---
name: zero-to-prototype
description: Takes entrepreneurs from raw idea to validated prototype—from initial concept through customer discovery, validation frameworks, to landing page and PRD. Use when someone wants to validate a business idea, conduct customer discovery, test assumptions, create a landing page, write a PRD, or go from "I have an idea" to "I'm ready to build." Triggers include "pressure test this idea", "validate my thinking", "help me understand if this is worth pursuing", "create a landing page", "write a PRD", "do customer discovery", or when someone presents a new business idea for evaluation.
---

# Zero to Prototype

This skill guides you from raw idea to validated prototype using proven innovation frameworks. It covers the full journey:

1. **Idea Validation** → Is this worth pursuing?
2. **Customer Discovery** → Who needs this and why?
3. **Problem/Solution Fit** → Does this solve a real problem?
4. **Go-to-Market** → How do we reach customers?
5. **Deliverables** → Landing page, PRD, pitch materials

## Outputs

All work is persisted to markdown files for durable artifacts:

| Stage | Output File | Purpose |
|-------|-------------|---------|
| PMF Analysis | `<PROJECT>-PMF.md` | Validated insights, customer quotes, frameworks applied |
| Product Spec | `<PROJECT>-PRD.md` | Requirements, user stories, success metrics |
| Landing Page | `<PROJECT>-LANDING.md` | Copy, structure, conversion elements |

Write progressively as you work—don't wait until the end.

## Available Frameworks (31 total)

**Problem & Customer Discovery:**
- 5 Whys Method
- Jobs to Be Done (JTBD)
- The Mom Test
- Problem Validation
- Persona Development
- Earlyvangelist Identification
- Commitment Signals (Currencies of Conversation)
- Workflow Mapping
- Boolean Search Mastery

**Strategy & Positioning:**
- Business Model Canvas
- Market Type Framework
- Positioning Statement
- Value Proposition Canvas
- First Principles Thinking

**Validation & Testing:**
- Assumption Testing
- MVP Types
- Build-Measure-Learn Loop
- Innovation Accounting
- Product-Market Fit Signals

**Analysis & Prioritization:**
- Pre-mortem Analysis
- Fishbone Diagram (Ishikawa)
- Pareto Analysis (80/20 Rule)
- ICE Scoring
- Win/Loss Analysis
- Research Synthesis

**Growth & Scaling:**
- Three Engines of Growth
- AARRR Metrics (Pirate Metrics)
- Pivot Types

**Design & Ideation:**
- Design Thinking

**Deliverables:**
- Landing Page Creation
- Product Requirements Document (PRD)

## Workflow

### Phase 1: Discovery

When someone presents an idea, understand context first:

1. **What's the idea?** (1-2 sentence summary)
2. **What type of idea is this?**
   - New business or venture
   - Product or service offering
   - GTM or marketing strategy
   - Feature or improvement
3. **What's your primary goal?**
   - Validate whether it's worth pursuing
   - Find and understand customers
   - Create deliverables (landing page, PRD)
   - Full zero-to-prototype journey
4. **What stage are you at?**
   - Early concept (just an idea)
   - Some validation done (talked to customers)
   - Ready for deliverables (need landing page/PRD)

### Phase 2: Framework Selection

Based on discovery, recommend frameworks from this matrix:

#### By Primary Goal

**Goal: Validate whether worth pursuing**
- → **Problem Validation** + **Assumption Testing** (references/problem-validation.md, references/assumption-testing.md)
- → **5 Whys** or **JTBD** for understanding the core problem
- → **Market Type Framework** for realistic expectations
- → **Pre-mortem** for risk identification

**Goal: Find and understand customers**
- → **Mom Test** for customer conversations (references/mom-test.md)
- → **Earlyvangelist Identification** for finding first customers (references/earlyvangelist.md)
- → **Boolean Search** for prospect finding (references/boolean-search.md)
- → **Persona Development** for customer profiles (references/persona-development.md)
- → **Commitment Signals** for qualifying interest (references/commitment-signals.md)
- → **Workflow Mapping** for understanding current state (references/workflow-mapping.md)

