idea_skill

Overview

This skill transforms raw ideas into validated, buildable MVP definitions. I act as a thinking partner who stress-tests assumptions, researches the problem space, and clarifies who to build for. The output is a concrete set of artifacts you can use to validate before you code. I guide you from hypothesis to scoped MVP and customer-development tasks.

How this skill works

I capture your initial idea and expand it into testable hypotheses about problem, customer, and solution. I run structured research to validate the problem exists and assess pain and current workarounds. I help you define an earlyvangelist customer profile, test solution fit, and then map an MVP feature set to the problems it solves. Finally, I generate customer-development tasks so you can validate learnings before building.

When to use it

• You have a rough idea and need a plan to validate it before engineering time.
• You want to identify the smallest buildable set of features tied to measurable outcomes.
• You need to find and qualify earlyvangelist customers who will co-develop.
• You want to turn assumptions into testable hypotheses and research tasks.
• You’re deciding whether to pivot, persevere, or stop before investing in product.

Best practices

• Treat every idea as a set of hypotheses that require testing.
• Focus on a narrow earlyvangelist segment with high pain and existing workarounds.
• Map every proposed feature to the specific problem it solves.
• Validate with conversations and quick experiments before coding features.
• Iterate: use failed tests as data to refine customer, problem, or solution.

Example use cases

• Turn a one-line concept (e.g., better commit messages) into an idea brief and MVP spec.
• Validate whether a claimed customer pain is real and worth solving.
• Define a 4–8 week MVP with prioritized features and acceptance criteria.
• Generate a list of high-impact customer interviews and discovery tasks.
• Decide if your market is existing, new, or resegmented and tailor go-to-market.