Condition Designer

Condition Designer — Planting the Seed

A seed specification is NOT a product spec. A product spec says "build this." A seed specification says "combine these capabilities, impose these constraints, watch for these signals, and leave this open."

The difference: a product spec defines the output. A seed specification defines the conditions from which output emerges.

Inputs

From Envision:

• Thesis — The falsifiable belief (from thesis-forge)
• Paradigm — The interaction model (from paradigm-designer)
• Capability ingredients — Which domains contribute (from possibility-mapper)
• Experience sketch — What it feels like, not what it looks like (from vision-architect)

Process

Step 1 — Select Capability Ingredients

From the thesis, identify which domain capabilities to combine:

Capability 1: {domain/skill} — contributes {what}
Capability 2: {domain/skill} — contributes {what}
Capability 3: {domain/skill} — contributes {what}

Rule of three: Start with exactly three capabilities. More than three is too complex for initial conditions. Fewer than two isn't a synthesis (route to the single domain instead).

Step 2 — Define Constraints

Consult constraint-sculptor for framework, then specify:

• Hard constraints — Absolute boundaries. The product must NOT do this.
• Soft constraints — Preferences. The product SHOULD do this, but can flex.
• Open space — Areas intentionally left unconstrained for emergence.

The ratio matters: approximately 30% constrained, 70% open for initial seeds. Tighten after observing what emerges.

Step 3 — Design Feedback Signals

Consult feedback-architect for framework, then specify:

• Primary signal — The one thing that tells you the seed is germinating
• Secondary signals — Supporting indicators
• Warning signals — Early indicators of wrong-direction emergence
• Check interval — How often to observe (daily? weekly?)

Step 4 — Specify the Cultivation Budget

Borrowed from Shape Up's "appetite" concept: how much energy to invest before evaluating?

• Small seed — 1 week of cultivation. Proof of concept.
• Medium seed — 2-3 weeks. Working prototype with real feedback.
• Large seed — 4-6 weeks. Full cultivation cycle with multiple feedback rounds.

If you can't scope it to 6 weeks, the thesis needs sharpening.

Step 5 — Output the Seed Specification

# Seed Specification: {initiative name}

## Thesis
{from thesis-forge}

## Capability Ingredients
1. {domain/skill}: {what it contributes}
2. {domain/skill}: {what it contributes}
3. {domain/skill}: {what it contributes}

## Constraints
Hard: {absolute boundaries}
Soft: {preferences}
Open: {intentionally unconstrained areas}

## Feedback Architecture
Primary signal: {what tells us it's working}
Secondary: {supporting indicators}
Warning: {wrong-direction indicators}
Check interval: {frequency}

## Cultivation Budget
Size: {small/medium/large}
Duration: {weeks}
Energy ceiling: {what we're willing to invest}

## What We're Watching For
Expected emergence: {what we hope happens}
Surprise zone: {where unexpected behavior is most likely}

## Kill Criteria
{inherited from thesis, plus any new ones from condition design}

Cross-Domain

• worldbuilding-orchestrator — For complex seeds, check systems coherence: "Do these capabilities and constraints produce a coherent system, or will they fight each other?"