yangyue1974 Product Thinking Playbook
A judgment framework for indie developers and product people.
Not a "product manager handbook" — a record of what's actually going through your head in the moment you make a call.
一套给独立开发者 / 产品人的判断框架。不是"产品经理手册"，是把"做决策的那一刻在想什么"写下来。
Each principle file below is bilingual (English first, then 中文).
When to use this skill
Open the corresponding principle before making the call:
- Starting a new product →
principles/01-scenario-first.md→principles/02-spec-before-code.md - Feature creep, can't stop adding →
principles/05-subtraction-over-addition.md - Working with AI, product feels off →
principles/11-commander-posture.md - Have a batch of bugs, don't know where to start →
principles/13-end-to-end-fixes.md+14-design-vs-execution-error.md - Product "works" — what's next? →
principles/17-real-engagement-metrics.md+20-distribution-is-product.md - Quick lookup →
quick-reference.md
新产品立项 / 功能蔓延 / 收不住手 / bug 收不住 —— 打开对应的原则文件再做决定。
Five dimensions
| Dimension | Answers | Principles |
|---|---|---|
| I. Intent 立意 | Why does it exist? For whom? | 01–04 |
| II. Boundary 边界 | What NOT to do? | 05–08 |
| III. Execution 执行 | How to ship the judgment? | 09–12 |
| IV. Quality 品质 | How to make it stick? | 13–16 |
| V. Closed Loop 闭环 | When is it "done"? | 17–20 |
20 principles · index
I. Intent 立意
- Scenario-first · 场景先于功能
- Spec before code · 先定性，再动手
- Aesthetic as stance · 气质即立场
- Subtitle as promise · 副标题是承诺
II. Boundary 边界
- Subtract, don't add · 做减法而非加法
- Vision non-negotiable · 愿景不妥协
- Product boundary = user's decision path · 产品边界 = 用户决策路径
- Infrastructure mindset · 克制：不是基础设施该做的别做
III. Execution 执行
- Decisive & meticulous · 决策果断，细节挑剔
- Borrow existing cognition · 借力已有认知
- Commander posture · 指挥者姿态
- Content standards > technical standards · 内容标准 > 技术标准
IV. Quality 品质
- End-to-end fixes · 端到端修复
- Design vs execution error · 设计错误 vs 执行错误
- Experience before review · 先用再评
- Security = product quality · 安全 = 产品品质
V. Closed Loop 闭环
- Core metric bound to real engagement · 核心指标绑定真实投入
- Persistence is trust · 持久化 = 信任基础
- Cross-platform parity + honest permissions · 跨端一致 + 权限诚实
- Distribution is part of the product · 分发是产品的一部分
Case studies
Every principle above is grounded in a real project. The full development conversations:
- Contra Code · VS Code Contra overlay
- AudioLib · Audio library API service
- Gospel Hub · Gospel music aggregator
- Spybook · Interactive detective fiction
- Tarot · AI tarot consultation
- Xianxia · AI xianxia novel generation
How to invoke
In Claude Code:
> Using product-thinking-playbook, help me decide: should this feature go in now?
In your own head:
> Read through quick-reference.md, find the line that hurts most.
Three core postures · 三个核心姿态
English:
- Intent stands firm: scenario, aesthetic, vision — each clearly articulated, you'd push back on a one-character change.
- Execution holds up: decisive direction × meticulous detail; you're the commander, not the contractor.
- Loop closes: it works → it stands up to scrutiny → users can actually reach it.
中文：
- 立意定得住：场景、气质、愿景都能说清楚，别人改一字都不舒服。
- 执行扛得住：果断拍板 × 细节不放过，自己是指挥者不是乙方。
- 闭环做得到：能跑起来 → 经得起推敲 → 用户真的能用到。
Distilled from the full-process conversations of 6 shipped products · 2026-04
基于 6 个已上线产品的全过程对话提炼
Author @yangyue1974 · 43.group