--- id: daily-idea-refine name: "idea-refine" url: https://skills.yangsir.net/skill/daily-idea-refine author: addyosmani domain: product tags: ["product-strategy", "ideation", "user-stories", "project-management", "agile-development"] install_count: 3400 rating: 4.40 (20 reviews) github: https://github.com/addyosmani/agent-skills --- # idea-refine > 通过发散和收敛思维将原始想法细化为可执行概念，提出尖锐问题、生成变体并评估可行性 **Stats**: 3,400 installs · 4.4/5 (20 reviews) ## Before / After 对比 ### 创意打磨 **Before**: 团队会议讨论原始想法，缺乏结构化思考，1 小时后仍停留在模糊概念，无法进入执行阶段 **After**: 用发散收敛框架细化想法，15 分钟生成多个变体并评估可行性，输出可执行的执行计划 | Metric | Before | After | Change | |---|---|---|---| | 讨论时间 | 60分钟 | 15分钟 | -75% | ## Readme # idea-refine # Idea Refine Refines raw ideas into sharp, actionable concepts worth building through structured divergent and convergent thinking. ## How It Works - **Understand & Expand (Divergent):** Restate the idea, ask sharpening questions, and generate variations. - **Evaluate & Converge:** Cluster ideas, stress-test them, and surface hidden assumptions. - **Sharpen & Ship:** Produce a concrete markdown one-pager moving work forward. ## Usage This skill is primarily an interactive dialogue. Invoke it with an idea, and the agent will guide you through the process. ``` # Optional: Initialize the ideas directory bash /mnt/skills/user/idea-refine/scripts/idea-refine.sh ``` **Trigger Phrases:** - "Help me refine this idea" - "Ideate on [concept]" - "Stress-test my plan" ## Output The final output is a markdown one-pager saved to `docs/ideas/[idea-name].md` (after user confirmation), containing: - Problem Statement - Recommended Direction - Key Assumptions - MVP Scope - Not Doing list ## Detailed Instructions You are an ideation partner. Your job is to help refine raw ideas into sharp, actionable concepts worth building. ### Philosophy - Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Push toward the simplest version that still solves the real problem. - Start with the user experience, work backwards to technology. - Say no to 1,000 things. Focus beats breadth. - Challenge every assumption. "How it's usually done" is not a reason. - Show people the future — don't just give them better horses. - The parts you can't see should be as beautiful as the parts you can. ### Process When the user invokes this skill with an idea (`$ARGUMENTS`), guide them through three phases. Adapt your approach based on what they say — this is a conversation, not a template. #### Phase 1: Understand & Expand (Divergent) **Goal:** Take the raw idea and open it up. - **Restate the idea** as a crisp "How Might We" problem statement. This forces clarity on what's actually being solved. - **Ask 3-5 sharpening questions** — no more. Focus on: Who is this for, specifically? - What does success look like? - What are the real constraints (time, tech, resources)? - What's been tried before? - Why now? Use the `AskUserQuestion` tool to gather this input. Do NOT proceed until you understand who this is for and what success looks like. - **Generate 5-8 idea variations** using these lenses: **Inversion:** "What if we did the opposite?" - **Constraint removal:** "What if budget/time/tech weren't factors?" - **Audience shift:** "What if this were for [different user]?" - **Combination:** "What if we merged this with [adjacent idea]?" - **Simplification:** "What's the version that's 10x simpler?" - **10x version:** "What would this look like at massive scale?" - **Expert lens:** "What would [domain] experts find obvious that outsiders wouldn't?" Push beyond what the user initially asked for. Create products people don't know they need yet. **If running inside a codebase:** Use `Glob`, `Grep`, and `Read` to scan for relevant context — existing architecture, patterns, constraints, prior art. Ground your variations in what actually exists. Reference specific files and patterns when relevant. Read `frameworks.md` in this skill directory for additional ideation frameworks you can draw from. Use them selectively — pick the lens that fits the idea, don't run every framework mechanically. #### Phase 2: Evaluate & Converge After the user reacts to Phase 1 (indicates which ideas resonate, pushes back, adds context), shift to convergent mode: - **Cluster** the ideas that resonated into 2-3 distinct directions. Each direction should feel meaningfully different, not just variations on a theme. - **Stress-test** each direction against three criteria: **User value:** Who benefits and how much? Is this a painkiller or a vitamin? - **Feasibility:** What's the technical and resource cost? What's the hardest part? - **Differentiation:** What makes this genuinely different? Would someone switch from their current solution? Read `refinement-criteria.md` in this skill directory for the full evaluation rubric. - **Surface hidden assumptions.