idea-to-design-doc

name	idea-to-design-doc
description	Use when turning a rough idea into a focused product/design Markdown doc through guided questions, without moving into implementation too early.
version	1.1.0
author	Hermes Agent
license	MIT
metadata	{"hermes":{"tags":["idea-workflow","note-taking","product-design","design-doc","brainstorming"],"related_skills":["idea-superpowers-suite","idea-to-implementation-doc"]}}

Idea to Design Doc Workflow

Use this skill when the user says things like:

• "I have an idea for an app"
• "Help me flesh out this product"
• "Turn this thought into a design doc"
• "Make me a list of ideas and link each one to a note"

Goal

Convert a rough idea into a structured design document with:

1. A master ideas index
2. One markdown note per idea
3. A guided interview that stops when the user says stop, that's enough, or done
4. The product idea, philosophy, intended experience, and practical technical shape needed to understand the app

This workflow starts with product thinking and only moves into technical aspects after the concept/philosophy is clear. The design doc should capture what the user wants and enough technical direction to support a later build plan.

Important constraints

• Do not push into backend, frameworks, database design, or code architecture too early.
• First capture product intent, behavior, audience, layout, features, UX, and philosophy.
• Then, when drafting the design doc, include the relevant technical aspects: platform assumptions, major system components, data needs, integrations, constraints, and likely architecture questions.
• For Full mode or build-bound ideas, recommend sensible technical defaults first, then let the user accept or change them. Cover database/storage, hosting/deployment, backend/runtime, frontend/UI, auth, platform targets, and other technical pieces only after the product direction is clear.
• Ask one question at a time when possible.
• If the user gives a short answer, follow up with a narrower question.
• If the user says to stop, immediately draft the note from what you have.

Default storage layout

Save files locally first, rather than directly into the Obsidian vault.

Recommended local folder structure:

• ./ideas/Ideas Index.md
• ./ideas/<idea-title>.md

If the user later wants Obsidian export, treat that as a separate export step.

Lite vs Full mode

Use Lite mode for quick idea capture: ask only enough to produce a useful note. Use Full mode when the user wants a durable design doc or eventual implementation handoff.

The user can force the next stage with the exact phrase GREENLIGHT NEXT STAGE. If they use it, stop questioning, draft with current information, and record gaps under Open questions.

Interview flow

Ask questions in this order, adapting to the user's answers. For stronger prompts, use idea-superpowers-suite/references/interview-question-bank.md:

1. Working title
   • "What should we call this idea for now?"
2. Problem / purpose
   • "What problem does it solve, or what is it for?"
3. Audience
   • "Who is it for?"
4. Core behavior
   • "What should it do when someone uses it?"
5. Primary user flow
   • "What is the main thing a user should be able to do from start to finish?"
6. Key features
   • "What are the must-have features?"
7. Layout / organization
   • "How should the main parts be arranged or grouped?"
8. Data location / hosting preference
   • "Should the data stay local, be self-hosted, go to Cloudflare/AWS/another cloud, or is that undecided?"
9. Platform targets
   • "Should this be web-only, or should it also have a Windows app, Mac app, cross-platform desktop app, mobile app, or responsive mobile web?"
10. Recommended technical defaults

• "Based on this idea, I recommend these technical defaults: . Do you want to accept them or change any part?"

11. Preferences / feel

• "Should it feel simple, playful, serious, fast, calm, etc.?"

12. Non-goals

• "What should this not do?"

13. Success criteria
    • "How will you know this idea is good enough to move forward?"

Interview style

Use prompts like:

• "Tell me more about that part."
• "What would happen next?"
• "Can you give an example?"
• "Is that a must-have or a nice-to-have?"
• "Do you want it to be simple or more feature-rich?"

If the user is unsure, offer lightweight options instead of open-ended pressure:

• "Do you want this to be more like a list app, an overview page, or a single-focus tool?"
• "Should users see everything at once, or step through it one section at a time?"

Stop condition

If the user says any of the following, stop interviewing and draft immediately:

• stop
• that's enough
• enough for now
• done
• draft it
• write it up
• GREENLIGHT NEXT STAGE

Output format

When drafting, produce a markdown note with this structure:

# <Idea Title>

## One-line summary

## Problem / purpose

## Product philosophy

## Target user

## Core concept

## Desired behavior

## Key features

## Layout / information architecture

## UX / product notes

## Technical shape

## Data / integrations / platform needs

## Hosting / data location

## Platform targets

## Recommended technical defaults

## Non-goals

## Open questions

## Next steps

Master index format

Maintain Ideas Index.md as a simple bullet list of idea notes:

# Ideas Index

- [[Idea Title]] — short one-line summary
- [[Another Idea]] — short one-line summary

If the index file exists, append the new idea in alphabetical or newest-first order, but stay consistent.

Suggested response behavior

During the interview:

• Be conversational and concise.
• Ask a question, then wait for the user's answer.
• Keep the scope on product/design thinking.

When the user stops:

• Summarize the idea clearly.
• Capture uncertainties under Open questions.
• Save the note locally.
• Add/update the local index.
• Give the user the local note path.

Quality bar

A good result should make it easy to revisit the idea later and immediately understand:

• what it is
• who it is for
• how it should behave
• what matters most
• what is intentionally out of scope