interview-me

Interview Me

Overview

The cheapest bug is the one never written because the right question was asked first. This skill replaces assumption-stacking with a structured interview: ask targeted questions in small batches, feed each answer into the next round, and stop only when you could write the spec's acceptance criteria without inventing anything. It front-loads the conversation that otherwise happens as review rework.

When to Use

• The request is one or two sentences for something clearly bigger ("add offline support")
• Requirements contradict each other or the existing app's behavior
• Multiple plausible interpretations exist and picking wrong is expensive
• Before spec-driven-development when the input idea is fuzzy
• A stakeholder says "you know what I mean" — you don't

Skip when: The task is small and unambiguous (rename, obvious bug fix), or a spec with acceptance criteria already exists — go build. Don't interview to avoid starting.

Core Process

Step 1: State What You Think You Know

1. Write down the current understanding and confidence level before asking anything:

## Understanding: offline support for tasks
- Users can view cached tasks offline — confident (stated)
- Users can CREATE tasks offline — assumed, not stated
- Conflict resolution strategy — unknown
- Sync trigger (foreground only? WorkManager?) — unknown
Confidence: ~40%

Unknowns and assumptions become the question list. If nothing lands in those rows, you didn't need the interview.

Step 2: Ask in Small, Targeted Batches

1. 3–5 questions per round, highest-leverage first. One decision per question, concrete options over open prompts:

1. When a task is edited offline on two devices, which wins — last write,
   or surface a conflict to the user?
2. Should offline creation work, or is offline read-only for v1?
3. Sync on app-open only, or background sync via WorkManager?
4. What happens to offline changes if the user logs out?