Generate Ideas

This skill allows the agent to generate a wide range of ideas and explore multiple approaches before converging on the most promising direction. It uses a deliberate diverge-then-converge process to avoid premature narrowing.

Steps

1. Frame the problem. Restate the problem statement in your own words to confirm you understand it. Identify what a successful outcome looks like.
2. Inventory constraints. List hard constraints (non-negotiable) and soft constraints (preferences). Hard constraints narrow the solution space; soft ones inform prioritization.
3. Diverge — generate freely. Produce at least 5 distinct ideas without filtering. Apply multiple lenses: conventional, unconventional, hybrid, minimal, and maximal approaches.
4. Categorize. Group generated ideas by theme, approach type, or effort level.
5. Converge — score and filter. Apply a quick feasibility vs. impact filter. Eliminate ideas that violate hard constraints.
6. Surface the top 1–3 candidates. For each, provide a one-line rationale for why it's worth exploring.
7. Output the full divergent list + categorized view + recommended direction.

Output Format

ideation_result:
  problem_restatement: "<your restatement>"
  hard_constraints:
    - "<constraint>"
  ideas:
    - id: 1
      idea: "<idea>"
      category: "<theme>"
      feasibility: high | medium | low
      impact: high | medium | low
  recommended_direction: "<top 1-3 ideas with rationale>"

Notes

• Never skip the diverge phase — the best solution is often the 4th or 5th idea generated.
• If the problem space is unclear, invoke analyze-context first to sharpen the framing.
• Use the benchmarking toolbox after this skill to formally compare shortlisted ideas.