design-feature

name	design-feature
description	Feature design methodology — requirements gathering, design, story breakdown

Feature Design Methodology

Step 1: Requirements Interview

Do NOT start designing immediately. Ask clarifying questions first:

• What problem does this solve? Who is the user?
• What are the edge cases the requirements don't mention?
• Backward compatibility concerns?
• Performance implications at scale?
• Interaction with existing features?
• What should happen on failure/rollback?
• UI, API, or both?

Ask questions in batches of 3-5. Wait for answers. Follow up. Say "I have enough to start the design. Ready?" before proceeding.

Step 2: Analyze Existing Code

• Understand the current patterns in the affected area
• Identify models, controllers, actions, services, and UI components involved
• Note conventions that new code must follow

Step 3: Produce Design Document

• Data model changes (new models, migrations, associations)
• API changes (new endpoints, modified responses)
• Background job / async processing changes
• UI changes
• Permission / authorization requirements
• External service interactions

Step 4: Break Into Stories

• Clear acceptance criteria per story
• Estimated complexity (S/M/L)
• Dependencies between stories
• Test strategy per story

Step 5: Identify Risks

• Migration risks
• Backward compatibility
• Integration test needs