Problem Before Prescription

[joshua-temple]

Proposal Type

Principle

The Proposal

When prompting a model, act as the user: present the problem and constraints, explore solutions, then commit.

Why This Matters

• Humans hold context the model cannot see: constraints, history, stakeholders
• Models hold solution breadth the human has not considered
• Prescribing first anchors on the human's first idea and discards that breadth
• Scope: applies when the solution space is uncertain
• Exploration costs tokens (tension with TTV); when the human holds decisive context, prescribe and state why

Open Questions

1. Which signals mark a solution space as uncertain enough to explore?

Prior Art

• Techniques: clarify-first questions, 2-3 options with tradeoffs, spec-then-build
• Related: TTV: Tokens to Value #2 TTV, Human in the Loop #8 Human in the Loop

Documentation PR

#13

[joshua-temple]

Accepted. Documented in #13.