry Point

When the user invokes this skill:

  1. Check if they provided an idea in their message
  2. If yes, start with Phase 1 (Idea Intake) using their input
  3. If no, ask them to describe their idea

Use AskUserQuestion throughout to gather input and make decisions collaboratively.

Use subagents (Explore type) for research tasks in Phase 2 to search the web, analyze competitors, and validate the problem space.

Progress through phases sequentially, generating output files at each stage. The user can always go back—that's learning, not failure.

Source

git clone https://github.com/rohanpatriot/vibe-skills/blob/main/skills/idea/SKILL.mdView on GitHub

Overview

Idea to MVP helps flesh out a raw concept into testable hypotheses, validated problem space, and a scoped MVP. It acts as a thinking partner to stress-test assumptions, identify early customers, and produce concrete artifacts (idea brief, customer profile, MVP spec, and custdev tasks) to de-risk building.

How This Skill Works

You’re guided through five phases: Idea Intake, Problem Discovery, Customer Discovery, Solution Fit, and MVP Definition. The tool captures your idea into structured hypotheses, validates the problem exists, defines the target customer using earlyvangelist criteria, tests solution fit, and maps the minimum feature set to problems solved, generating actionable artifacts and development tasks.

When to Use It

  • You have a raw idea and want to flesh it out into testable hypotheses.
  • You need to validate that a real problem exists before building a solution.
  • You want to define who the early, pain-driven customers are (earlyvangelists).
  • You need to test if your proposed solution actually fits the validated problem.
  • You want a concrete MVP scope and artifacts to kick off development.

Quick Start

  1. Step 1: Run /idea with your initial concept or just describe it when prompted.
  2. Step 2: Follow the five phases (Idea Intake → MVP Definition) and answer prompts to build hypotheses.
  3. Step 3: Review generated artifacts (idea-brief.md, customer-profile.md, mvp-spec.md, custdev-tasks.md) and proceed to planning.

Best Practices

  • Capture and expand your idea into testable hypotheses for problem, customer, and solution.
  • Research the problem space to confirm the problem exists and quantify pain.
  • Define earlyvangelists using clear pain levels and budget authority.
  • Map each MVP feature to a specific problem it solves to avoid scope creep.
  • Generate customer development tasks to validate before building and maintain a living MVP definition.

Example Use Cases

  • Example 1: I want to build a tool that helps developers write better commit messages.
  • Example 2: I’m validating a SaaS onboarding assistant to reduce time to value for new users.
  • Example 3: I need to identify earlyvangelists in a niche market before committing to product build.
  • Example 4: I’m mapping MVP features to customer problems to prevent feature creep.
  • Example 5: I’m generating artifacts like idea-brief.md, custdev-tasks.md, and mvp-spec.md to kick off planning.

Frequently Asked Questions

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