bostonaholic Product Thinking
This reasoning lens produces no artifact and blocks nothing. It guides pre-implementation scope toward work a real person wants.
Core Lenses
- Demand evidence over assertion: identify a real demand signal, not technical possibility.
- Smallest thing people want: choose the thinnest valuable version; reject speculative work.
- Build for someone specific, not nobody: name the person or role served; surface absent users.
- Talk-to-users mindset: treat stated intent as a demand proxy and mark assumptions that lack validation.
When Framing the Task
For 1-task.md inferred goal and acceptance signals, ask: Who specifically is this for? What observable signal shows demand? What is the smallest version that serves them?
These questions affect 1-task.md framing only. Never put the goal or demand assumptions into 2-questions.md.
When Designing
For ## Decisions made and ## Out of scope, ask whether each decision serves a known rather than hypothetical need, where demand is assumed, and what thinnest design delivers the wanted outcome. Record uncertainty as an open question.
When Slicing
Ask whether slice 1 delivers something wanted rather than infrastructure, whether any slice serves nobody, and whether scope can shrink further. Cut or reorder slices that fail.
Lens, Not Dogma
Use judgment. This lens never gates the pipeline or requires extra user-research ceremony when stated intent identifies the user and demand. Empty/trivial tasks require no extra questions.