# Constraint Creativity

> Constraint Creativity

- Skill: `sethdford/constraint-creativity` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add sethdford/constraint-creativity`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/sethdford/constraint-creativity/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: sethdford (https://skillmd.com/u/sethdford)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/sethdford/constraint-creativity

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# Constraint Creativity

Treat tight limits as design fuel: forced scarcity clarifies what matters. Subtraction often beats addition—remove the “obvious” piece and see what system remains (haiku principle).

## When to Use
- Scope creep, feature bloat, or “everything is P0.”
- The team only brainstorms by adding options, never by removing pillars.
- You need a crisp MVP, pitch, or narrative under severe time or budget caps.

## Workflow
1. Write the real constraints (time, money, platform, audience, compliance).
2. Run **forced constraints** explicitly: 1-hour version, zero-budget version, single-feature version, “for a child” or “for a novice” version—each yields one non-obvious idea.
3. **Elimination:** temporarily remove the asset you believe is essential (the dashboard, the account, the sync); list what breaks and what simplifies.
4. Pick the strongest constrained concept and reconcile with real limits (restore only what the stripped design truly needs).

## Examples
**Example 1:** Product too heavy: “only one feature ships” forces a wedge narrative and exposes the real job-to-be-done.

**Example 2:** Marketing clarity: “explain in one sentence to a non-expert” surfaces jargon and false differentiation.