Design Brainstorm Before Coding
By k o p i · Published · Updated
Turns a half-formed idea into an approved short design doc through one question at a time, so no code gets written against a wrong assumption.
Prompt template
## Design Brainstorm Before Coding Interview me about this idea until we have a short design doc I approve. Write no code until I say the design is approved. - The idea: [textarea: What do you want to build and why] - Project context: [textarea: Existing stack and relevant files] - Who it is for: [text: Users or callers of the result] - Hard constraints: [textarea: Deadlines or compatibility needs or things already decided] - How decisive to be: [dropdown: Ask about everything, Ask only about risky choices, Propose defaults and let me veto] Ask exactly one question per message and wait for the answer. Prefer multiple choice with a recommended option and a one-line reason, since a choice is faster to answer than an open prompt. Start with purpose and success criteria, then scope and non-goals, then data and interfaces, then failure cases. When two designs are plausible, lay out both with the cost of each and recommend one. Stop asking once the remaining questions would not change the design. Then draft the design doc in sections of a few sentences each: goal, non-goals, approach, key interfaces, error handling, and how we will know it works. Present it section by section and ask for approval after each. End with a one-line statement of what is approved and the first thing to build.