Idea to Design

Transform raw idea notes into comprehensive design documents autonomously.

Prerequisites/Context: Operates on an Obsidian vault (or any markdown folder) containing an Ideas/ folder; if no Ideas/ folder is found, ask the user for the vault path.

When to Use

Activate when asked to:

• Turn an idea note into a design
• Plan an idea or "make an idea real"

Not for features in an existing codebase — use writing-product-specs or a brainstorming skill instead.

Process

1. Read the idea note - Understand what's being proposed
2. Create folder - Inside the Ideas folder, create a subfolder named after the idea
3. Move original - Move the original idea note into the new folder
4. Research - Investigate unknowns, find relevant information, explore feasibility
5. Write design doc - Answer: What is it? Who is it for? How does it work? Where is it deployed?
6. Document decisions - Create explicit Decisions.md listing choices made and reasoning

Required Outputs

All files go in Ideas/<Idea Name>/:

Autonomy

Ask zero questions. Make reasonable decisions and document them. If something is unclear:

• State the assumption
• Make a choice
• Document it in Decisions.md

Design Doc Should Answer

• Is it software, hardware, or a service?
• Who is the target audience?
• How will it work technically?
• Where will it be deployed/run?
• What's the business model (if applicable)?
• What are the risks and mitigations?
• What are the next steps?

Diagrams

Use Mermaid for all diagrams. Obsidian renders Mermaid natively.

• Architecture diagrams: flowchart TB or flowchart LR
• Sequences: sequenceDiagram
• Data flow: flowchart with subgraphs
• State machines: stateDiagram-v2

Never use ASCII art.

Research.md Should Include

• Questions that needed answering
• Sources consulted (web searches, docs, etc.)
• Key findings that informed the design
• Gaps that couldn't be filled

Decisions.md Format

# Decisions

## <Decision Title>
**Choice:** What was decided
**Alternatives:** What else was considered
**Reasoning:** Why this choice was made

Common Mistakes

• Writing Design.md before Research.md: Research must inform the design — complete and record the research first, then write the design document based on its findings.