Product Research

/product-research — Product Research

Receives a brief from a designer, researches products across the web, and returns a curated shortlist of candidates. Selected products are saved to the master Google Sheet — the same one used by Norma Jean and the other data-management skills.

How It Works

Designer gives a brief
        ↓
Claude searches the web
        ↓
Presents candidates with specs + reasoning
        ↓
Designer picks winners
        ↓
Saved to master Google Sheet

Step 1: Take the Brief

The designer describes what they're looking for. A brief can be loose or specific:

Loose:

"I need acoustic panels for a tech office lobby"

Specific:

"Looking for a round dining table, 48-54" diameter, solid wood top (walnut or oak preferred), steel or brass base, under $3,000, needs to be in stock or <6 week lead time"

What to capture from the brief

Extract as many of these as the designer provides. Don't ask for fields they didn't mention — work with what you have.

Don't interview the designer. If the brief is "acoustic panels for a lobby," that's enough to start searching. You can clarify after showing initial results if needed ("I found options in fabric, felt, and wood slat — any preference?").

Step 2: Research

Search the web for products matching the brief. Use multiple targeted queries to cover different angles:

Search strategy

For a brief like "round dining table, walnut, under $3,000":

1. Category + material search: round walnut dining table
2. Design-focused search: best round wood dining tables architects designers
3. Trade/contract search: contract round dining table solid wood specifications (for commercial projects)
4. Specific brand searches if the designer mentioned preferences: Muuto round table, HAY dining table
5. Sustainability search if relevant: FSC certified round dining table

Run 3-5 searches depending on brief complexity. Aim for breadth — different price points, brands, styles.

For each candidate found

Attempt to fetch the product page with WebFetch to extract full specs. If the page is JS-rendered and returns no data:

• Use whatever info is available from the search result snippet
• Fill in from general knowledge if the product is well-known
• Note specs as "unverified" if sourced from search snippets rather than product pages

Target: 6-10 candidates that genuinely match the brief. Don't pad the list with weak matches.

Step 3: Present Candidates

Show results as a numbered shortlist with enough detail to evaluate:

## Product Research: Round Dining Tables (walnut, under $3,000)

### 1. Alle Table Round — Hem
Designer: Staffan Holm · 59" dia × 29"H
Materials: Solid oak top, powder-coated steel base
Price: $2,399 USD · Lead: 8-12 weeks
Finishes: Natural oak, smoked oak, walnut stain
Indoor · COM: N/A
🔗 hem.com/en-us/furniture/tables/alle/30421
Why: Clean Scandinavian lines, strong scale for a lobby, within budget.
Walnut stain option available. Hem has good contract pricing.

### 2. Snaregade Round — Menu
Designer: Norm Architects · 54" dia × 28.5"H
Materials: Oak veneer top, powder-coated steel base
Price: $2,195 USD · Lead: 6-8 weeks
Finishes: Dark stained oak, light oak
Indoor · COM: N/A
🔗 menuspace.com/snaregade-round
Why: Norm Architects pedigree, slightly under budget,
faster lead time. Veneer top (not solid) — flag if that matters.

### 3. ...

---

## Summary

| # | Product | Brand | Ø | Price | Lead | Material | Notes |
|---|---------|-------|---|-------|------|----------|-------|
| 1 | Alle Round | Hem | 59" | $2,399 | 8-12w | Solid oak | Walnut stain ✓ |
| 2 | Snaregade Round | Menu | 54" | $2,195 | 6-8w | Oak veneer | Not solid wood |
| 3 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

Which ones should I save to your product library?

Presentation rules

• Lead with the summary table if there are 6+ candidates — designers scan visually
• Include "Why" for each — explain why this product matches the brief, and flag any compromises
• Flag trade-offs honestly — "veneer not solid", "over budget but worth seeing", "long lead time"
• Don't oversell — if a product is a weak match, say so or don't include it
• Group by angle if useful — "Budget options", "Premium picks", "Fastest delivery"

Step 4: Save to Sheet

When the designer picks candidates ("save 1, 3, and 5"), write them to the master Google Sheet.

Connecting to the sheet

If not already connected, ask for the Google Sheet ID or URL. Same sheet used by Norma Jean and other skills.

Row format

Write rows to the master product sheet using the 33-column schema. Read ../../schema/product-schema.md (relative to this SKILL.md) for the full column reference, field formats, and category vocabulary. Read ../../schema/sheet-conventions.md for CRUD patterns with MCP tools.

Skill-specific column values:

• AG (Source): research
• AF (Status): saved
• AD (Tags): From brief context (e.g. "lobby-reno, walnut")
• AE (Notes): The "Why" reasoning from the presentation
• S (Selected Color/Finish): Blank (designer hasn't configured yet)

After saving

✓ Saved 3 products to your library (rows 48-50).
  Tagged: lobby-reno, walnut

Want me to refine the search? Different style, budget, or materials?

Step 5 (Optional): Iterate

The designer may want to refine:

• "More like #1 but cheaper" → Search for alternatives in that style/brand tier
• "What about outdoor versions?" → New search with added constraint
• "Can you find the spec sheet PDF for #3?" → Search for manufacturer cut sheet
• "Compare #1 and #3 side by side" → Detailed comparison
• "Any of these have GREENGUARD?" → Check certifications for the shortlist

Each iteration can add more products to the sheet.

Conversation Style

• Don't over-ask before searching. A one-line brief is enough to start.
• Show results, then refine. It's faster to react to real options than to specify everything upfront.
• Be opinionated. The designer wants a knowledgeable research assistant, not a search engine. Flag the best options, note trade-offs, suggest alternatives.
• Know the industry. Reference relevant brands, designers, trade platforms. Understand contract vs. residential, COM/COL, lead times, certifications.

Notes

• JS-rendered product pages are common (Hem, Muuto, Vitra, etc.). If WebFetch returns no data, use search result snippets + general knowledge. Note when specs are unverified.
• Norma Jean is the sidecar. If the designer says "actually I'll just browse and clip" — that's Norma Jean's job (Alt+C in Chrome). This skill is for when they want Claude to do the research.
• The sheet is shared. Products from this skill live alongside Norma Jean clips, bulk-fetch imports, and PDF extractions. The Source column ("research") identifies where each row came from.