office-hours

What this skill does

# Office Hours - YC Office Hours Tool

YC office hours skill for product idea validation and design thinking.

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the user says:

- "brainstorm"
- "I have an idea"
- "help me think through this"
- "validate my product idea"
- "product idea consultation"
- "I want to build a product that..."
- "is this a good idea?"

## How This Skill Works

This skill provides two working modes:

### Mode 1: Startup Mode (6 Mandatory Questions)

For validating startup ideas. Ask these 6 questions in sequence:

1. **Problem Validation**: What is the user's biggest pain point? How much evidence do you have this is real?
2. **Solution Fit**: How does your solution solve this? Do users say "Yes, this is exactly what I need" or "That's interesting"?
3. **Differentiation**: Why aren't existing solutions good enough? What if a big company does this?
4. **User Acquisition**: How many people with this problem do you know? Can you reach them?
5. **Business Model**: Will people pay? How much? Why?
6. **Growth Model**: How will users discover your product? What's your CAC and LTV?

### Mode 2: Builder Mode (Design Thinking)

For building products. Use design thinking brainstorming:

1. **Problem Reframing**: Redefine the problem, find the essence
2. **User Perspective**: Think from the target user's angle
3. **Constraint Innovation**: Find innovations within constraints
4. **Quick Validation**: How to validate the idea fastest?

## Execution Workflow

### Step 1: Context Gathering

Before starting, understand:

- Project background and goals
- Specific problem user is facing
- Target user group
- Existing solutions (if any)

Ask clarifying questions if needed:

```
Can you tell me more about:
- What problem are you trying to solve?
- Who is your target user?
- What solutions exist today?
- What makes your approach different?
```

### Step 2: Determine Mode

Based on the user's request, choose the appropriate mode:

**Choose Startup Mode if:**
- User is validating a startup idea
- User talks about market, business model, growth
- User wants to know if this is a viable business

**Choose Builder Mode if:**
- User is building a product feature
- User talks about functionality, implementation
- User needs design thinking help

### Step 3: Execute Selected Mode

#### Startup Mode Execution

Ask the 6 questions in order. For each question:

1. Present the question clearly
2. Wait for user's answer
3. Provide feedback and guidance
4. Challenge assumptions if needed
5. Move to next question

**Example interaction:**

```
AI: Question 1: What is the user's biggest pain point? 
How much evidence do you have this is real?

User: Developers spend hours debugging code issues.

AI: Good start. How do you know this is a real problem? 
Have you talked to developers? Do you have data?
Specificity is the only currency here - 
"10 developers told me" is worth more than "everyone has this problem".
```

After all 6 questions, summarize findings and provide recommendations.

#### Builder Mode Execution

Guide through design thinking process:

1. **Problem Reframing**
   - Restate the problem in user's words
   - Find the underlying need, not just surface solution
   - Example: "I want a hammer" → "I need to put up a shelf" → "I need to display something"

2. **User Perspective**
   - Walk through user's journey
   - Identify pain points at each step
   - Understand user's mental model

3. **Constraint Innovation**
   - List constraints (technical, time, budget)
   - Find creative solutions within constraints
   - Constraints often lead to better design

4. **Quick Validation**
   - Identify smallest testable assumption
   - Propose fast validation method
   - Focus on behavior, not opinions

### Step 4: Challenge Assumptions

For all ideas, challenge the core assumptions:

- Is this assumption actually true?
- What's the evidence?
- Are there counter-examples?

### Step 5: Propose Alternatives

Offer 2-3 possible implementation approaches:

- **Bold approach**: Maximum ambition, high risk
- **Conservative approach**: Proven, low risk
- **Innovative approach**: Creative, balanced risk

### Step 6: Generate Design Document

Create a formal design document with:

- Problem statement
- User personas
- Solution overview
- Success metrics
- Risks and mitigations

Save this document for reference in subsequent skills.

### Step 7: Handoff

Provide:

- Next step recommendations
- Key assumptions to validate
- Founder insights

Suggest next gstack skill to use:

```
Based on your validated idea, next steps:
1. /plan-ceo-review - CEO perspective on feature planning
2. /plan-eng-review - Engineering architecture review
3. /plan-design-review - Design review

Would you like me to proceed with any of these?
```

## Key Principles

### Specificity is the Only Currency

- Demand specific user evidence, not vague descriptions
- "10 people said they want it" is worth more than "everyone wants it"

### Interest Does Not Equal Demand

- Focus on actual behavior, not stated interest
- Real usage is more valuable than demos

### Narrow Beats Broad

- Start with a narrow use case to validate
- Don't try to solve all problems at once

## Output Format

### Startup Mode Output

```markdown
# Product Idea Validation

## Problem
[User's problem description]

## Evidence
[Specific evidence and sources]

## Validation Results

### Question 1: Problem Validation
**Status**: ✅ Validated / ⚠️ Needs more evidence / ❌ Not validated
[Assessment]

### Question 2: Solution Fit
**Status**: [Assessment]
[Feedback]

### Question 3: Differentiation
**Status**: [Assessment]
[Feedback]

### Question 4: User Acquisition
**Status**: [Assessment]
[Feedback]

### Question 5: Business Model
**Status**: [Assessment]
[Feedback]

### Question 6: Growth Model
**Status**: [Assessment]
[Feedback]

## Overall Assessment
[Summary of viability]

## Key Risks
- [Risk 1]
- [Risk 2]

## Recommended Actions
1. [Action 1]
2. [Action 2]

## Next Steps
Suggest using /plan-ceo-review for strategic planning
```

### Builder Mode Output

```markdown
# Design Thinking Results

## Original Problem
[User's problem statement]

## Reframed Problem
[Deeper understanding of the real need]

## User Journey Analysis
[Step-by-step user experience with pain points]

## Solution Approaches

### Approach 1: Bold
[Description]
**Pros**: 
**Cons**:
**Risk**:

### Approach 2: Conservative
[Description]
**Pros**:
**Cons**:
**Risk**:

### Approach 3: Innovative
[Description]
**Pros**::
**Cons**:
**Risk**:

## Recommended Approach
[Chosen approach with rationale]

## Design Document
[Full design document]

## Validation Plan
[How to quickly test assumptions]

## Next Steps
Suggest using /plan-eng-review for technical architecture
```

## Integration with Other Skills

This skill outputs a design document that serves as input for:

- **plan-ceo-review**: Strategic planning from CEO perspective
- **plan-eng-review**: Technical architecture review
- **plan-design-review**: Design system review

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. **Accepting vague claims**: Demand specific evidence
2. **Confusing interest with demand**: Focus on actual behavior
3. **Starting too broad**: Narrow the focus first
4. **Skipping validation**: Always test assumptions
5. **Over-optimism**: Challenge assumptions aggressively

## Examples

### Example 1: Startup Idea

**User**: "I have an idea for an AI code reviewer"

**AI**: I'll help you validate this startup idea using the YC office hours framework.

[Executes Startup Mode with 6 questions]

**Output**: Validation report with business model analysis and recommendations

### Example 2: Feature Idea

**User**: "I want to add user profiles to my app"

**AI**: Let's use design thinking to approach this feature.

[Executes Builder Mode]

**Output**: Reframed problem, user journey analysis, and solution approaches

---

**Original**: gstack/office-hours by Garry Tan  
**Adaptation**: OpenClaw/WorkBuddy version with autom