Brief to Buy-In

CONTEXT BLOCK (paste this first, every time)

Product: [what it is, in one line]
This screen: [screen name]
The object behind it: [the thing the user acts on: a booking, an order, a report]
Its states: [for example: draft → sent → paid]
User: [who, and what they did 5 minutes before they got here]
Decided already: [the calls you've made and won't reopen]
Constraints: [deadline, tech, brand, legal]
What good looks like: [one sentence a happy user would say]

Read this. Then ask me 3 questions that would help you do your best work on this project.

[PASTE YOUR CONTEXT BLOCK]

Before I open Figma, run the 30-minute expansion with me.

1. Rename it. Give me 3 other names for this screen. For each one, tell me what it pulls the user toward: scan, monitor, decide or act.
2. The object. What object sits behind this screen? What creates it? What ends it? What states does it pass through, and who touches it in each state?
3. The arc. What did the user do 5 minutes before this screen? What do they need 5 minutes after? What is the hardest moment?
4. The trade-off. Which way of working does each option reward? Which does it quietly punish?

Then give me 3 directions. One line each, plus the trade-off I'd be choosing. I pick the direction.

[PASTE YOUR CONTEXT BLOCK]

Here is my research: [PASTE TRANSCRIPTS, TICKETS, REVIEWS OR SURVEY ANSWERS, NAMES REMOVED]

Find the patterns. For each pattern, give me:
- the pattern, in one plain sentence
- how many separate sources mention it
- 2 exact quotes that prove it, word for word, and where each one came from
- what it means for this screen

Rank the patterns by how often they come up.
Only use what is in the research. If a quote isn't there word for word, leave it out.
Finish with: what surprised you, and what is missing that I should go and find.

[PASTE YOUR CONTEXT BLOCK]
My direction: [DESCRIBE IT, OR UPLOAD THE FRAMES]
Why I chose it: [YOUR REASONS]

Play three people, one at a time. Be tough but fair.
1. My client: What worries you? What would make you say no? What will you ask in the meeting?
2. My engineer: What is hard to build? Which states are missing (empty, error, loading, very long text, small phone)? What happens with 400 items instead of 12?
3. My boss: Does this move the number we care about? What is the risk? What would you cut?

Then list the top 5 objections. For each one, give me a one-line answer I can say out loud. Tell me honestly if the objection is right and I should change the design.

[PASTE YOUR CONTEXT BLOCK]
The direction we agreed: [DESCRIBE IT]
The reasons, in my words: [PASTE YOUR NOTES OR YOUR SKEPTIC PASS ANSWERS]

Write three things from this one rationale:
1. Client email: under 150 words. What we chose, why it helps them, and the one decision I need from them.
2. Exec summary: 5 bullet points. The problem, the choice, the evidence, the risk, the next step.
3. Engineering handoff: the object and its states, every screen state (empty, error, loading, very long text, small phone), the rules behind each one, and open questions.

Use my reasons only. Mark anything you had to guess with [CHECK].

Here are my project files: [UPLOAD THE FOLDER, OR PASTE THE NOTES]

Answer from these files only: [YOUR QUESTION, for example "What did we decide about the empty state, and why?"]

Quote the file and the line where the decision was made.
If the files don't say, answer "not decided yet" and tell me who or what I should check.