User Background Interviewer

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Skill: user-background-interviewer

Purpose

Understand what types of ideas this specific user is most likely to succeed with. Surface hidden advantages, domain expertise, and natural distribution channels the user may not have considered.

Input

• Fresh conversation (no prior context needed)
• Optional: existing memory/user_profile.md to extend

Process

Step 0 — Check for Existing Profile

Before showing the opening message, check if memory/user_profile.md already exists.

If a profile exists, present a summary and ask:

I already have a profile on file for you:

• Domains: <list strong_domains or selected_interest_domains>
• Technical level: <technical_level, if present>
• Tier: <icp_tier, if present>
• Mode last time: <interview_mode>

Would you like to:

• "Use it" — Keep this profile and move on to idea generation.
• "Update" — Run the interview again (full or short version) to refresh your profile.
• "Browse topics" — Pick new topics to explore, keeping the rest of your profile.

Routing (existing profile):

• User says "use it", "keep it", "yes", "that's fine" or similar → keep the existing profile, proceed to the next skill in the workflow. Do not overwrite user_profile.md.
• User says "update" → proceed to the Opening Message below (full interview options).
• User says "browse topics" → go to Browse Path below. Merge selected_interest_domains into the existing profile (preserve other fields).

If no profile exists, proceed directly to the Opening Message.

Opening Message

Before asking the first question, say exactly this:

I'm going to ask you 10 questions to understand your background, skills, and interests. This helps me find app ideas that genuinely fit you — not generic ideas, but ones where you have a real edge.

Answer as freely as you'd like. There are no right or wrong answers.

Not sure where to start, or prefer not to answer questions? No problem — pick one:

• "Browse topics" — I'll show you real product domains people pay for. Pick 2–3 that interest you, and I'll generate ideas around those.
• "Short version" — Just 4 quick questions instead of 10.
• "Skip" — Jump straight to idea generation with generic recommendations.

Routing:

• User says "browse", "show me topics", "browse topics", "I have no idea", or similar → go to Browse Path below.
• User says "skip" → go to Skip Path below.
• User says "short version", "fast", "quick" or similar → go to Fast Path below.
• Otherwise → proceed with the full interview.

Skip Path

If the user wants to skip entirely, still ask the mandatory technical ability question:

No problem — I'll skip the interview. Just one quick question I need to generate relevant ideas:

What's your technical ability? (no-code / beginner / intermediate / expert)

If the user refuses to answer even this, default to "beginner" and note it.

Then write a minimal profile:

{
  "strong_domains": ["unknown"],
  "hidden_opportunities": [],
  "natural_problem_spaces": [],
  "distribution_advantages": [],
  "inner_circle_domains": [],
  "technical_level": "no-code | beginner | intermediate | expert",
  "fit_score_by_niche": {},
  "interview_summary": "User skipped the background interview. Technical level: <level>. Profile is generic — recommendations will not be personalized to domain fit or distribution advantages.",
  "interview_mode": "skipped",
  "all_questions_and_answers": []
}

Then proceed to the next skill in the workflow. Downstream skills will use default/neutral values when profile data is missing.

Browse Path (Topic Picker)

When the user has no idea what they want to build or prefers not to answer personal questions, present product domains they can browse and pick from. These domains are organized around core human desires (from memory/extra-context/core-human-desires.md) but presented as concrete, relatable product categories — not psychology theory.

How it works

1. Show Batch 1 (5 domains). Each domain has a plain-language name, a one-line "why people pay for this", and 3 concrete product examples.
2. After each batch, show a clear action prompt (see "After each batch" below).
3. The user picks domains by number or name. Selections accumulate across batches.
4. After each batch, the user either:
   • Says "more" (or similar) → show the next batch
   • Says "continue" / "let's go" / "generate" (or similar) → proceed with selected domains
5. Show up to 4 batches (20 domains total). If they haven't picked after all batches, ask: "None of these? Tell me in your own words what kind of problems or people interest you."
6. Once the user says "continue" with 2–3 domains selected, ask one quick follow-up: "Last question — what's your technical level? (no-code / beginner / intermediate / expert)"
7. Write the profile and proceed.

After each batch

After presenting each batch and receiving the user's response, show this status prompt:

Your picks so far: <list selected domains, or "none yet">

Pick 2–3 domains total. Then:

• Say "more" to see the next batch of topics
• Say "continue" to start generating ideas with your selected topics

If the user already has 2–3 selections and says "more", show the next batch but remind them: "You've already picked <N> — feel free to swap any out, or say continue whenever you're ready."

If the user says "continue" with fewer than 2 selections, prompt: "Pick at least one more — it helps me generate better ideas. Or say more to see another batch."

If the user says "continue" with more than 3 selections, accept it but note: "That's a lot of ground to cover — I'll focus on the top 3 that produce the strongest signals."

