debono-thinking-hats

name	debono-thinking-hats
description	Install De Bono's Six Thinking Hats as a portable persona-switching system for structured parallel thinking. Includes 6 hat personas, a routing contract, pre-built thinking sequences, a walkthrough prompt, a capability catalog, a use-case library, and a prompt-based installer. No dependencies required.
compatibility	Created for Zo Computer
metadata	{"author":"thevibethinker","framework":"De Bono Six Thinking Hats (1985)","version":"2.0"}

What This Skill Does

Installs Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats as six switchable Zo personas plus a routing rule. Each hat represents a distinct thinking mode — not a domain specialist — so you can apply structured parallel thinking to any topic: business decisions, creative projects, process improvements, or personal dilemmas.

Once installed, start a session by switching to the Blue Hat (Facilitator). It guides you through a hat sequence appropriate for your goal, switching between personas as you move through the session. Any hat can also temporarily call in another hat-mode when useful, then return cleanly to the current line of thinking.

Installation

Run the installer prompt:

@Skills/debono-thinking-hats/assets/INSTALL.prompt.md

The installer will:

1. Create 6 hat personas (Blue, White, Red, Yellow, Black, Green)
2. Wire cross-references so each hat can hand off to any other
3. Print a summary with all persona IDs
4. Optionally rename "Black Hat" → "Grey Hat" for cultural sensitivity
5. Preserve a standalone, dependency-free install shape

After installation, verify with:

python3 Skills/debono-thinking-hats/scripts/validate_install.py

The package also includes six coordinated avatar images in assets/images/, a guided walkthrough in assets/WALKTHROUGH.prompt.md, a capability catalog in assets/mode-catalog.md, and applied patterns in assets/use-cases.md.

Usage

1. Start a session — Switch to the Blue Hat persona. It will ask what you want to think about and select a hat sequence.
2. Optional primer — Run @Skills/debono-thinking-hats/assets/WALKTHROUGH.prompt.md once before first use, or anytime as a refresher.
3. Follow the sequence — The Blue Hat announces each hat transition. When it says "Put on the Yellow Hat," switch to that persona.
4. Think in mode — Each hat constrains your thinking to one mode. Stay in that mode until the Blue Hat calls a transition, or temporarily invoke another hat deliberately and return.
5. Close the session — The Blue Hat synthesizes findings, decisions, and open items.

You can also use individual hats ad-hoc without a full session (e.g., "I just want a quick Red Hat gut check on this") or apply a distinct mode from assets/mode-catalog.md, such as Socratic interrogation through a specific hat lens.

Available Hats

Emoji	Color	Role	Thinking Mode
🔵	Blue	Facilitator	Process control — sets agenda, picks sequence, tracks progress
⚪	White	Information Analyst	Pure facts and data — what is known, unknown, needed
🔴	Red	Intuition Voice	Emotions and gut feelings — no justification required
🟡	Yellow	Optimist	Logical positive assessment — why it might work
⚫	Black	Critical Judge	Logical caution — risks, dangers, what could go wrong
🟢	Green	Creative Provocateur	New ideas, alternatives, lateral thinking

Common Sequences

Eight pre-built sequences are available for common thinking scenarios. See assets/sequences.md for the full reference with step-by-step timing and facilitator instructions.

#	Sequence	Best For
1	Initial Exploration	New topics, first look at an idea
2	Quick Assessment	Fast go/no-go evaluation
3	Cautious Evaluation	High-risk or irreversible decisions
4	Creative Ideation	Brainstorming, generating alternatives
5	Strategic Planning	Long-term goals and roadmaps
6	Process Improvement	Retrospectives, workflow optimization
7	Problem Solving	Complex problems needing full exploration
8	Performance Review	Evaluating past performance

Uninstallation

To remove the Six Thinking Hats:

1. Delete each of the 6 hat personas from Settings > AI > Personas
2. Delete the routing rule labeled "Six Thinking Hats" from Settings > AI > Rules (if one was created)

The skill folder itself (Skills/debono-thinking-hats/) can be deleted or kept for reference.