# Brainstorming

> Guide collaborative brainstorming to turn ideas into clear designs and specs. Use before creative work (new features, components, functionality, or behavior changes) to clarify intent, constraints, and success criteria.

- Skill: `trancong12102/brainstorming` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add trancong12102/brainstorming`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/trancong12102/brainstorming/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: trancong12102 (https://skillmd.com/u/trancong12102)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/trancong12102/brainstorming

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# Brainstorming Ideas Into Designs

## Overview

Help turn ideas into fully formed designs and specs through natural collaborative dialogue.

Start by understanding the current project context, then ask questions one at a
time to refine the idea. Once you understand what you're building, present the
design in small sections (200-300 words), checking after each section whether it
looks right so far.

## The Process

**Understanding the idea:**

- Check out the current project state first (files, docs, recent commits)
- Ask questions one at a time to refine the idea
- Prefer multiple choice questions when possible, but open-ended is fine too
- Only one question per message - if a topic needs more exploration, break it
  into multiple questions
- Focus on understanding: purpose, constraints, success criteria

**Exploring approaches:**

- Propose 2-3 different approaches with trade-offs
- Present options conversationally with your recommendation and reasoning
- Lead with your recommended option and explain why

**Presenting the design:**

- Once you believe you understand what you're building, present the design
- Break it into sections of 200-300 words
- Ask after each section whether it looks right so far
- Cover: architecture, components, data flow, error handling, testing
- Be ready to go back and clarify if something doesn't make sense

## Key Principles

- **One question at a time** - Don't overwhelm with multiple questions
- **Multiple choice preferred** - Easier to answer than open-ended when possible
- **YAGNI ruthlessly** - Remove unnecessary features from all designs
- **Explore alternatives** - Always propose 2-3 approaches before settling
- **Incremental validation** - Present design in sections, validate each
- **Be flexible** - Go back and clarify when something doesn't make sense