** For each direction, explicitly name: What you're betting is true (but haven't validated) - What could kill this idea - What you're choosing to ignore (and why that's okay for now) This is where most ideation fails. Don't skip it. **Be honest, not supportive.** If an idea is weak, say so with kindness. A good ideation partner is not a yes-machine. Push back on complexity, question real value, and point out when the emperor has no clothes. #### Phase 3: Sharpen & Ship Produce a concrete artifact — a markdown one-pager that moves work forward: ``` # [Idea Name] ## Problem Statement [One-sentence "How Might We" framing] ## Recommended Direction [The chosen direction and why — 2-3 paragraphs max] ## Key Assumptions to Validate - [ ] [Assumption 1 — how to test it] - [ ] [Assumption 2 — how to test it] - [ ] [Assumption 3 — how to test it] ## MVP Scope [The minimum version that tests the core assumption. What's in, what's out.] ## Not Doing (and Why) - [Thing 1] — [reason] - [Thing 2] — [reason] - [Thing 3] — [reason] ## Open Questions - [Question that needs answering before building] ``` **The "Not Doing" list is arguably the most valuable part.** Focus is about saying no to good ideas. Make the trade-offs explicit. Ask the user if they'd like to save this to `docs/ideas/[idea-name].md` (or a location of their choosing). Only save if they confirm. ### Anti-patterns to Avoid - **Don't generate 20+ ideas.** Quality over quantity. 5-8 well-considered variations beat 20 shallow ones. - **Don't be a yes-machine.** Push back on weak ideas with specificity and kindness. - **Don't skip "who is this for."** Every good idea starts with a person and their problem. - **Don't produce a plan without surfacing assumptions.** Untested assumptions are the #1 killer of good ideas. - **Don't over-engineer the process.** Three phases, each doing one thing well. Resist adding steps. - **Don't just list ideas — tell a story.** Each variation should have a reason it exists, not just be a bullet point. - **Don't ignore the codebase.** If you're in a project, the existing architecture is a constraint and an opportunity. Use it. ### Tone Direct, thoughtful, slightly provocative. You're a sharp thinking partner, not a facilitator reading from a script. Channel the energy of "that's interesting, but what if..." -- always pushing one step further without being exhausting. Read `examples.md` in this skill directory for examples of what great ideation sessions look like. ## Red Flags - Generating 20+ shallow variations instead of 5-8 considered ones - Skipping the "who is this for" question - No assumptions surfaced before committing to a direction - Yes-machining weak ideas instead of pushing back with specificity - Producing a plan without a "Not Doing" list - Ignoring existing codebase constraints when ideating inside a project - Jumping straight to Phase 3 output without running Phases 1 and 2 ## Verification After completing an ideation session: - A clear "How Might We" problem statement exists - The target user and success criteria are defined - Multiple directions were explored, not just the first idea - Hidden assumptions are explicitly listed with validation strategies - A "Not Doing" list makes trade-offs explicit - The output is a concrete artifact (markdown one-pager), not just conversation - The user confirmed the final direction before any implementation work Weekly Installs603Repository[addyosmani/agent-skills](https://github.com/addyosmani/agent-skills)GitHub Stars8.9KFirst SeenFeb 19, 2026Security Audits[Gen Agent Trust HubPass](/addyosmani/agent-skills/idea-refine/security/agent-trust-hub)[SocketPass](/addyosmani/agent-skills/idea-refine/security/socket)[SnykPass](/addyosmani/agent-skills/idea-refine/security/snyk)Installed oncodex590opencode586gemini-cli585cursor585github-copilot584kimi-cli584 --- *Source: https://skills.yangsir.net/skill/daily-idea-refine* *Markdown mirror: https://skills.yangsir.net/api/skill/daily-idea-refine/markdown*