tomevault-io Research Brainstormer
Turn research ideas into rigorous, fast-iterating experimental designs with clear completion criteria.
Workflow
1. Understand → 2. Assess Tractability → 3. Design Experiments →
4. Design Iteration Rewards → 5. Prioritize → 6. Create Tasks → 7. Save Plan
Phase 1: Understand the Research Space
Ask clarifying questions ONE AT A TIME (prefer multiple choice):
- What sparked this idea? (intuition, observation, paper, failed experiment?)
- What would success look like?
- What's the fastest way to test if this has merit?
Phase 2: Tractability Assessment
| Factor | Green | Yellow | Red |
|---|---|---|---|
| Experiment loop | < 1 day | 1-7 days | > 1 week |
| Data | Have it | Can generate | Need to collect |
| Tooling | Exists | Minor mods | Build from scratch |
If Red flags dominate: Consider pivoting. Low-hanging fruit is elsewhere.
Phase 3: Design Experiments
For each experiment, define:
## Experiment: {Name}
### Research Question
{One clear question this answers}
### Hypothesis
{Specific, falsifiable prediction}
### Variables
- **Independent**: {what you manipulate}
- **Dependent**: {what you measure}
- **Controls**: {what you hold constant}
### Methodology
1. {step-by-step procedure}
2. {data collection}
3. {analysis plan}
See plan-template.md for full template.
Phase 4: Design Iteration Rewards
Goal: Never implement >30 min without feedback.
For each experiment, define:
| Check | Time | Question |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke test | <1 min | Does anything run? |
| Shape check | <1 min | Are dimensions correct? |
| Quick metric | <5 min | Accuracy on 10-50 samples? |
| Progress signal | Ongoing | What to log? |
| Pivot indicator | <30 min | When to abandon? |
Template
## Iteration Rewards for: {experiment name}
**After 1 min**: {smoke test}
**After 5 min**: {quick metric on small sample}
**After 15 min**: {partial results expectation}
**After 30 min**: {pivot or persist decision}
**Progress signals to log**:
- {metric 1}
- {metric 2}
**Green flags (REQUIRED before done)**:
- [ ] {checkpoint 1 - must pass to be complete}
- [ ] {checkpoint 2}
- [ ] {checkpoint 3}
**Red flags (abandon immediately)**:
- {sign this approach won't work}
See validation-patterns.md for examples.
Phase 5: Prioritize
Rank by:
- Information / Time - high info, low time first
- Dependencies - what unblocks other experiments?
- Swamp risk - safer bets early
Phase 6: Create Tasks
Use /todoist-task-creator skill. Project IDs:
- Astra Research Todo:
2363714334 - Research:
2363714490
Phase 7: Save Plan
REQUIRED: Write plan to .claude/plans/research_tasks/plan-{N}.md
- Check existing:
ls .claude/plans/research_tasks/plan-*.md - Create next numbered file
- Use template from plan-template.md
This queue feeds into /research-executor skill.
Output Format
Present in sections (200-300 words each):
- Context Summary
- Tractability Assessment
- Experiment Proposals (2-4, ranked)
- Iteration Rewards (with green/red flags)
- Recommended Path
- Task Creation confirmation
- Plan file location
After each section: "Does this look right so far?"
Key Principles
- One question at a time, prefer multiple choice
- YAGNI ruthlessly - simpler experiments are better
- Fast iteration > perfect design
- Green flags define "done" - not done until all checked
- Red flags mean pivot - don't persist in swamps
Related Skills
/research-methodology- Ethan Perez's velocity tips/todoist-task-creator- structured task creation/research-executor- executes plans from queue/statistical-analysis- experiment design help
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