Turn Vague Ideas into a Buildable Design
Turn Vague Ideas into a Buildable Design
superpowers core skill · brainstorming
In one line: Don't let AI start coding. Have it ask you one question at a time and talk a fuzzy idea into a clear design.
Scenario: the boss says "add a loyalty-points feature"
Your boss drops one line: "Add a loyalty-points feature to our e-commerce mini-app." That's it. Hand "build a points feature" straight to the AI and it'll invent a whole set of point rules — and once it's done you find it's nothing like what the boss meant. Rework.
This kind of one-line request is exactly where brainstorming shines: have the AI nail down the rules first, then talk implementation.
How to ask the AI
Don't dump one line — name brainstorming and let it ask:
Use brainstorming to work this out with me, don't write code yet, ask me one question at a time:
the boss wants a loyalty-points feature for our e-commerce mini-app.
When it asks one by one, answer concretely — vague answers make it guess:
| ❌ Answer like this | ✅ Answer like this |
|---|---|
| You decide the point rules | 1 yuan spent = 1 point, 100 points = 1 yuan off |
| All of it | This round: earn + redeem for discount only; check-in/point-mall later |
| Whatever works | Points expire in 1 year; refunds claw back points proportionally |
How it'll walk you through it
For the points feature it asks one at a time (no barrage):
- How are points earned? Only orders, or also check-ins/shares?
- How are they used? Cash discount, or redeem for goods?
- What happens to points on a refund?
Once clear it gives 2-3 approaches with the pitfalls (e.g. "credit on order" vs "credit on delivery confirmed" — the former must claw back on refunds), recommends one; presents the design in sections, asking "right?" each time; finally saves a design doc. No code written, but the point rules are aligned and you build it right the first time.
Remember one line
brainstorming = force the AI to ask before it acts. For a vague "add an X feature," use it to pin down the rules first — don't let the AI fill in the blanks for you.