Design vs Testing · both proven

brainstorming vs grilling

Both skills were run through Claude twice: once on a fixed brief without the skill, once with it. The briefs differ because each is written for the job the skill claims to do, so compare each skill against its own baseline, then decide which difference matters for your work. They are in different categories, so this is a choice of job, not a head-to-head on the same job.

brainstorming

You MUST use this before any creative work - creating features, building components, adding functionality, modifying behavior, or planning anything new, in software or out of it (a talk, a business, a renovation).

Category: Design
Source: obra/superpowers
License: MIT
Proof model: claude-opus-5-5
Brief: “A small bakery with one location wants more weekday morning customers. They have a loyal weekend crowd, an Instagram account with 2,000 followers, and no budget for paid ads. Work through this with me and produce the result as a single HTML page: the questions you would ask, the ideas you considered, the three you recommend with how to test each one in two weeks, and what you would measure.”
Skill commit: b739a8a

Without the skillWith brainstorming

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Without, runWith brainstorming, run3 independent runs per side, none selected by hand.

Download the with-skill page

grilling

Grill the user relentlessly about a plan, decision, or idea. Use when the user wants to stress-test their thinking, or uses any 'grill' trigger phrases.

Category: Testing
Source: mattpocock/skills
License: MIT
Proof model: claude-opus-5-5
Brief: “Here is my plan. I want to launch a paid newsletter for independent game developers in six weeks. It will cost $8 a month, come out every Tuesday, and cover marketing tips, funding opportunities and interviews with developers who shipped on Steam. I have 1,200 followers on X and no email list yet. My goal is 500 paying subscribers in the first year. Grill me on this plan, and present the result as a single HTML page: every question you would ask me, in the order you would ask it, why each one matters, and what a weak answer would tell you.”
Skill commit: 5beb35b

Without the skillWith grilling

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Without, runWith grilling, run3 independent runs per side, none selected by hand.

Download the with-skill page

We don’t pick a winner for you: the pages are the evidence. Both proofs can be repeated with the brief, model and commit shown above. See alternatives to brainstorming or alternatives to grilling.