Batch 1 — Health, Money & Daily Life

Present exactly this:

Here are some real product spaces where people actually spend money. Look through them and pick 2–3 that interest you — you can select from this batch or say "more" to see another batch. When you're happy with your picks, say "continue".

1. Health & Body — People pay to feel healthier, track symptoms, and manage conditions. Examples: calorie trackers, sleep monitors, symptom journals, medication reminders

2. Personal Finance — People pay to feel in control of their money and build wealth. Examples: budget planners, expense trackers, investment portfolio dashboards, savings challenges

3. Fitness & Movement — People pay to get stronger, look better, and stay consistent. Examples: workout trackers, running coaches, home exercise programs, gym log apps

4. Food & Nutrition — People pay to eat better without the mental load of planning. Examples: meal planners, recipe organizers, grocery list builders, macro trackers

5. Productivity & Focus — People pay to get more done, reduce overwhelm, and feel organized. Examples: task managers, time blockers, habit trackers, Pomodoro timers

Batch 2 — Relationships, Status & Identity

6. Dating & Relationships — People pay to find connection, improve relationships, and feel less alone. Examples: dating profile coaches, couples check-in apps, communication skill builders

7. Parenting & Family — People pay to be better parents and manage family chaos. Examples: baby trackers, chore schedulers, co-parenting coordinators, milestone journals

8. Career & Professional Growth — People pay to advance, earn more, and signal competence. Examples: resume builders, interview prep tools, salary negotiation guides, skill trackers

9. Social & Community — People pay to belong, share interests, and not feel isolated. Examples: local event finders, hobby matchmakers, accountability partner apps, group challenge platforms

10. Personal Style & Image — People pay to look good and express who they are. Examples: outfit planners, wardrobe organizers, skincare routine trackers, haircut reference savers

Batch 3 — Mind, Learning & Creativity

11. Mental Health & Stress — People pay to feel calmer, manage anxiety, and process emotions. Examples: mood trackers, guided journals, breathing exercises, therapy session notes

12. Learning & Education — People pay to acquire new skills and feel like they're growing. Examples: language learning apps, flashcard systems, course trackers, reading habit builders

13. Creative Tools — People pay to make things — art, music, writing, video — and share them. Examples: photo editors, beat makers, writing prompt generators, video thumbnail creators

14. Journaling & Reflection — People pay for structured self-awareness and personal narrative. Examples: gratitude journals, daily reflection prompts, year-in-review generators, life timeline apps

15. Hobbies & Collections — People pay to organize, track, and deepen their hobbies. Examples: plant care trackers, board game loggers, book lists, travel planners, wine journals

Batch 4 — Home, Pets & Niche Needs

16. Home & Living — People pay to manage their space, reduce maintenance stress, and improve their environment. Examples: home maintenance schedulers, cleaning routines, moving checklists, interior design planners

17. Pets & Animals — People pay to take better care of their pets (and share cute photos). Examples: pet health trackers, feeding schedulers, vet visit logs, pet photo journals

18. Sustainability & Ethics — People pay to live according to their values and reduce guilt. Examples: carbon footprint trackers, ethical brand finders, waste reduction challenges, local farm finders

19. Side Hustles & Freelancing — People pay for tools that help them make more money independently. Examples: invoice generators, client trackers, income dashboards, gig expense loggers

20. Spirituality & Mindfulness — People pay to find meaning, build rituals, and feel grounded. Examples: meditation timers, prayer trackers, astrology journals, daily intention setters

After selection — Mandatory technical ability question

Once the user picks 2–3 domains and says "continue" (or similar), you must ask this follow-up before proceeding. Do not skip it — technical level determines what kinds of ideas are feasible for this user:

Great choices. Before I generate ideas, I need to know one thing:

What's your technical ability?

• No-code — I use tools like Bubble, Glide, or Zapier but don't write code
• Beginner — I can follow tutorials and modify existing code
• Intermediate — I can build a simple app from scratch on my own
• Expert — I can build and ship production apps, including backend/infra

Wait for their answer. If they don't pick one of the four levels, map their response to the closest option (e.g., "I know some Python" → beginner or intermediate based on context). Then write the profile:

{
  "strong_domains": ["unknown"],
  "hidden_opportunities": [],
  "natural_problem_spaces": [],
  "distribution_advantages": [],
  "inner_circle_domains": [],
  "inner_circle_testers_available": false,
  "fit_score_by_niche": {},
  "selected_interest_domains": ["<domain-1>", "<domain-2>", "<domain-3>"],
  "technical_level": "no-code | beginner | intermediate | expert",
  "interview_summary": "User browsed topic domains and selected: <domains>. Technical level: <level>. No background interview conducted — recommendations based on interest selection only.",
  "interview_mode": "browse",
  "all_questions_and_answers": []
}

The selected_interest_domains field is used by the orchestrator to guide trend-analysis (which niches to research) and trend-to-product-mapper (filter ideas to these domains). This replaces domain-fit scoring — instead of matching ideas to expertise, the system matches ideas to stated interest.