206 lines
6.4 KiB
Markdown
206 lines
6.4 KiB
Markdown
# Phase 1: Product Exploration
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**Agent:** Saga the Analyst
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**Output:** `A-Product-Brief/` (or your configured prefix)
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---
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## What This Phase Does
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Product Exploration establishes your strategic foundation through conversational discovery. Instead of filling out questionnaires, you have a conversation that builds understanding organically.
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By the end, you'll have a Product Brief that captures your vision and serves as the north star for your entire project.
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---
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## What You'll Create
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Your Product Brief includes:
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- **Executive Summary** - The vision that inspires teams
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- **Problem Statement** - The "why" that drives decisions
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- **User Types** - The "who" that guides design (initial identification)
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- **Solution Approach** - The "how" that enables development
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- **Success Criteria** - The "what" that measures progress
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- **Market Positioning** - How you're different (optional: ICP framework)
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Phase 1 captures a casual, conversational understanding of the business — who the users are, what the goals are, what the product should do. The deep strategic analysis (personas, driving forces, prioritization) happens in Phase 2: Trigger Mapping.
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---
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## Workflow Structure
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Phase 1 follows a linear path through four document modules, with an optional simplified mode:
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```mermaid
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flowchart TD
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START(["Phase 1: Product Exploration"]) --> MODE{Brief level?}
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MODE -->|Simplified| SIMPLE["Simplified Brief\nSingle-step quick capture"]
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MODE -->|Complete| VISION["Vision & Positioning\nSteps 01-03"]
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SIMPLE --> DONE([Phase complete])
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VISION --> BRIEF["Product Brief\nBusiness model, users,\nsuccess criteria, constraints\nSteps 05-12"]
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BRIEF --> CONTENT["Content & Language\nPersonality, tone, SEO,\ncontent structure\nSteps 13-18"]
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CONTENT --> VISUAL["Visual Direction\nInspiration, brand, style,\nlayout, imagery\nSteps 19-26"]
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VISUAL --> PLATFORM["Platform Requirements\nTech stack, integrations,\ncontact strategy, multilingual\nSteps 27-32"]
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PLATFORM --> SUMMARY["Summary & Activation\nAnalyze, summarize,\nupdate design log\nSteps 33-36"]
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SUMMARY --> PHASE2(["→ Phase 2: Trigger Mapping"])
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START -.->|"validate / -v"| VALIDATE["Validation Mode\nBrief completeness\n→ SEO → Content → Visual → Platform"]
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VALIDATE -.-> REPORT["Validation Report"]
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```
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**Four document modules** — each produces its own output file:
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1. **Product Brief** — vision, business model, users, success criteria
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2. **Content & Language** — personality, tone, SEO keywords, structure
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3. **Visual Direction** — brand, style references, layout, imagery
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4. **Platform Requirements** — tech stack, integrations, multilingual
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Phase 1 captures casual business context. Deep strategic analysis (personas, driving forces) is done in Phase 2: Trigger Mapping.
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---
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## How It Works
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### The Conversational Approach
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Traditional requirements gathering treats people like databases - extracting answers through rigid questionnaires. WDS does it differently.
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**Instead of:** "Please complete this 47-question requirements document"
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**WDS says:** "Tell me about your project in your own words"
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People light up when asked to share their vision. They become collaborators, not interrogation subjects.
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### The Session Flow
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**Opening (5-10 minutes)**
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Saga asks about your project in your own words. She listens for:
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- What you emphasize naturally
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- Where your energy goes
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- What excites vs. what stresses you
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- Your exact language and terminology
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**Exploration (15-30 minutes)**
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The conversation adapts to what you reveal:
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- If you mention users → deeper into user insights
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- If you mention problems → explore the cost of not solving
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- If you mention competition → discover differentiation
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- If you mention timeline → understand urgency drivers
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Each answer reveals the next question. It's jazz, not classical music.
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**Synthesis (10-15 minutes)**
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Saga reflects back your vision in organized form:
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- Connecting dots you shared across topics
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- Highlighting insights you might not have seen
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- Building the foundation for next phases
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### Living Document
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As you talk, the Product Brief grows in real-time:
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- Immediate validation and refinement
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- Real-time course correction
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- You own the content because you helped create it
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- "Yes, exactly!" moments that build trust
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---
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## When to Use This Phase
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**Always start here if:**
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- Building something new
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- Starting a new project
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- Need strategic clarity before diving into design
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**Skip if:**
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- You already have a clear, documented product brief
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- Just enhancing an existing feature
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- Working on a design system without new product context
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---
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## What to Prepare
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Come ready to share:
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- Your project idea (even if rough)
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- The problem you're solving
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- Who might use it
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- Why it matters to you
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You don't need polished answers. The conversation will help clarify everything.
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---
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## What Comes Next
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Your Product Brief enables:
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- **Phase 2: Trigger Mapping** - Deep user psychology (personas, driving forces, prioritization)
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- **Phase 3: UX Scenarios** - User journeys grounded in your vision
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- **Phase 4: UX Design** - Design work grounded in strategic purpose
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The brief becomes the reference point everyone shares.
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---
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## Tips for Great Sessions
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**Let the conversation flow**
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- Share what feels important, even if it seems tangential
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- Follow your energy - where you're excited matters
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**Think out loud**
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- Half-formed thoughts are welcome
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- will help you refine them
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**Be honest about uncertainty**
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- "I'm not sure about X" is useful information
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- Better to surface doubts now than later
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**Review as you go**
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- Check that what's captured matches your thinking
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- Correct misunderstandings immediately
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---
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## Example Output
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See: `examples/dog-week-patterns/A-Product-Brief/` for a complete Product Brief example from a real project.
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---
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## Related Resources
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**Method Guides:**
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- [Phase 2: Trigger Mapping Guide](./phase-2-trigger-mapping-guide.md) - Deep user psychology (next phase)
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- [Phase 3: UX Scenarios Guide](./phase-3-ux-scenarios-guide.md) - User journeys from Trigger Map
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**Strategic Models:**
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- [Customer Awareness Cycle](../models/customer-awareness-cycle.md) - Understanding user awareness stages
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- [Golden Circle](../models/golden-circle.md) - WHY, HOW, WHAT framework (useful for vision)
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**Workflows:**
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- Product Brief Workflow: `workflows/1-project-brief/project-brief/complete/workflow.md`
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- Pitch & Signoff Workflow: `workflows/1-project-brief/alignment-signoff/workflow.md`
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---
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_Phase 1 of the Whiteport Design Studio method_
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