Chapter 5: Starting with the Requirements

"Requirements are not architecture. Requirements are not implementation. Requirements are needs." - Ralph Young

Once you've decided on your problem space, defined your user persona, selected whether your product is B2C or B2B, and chosen your tech stack, the next step is to define the product requirements.

This step is crucial because a well-defined product specification helps streamline development—whether you're building solo or working with AI-powered tools like Bolt, Cursor, or Copilot.

💡 Think of AI tools as your junior developers—the clearer your requirements, the better they can assist you in coding, debugging, and iterating.

Why Product Requirements Matter 🎯

Before jumping into development, it's important to document what you're building and why. A solid specification helps:

• ✅ Align your business use case with technical feasibility
• ✅ Provide clarity on features, user journeys, and edge cases
• ✅ Help AI-powered coding assistants generate better, more accurate code
• ✅ Reduce rework by avoiding scope creep or unclear requirements

The Framework for Writing Product Requirements 📝

My preferred format for defining product specs follows a structured approach:

1️⃣ Define the Problem

Start with a clear problem statement that describes:

• The pain point you're solving
• Who is experiencing this pain point (your user persona)
• Why solving this problem matters

🚀 Example:

"Job seekers struggle to create professional resumes that stand out. Existing solutions are either too complex or don't provide AI-powered suggestions. We need a simple, AI-based resume builder that generates polished resumes in minutes."

2️⃣ High-Level Vision of the Solution

Describe what your product does at a broad level without going into technical details.

💡 Answer these questions:

• What is the core functionality?
• What makes it better than alternatives?
• What are the key user flows?

🚀 Example (AI Resume Builder):

"A web-based AI Resume Builder that helps users create optimized resumes in under 5 minutes. Users input their details, and the AI suggests improvements based on industry standards. The product will generate ATS-friendly resumes and offer multiple templates."

3️⃣ Use Cases & User Stories

Break the solution down into real-world user interactions.

📝 Use Case Format: 👉 As a [user persona], I want to [action], so that I can [benefit].

🚀 Example (AI Resume Builder):

• As a job seeker, I want to input my work experience and have AI generate a professional resume so that I can apply for jobs faster.
• As a recruiter, I want to quickly parse and analyze AI-generated resumes to find the best candidates.

4️⃣ Technical Requirements

This section is where you define how the product works from a development perspective.

💡 Key Aspects to Cover:

• Tech Stack: Frontend, backend, databases, APIs, hosting, etc.
• User Journey & Data Flow: What happens from user sign-up to task completion?
• Integrations: Third-party tools like OpenAI, Stripe, or Firebase.
• Performance Considerations: Load time, scalability, security.

🚀 Tech stack I generally use:

Component	Web Application	Mobile Application
Frontend	Next.js (React)	Expo Go
Backend	Supabase / Firebase	Supabase + Fastify (Custom)
AI Processing	OpenAI / Render / Groq	Same
Payments	Stripe for subscriptions	RevenueCat for Payment Wall
Analytics	Google Analytics	Posthog
Hosting	Vercel / Netlify	Android or iOS

📌 User Journey & Data Flow (Example)

1. User visits the website → Enters resume details
2. AI generates suggestions → User selects improvements
3. Final resume preview → Download in PDF format
4. Users can save templates → Resumes stored in the database
5. Premium users → Unlock advanced AI suggestions via Stripe

Bringing It All Together 🎯

By following this structured approach, you ensure your requirements are clear, actionable, and AI-assistant-friendly.

🚀 Before moving to development, you should have:

• ✅ A well-defined problem statement
• ✅ A clear vision of the solution
• ✅ User stories that outline real use cases
• ✅ A detailed technical plan including tech stack & data flow