**Goal: Measure progress**
- → **Innovation Accounting** for pre-revenue progress (references/innovation-accounting.md)
- → **AARRR Metrics** for full funnel (references/aarrr-metrics.md)
- → **Product-Market Fit Signals** for PMF assessment (references/product-market-fit.md)
- → **Research Synthesis** for combining qual/quant (references/research-synthesis.md)

**Goal: Prioritize and refine**
- → **Pareto Analysis** or **ICE Scoring** for prioritization
- → **Value Proposition Canvas** for customer alignment
- → **Positioning Statement** for differentiation (references/positioning-statement.md)
- → **Design Thinking** for user-centered refinement

**Goal: Plan growth**
- → **Three Engines of Growth** for growth strategy (references/three-engines-of-growth.md)
- → **Win/Loss Analysis** for conversion improvement (references/win-loss-analysis.md)
- → **Pivot Types** for direction changes (references/pivot-types.md)

**Goal: Create deliverables**
- → For visual language, palette, typography, and tone of voice, use the sibling `brand-pack` skill (not this one).
- → **Landing Page Creation** (references/landing-page.md)
- → **PRD** (references/prd.md)

#### By Stage

**Early Concept (just an idea):**
1. Business Model Canvas → Map the idea
2. Problem Validation → Is the problem real?
3. Mom Test → How to interview customers
4. Earlyvangelist → Find people to validate with

**Some Validation (talked to customers):**
1. JTBD → Refine understanding of the job
2. Assumption Testing → Test critical beliefs
3. MVP Types → Choose validation approach
4. Positioning Statement → Clarify differentiation

**Ready for Deliverables:**
1. Research Synthesis → Consolidate learnings
2. Landing Page → Create demand-testing page
3. PRD → Document requirements

### Phase 3: Apply Framework

When applying a framework:

1. **Load the reference file** from `references/` directory
2. **Follow the process** exactly as outlined
3. **Ask questions conversationally** (don't interrogate)
4. **Capture insights** as they emerge
5. **Write findings** to the output file after each framework

**Guidelines:**
- One question at a time
- Push for specifics (avoid generic answers)
- Acknowledge good points
- Use examples from the reference file

### Phase 4: Synthesis & Deliverables

After completing frameworks:

1. **Summarize key insights**
   - What was validated?
   - What blind spots emerged?
   - What customer quotes captured the pain?

2. **Make a recommendation**
   - Go/no-go with confidence level
   - Top risks and mitigations
   - Recommended next actions

3. **Create deliverables** (if requested)
   - **Landing Page**: Use `references/landing-page.md` to transform insights into copy
   - **PRD**: Use `references/prd.md` to document requirements

4. **Write the synthesis** to output file

## Complete Journey Workflows

### Zero to Prototype (Full Journey)

For someone going from raw idea to ready-to-build:

**Week 1-2: Validation**
1. **Business Model Canvas** → Map the full idea
2. **Market Type Framework** → Set realistic expectations
3. **Problem Validation** → Confirm problem is real
4. **Mom Test** + **Earlyvangelist** → Find and interview customers

**Week 3-4: Refinement**
5. **JTBD** → Understand the job deeply
6. **Assumption Testing** → Test critical beliefs
7. **Commitment Signals** → Assess real demand
8. **Research Synthesis** → Consolidate learnings

**Week 5-6: Deliverables**
9. **Positioning Statement** → Nail the differentiation
10. **MVP Types** → Choose validation approach
11. **Landing Page** → Create demand-testing page
12. **PRD** → Document what to build

### Customer Discovery Sprint

For validating a customer segment:

1. **Persona Development** → Define who to talk to
2. **Boolean Search** → Find them
3. **Mom Test** → Interview without bias
4. **Earlyvangelist** → Identify true early adopters
5. **Commitment Signals** → Qualify real interest
6. **Workflow Mapping** → Understand current state

### Idea Validation Sprint

For quick go/no-go:

1. **5 Whys** or **JTBD** → Understand the problem
2. **Assumption Testing** → Identify critical beliefs
3. **Pre-mortem** → Surface risks
4. **Market Type** → Set expectations
5. Verdict: Go, iterate, or kill

### Post-Interview Synthesis

After completing customer interviews:

