The method

You don't need the full solution first. You need a clear frame.

Context, goals, and constraints. Get those three clear and AI can explore what's still possible inside them. No six-month discovery phase to get started.

1 · Context

Who, what, why

The situation you're building for.

Who
The user, stakeholder, team, or role this is for.
What
What they're trying to do, decide, understand, or improve.
Why / pain
Where the friction is: what feels slow, risky, blocked or unclear.
Current reality
What happens now without it, and what workaround already exists.
2 · Goals

What should improve

The outcome you want the user to reach.

User goals
The goal, job, or decision this should help the user achieve.
Success
What a useful first build would help you learn, prove, compare, or clarify.
Design style
How it should feel: playful, calm, premium, gameful, simple, dashboard-like.
Interaction intent
Low-friction, guided, scannable, fast, confidence-building?
3 · Constraints

What must stay true

Where limits become design boundaries.

Security / privacy
What data or systems can never be touched or exposed.
Technical limits
No backend yet, no database, no API access, internal-only, offline-only.
Fidelity
Wireframe, mock-up, clickable flow, coded front end, or working shell with fake data.
Scope limits
What is intentionally out of scope for this round.
The hard part

How to turn problems into constraints

Most blockers people raise aren't dead ends. They're constraints in disguise. Three steps to convert one.

1

Write the blocker

Say the objection exactly as people say it. Don't tidy it up yet.

2

Find the real limit

Remove “so we can't do it” and keep the actual rule or boundary underneath.

3

Rewrite it

Turn it into “It must…” or “It cannot…”.

“AI can't use our internal data.”
Use synthetic, redacted, or manually described data only.
“We don't have backend access yet.”
Build a front-end prototype with mocked responses.
“We don't know the exact use case.”
Generate 2 to 3 role-based directions to compare.
“It's too risky to build fully.”
Limit fidelity to wireframe, clickable flow, or working shell.
Define the context, the goals, and the constraints, then let AI explore what is still possible.

The one-page version

The method started life as an A4 landscape printout. Open it and use your browser's print or save-as-PDF.

Open the printout

Bring me a vague idea

A Framing Session runs this method against your real problem, and you leave with the brief.

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