Development

Idea Refine

Refines raw ideas into sharp, actionable concepts through structured divergent and convergent thinking. Use when an idea is still vague or when you need to stress-test assumptions.

by Addy OsmaniRepository →Source →

Process

Phase 1: Understand & Expand (Divergent)

Restate the idea as a crisp "How Might We" problem statement.

Ask 3-5 sharpening questions:

Who is this for, specifically?
What does success look like?
What are the real constraints?
What's been tried before?
Why now?

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?"

Phase 2: Evaluate & Converge

Cluster ideas that resonated into 2-3 distinct directions.

Stress-test each direction:

User value: Who benefits and how much?
Feasibility: What's the technical cost?
Differentiation: What makes this genuinely different?

Surface hidden assumptions:

What you're betting is true (but haven't validated)
What could kill this idea
What you're choosing to ignore

Phase 3: Sharpen & Ship

Produce a markdown one-pager:

# [Idea Name] ## Problem Statement [One-sentence "How Might We" framing] ## Recommended Direction [The chosen direction and why] ## Key Assumptions to Validate - [ ] [Assumption 1 — how to test it] - [ ] [Assumption 2 — how to test it] ## MVP Scope [The minimum version that tests the core assumption] ## Not Doing (and Why) - [Thing 1] — [reason] - [Thing 2] — [reason]

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

[ ] Hidden assumptions are explicitly listed

[ ] A "Not Doing" list makes trade-offs explicit

[ ] The output is a concrete artifact

[ ] The user confirmed the final direction