System Design Canvas
Map one recurring request from its trigger to a useful, reviewed result.
For: Founders, operators, and team leads designing an AI-assisted workflow.
Hypothetical example: a founder's customer-interview plan
Who is making the request?
A founder preparing to talk to potential customers.
What does a finished result look like?
A clear set of interview questions the founder can review with a mentor.
What starts this request?
The founder asks for help planning customer conversations.
What do you need to know before you begin?
The founder's business idea, who they think their customer is, and any notes from earlier conversations.
Who owns this step?
The founder, with AI assisting the draft.
Where could AI help?
Pull together the founder's context and draft a first set of interview questions.
What should a person check or decide?
The founder reviews the questions for relevance and tone; a mentor reviews the assumptions behind them.
What happens if something is missing or fails?
If the context is too thin, ask the founder two clarifying questions before drafting.
How will you know it's done?
The founder has a reviewed question list and a plan for who to contact.
How does this task work today? What would you like to improve?
Today the founder stalls before reaching out. We'd like them to start conversations within a week.
How will you know if it improved?
Number of conversations started within two weeks.