1. **Research Synthesis** → Combine qual and quant
2. **JTBD** → Refine job statement
3. **Positioning Statement** → Clarify differentiation
4. **Landing Page** → Create demand test
5. **PRD** → Document requirements

### GTM Strategy

For go-to-market planning:

1. **Positioning Statement** → Define differentiation
2. **Persona Development** → Target customer profiles
3. **Boolean Search** → Find and reach targets
4. **Value Proposition Canvas** → Align messaging
5. **AARRR Metrics** → Set up measurement
6. **Landing Page** → Create conversion page

## Selection Matrix (Quick Reference)

| If you need to... | Use these frameworks |
|-------------------|---------------------|
| Understand the problem | 5 Whys, JTBD, Problem Validation |
| Find customers | Earlyvangelist, Boolean Search, Persona |
| Interview customers | Mom Test, Commitment Signals |
| Map the business | Business Model Canvas, Market Type |
| Test assumptions | Assumption Testing, Build-Measure-Learn |
| Prioritize | Pareto, ICE Scoring |
| Identify risks | Pre-mortem, Fishbone |
| Clarify positioning | Positioning Statement, Value Proposition Canvas |
| Measure progress | Innovation Accounting, AARRR, PMF Signals |
| Combine data | Research Synthesis |
| Choose MVP approach | MVP Types |
| Plan growth | Three Engines, Pivot Types |
| Create landing page | Landing Page Creation |
| Write requirements | PRD |

## Key Principles

1. **Evidence over intuition** — Every insight should trace to customer data
2. **Specifics over generics** — Push for concrete examples and quotes
3. **Learning over building** — Validate before you invest
4. **Progress over perfection** — Ship, measure, iterate
5. **Synthesis over summary** — Connect dots, don't just list facts

## Research routing

Customer-discovery prior-art lookups, prospect-finding (`references/boolean-search.md` invocations, Earlyvangelist identification), citation-backed claims (PMF benchmarks, market signal precedents), and academic-grade evidence all route through the `research-assistant` specialist with the `deep-research`, `data-research`, and `academic-verify` skills. Dispatch the specialist; do not call `WebSearch` or `WebFetch` directly from this skill. The specialist returns structured findings with citations the PMF, Landing, and PRD artefacts can quote.

## Framework Reference Files

All frameworks are in `references/` directory:

| Framework | File |
|-----------|------|
| 5 Whys | `five-whys.md` |
| JTBD | `jtbd.md` |
| Mom Test | `mom-test.md` |
| Problem Validation | `problem-validation.md` |
| Persona Development | `persona-development.md` |
| Earlyvangelist | `earlyvangelist.md` |
| Commitment Signals | `commitment-signals.md` |
| Workflow Mapping | `workflow-mapping.md` |
| Boolean Search | `boolean-search.md` |
| Business Model Canvas | `business-model-canvas.md` |
| Market Type | `market-type.md` |
| Positioning Statement | `positioning-statement.md` |
| Value Proposition Canvas | `value-proposition-canvas.md` |
| First Principles | `first-principles.md` |
| Assumption Testing | `assumption-testing.md` |
| MVP Types | `mvp-types.md` |
| Build-Measure-Learn | `build-measure-learn.md` |
| Innovation Accounting | `innovation-accounting.md` |
| Product-Market Fit | `product-market-fit.md` |
| Pre-mortem | `pre-mortem.md` |
| Fishbone | `fishbone.md` |
| Pareto | `pareto.md` |
| ICE Scoring | `ice-scoring.md` |
| Win/Loss Analysis | `win-loss-analysis.md` |
| Research Synthesis | `research-synthesis.md` |
| Three Engines of Growth | `three-engines-of-growth.md` |
| AARRR Metrics | `aarrr-metrics.md` |
| Pivot Types | `pivot-types.md` |
| Design Thinking | `design-thinking.md` |
| Landing Page | `landing-page.md` |
| OG Images | `og-images.md` |
| PRD | `prd.md` |

## Notes

- Load references on-demand (only when framework is selected)
- One framework at a time (don't blend mid-stream)
- User can switch frameworks if one isn't working
- Always offer next steps after completing a framework
- Write to output files progressively, not at the end
