research.md template for AI coding projects

Kill criteria, searches, complaints, 3 rivals and what you do differently.

Download research.md

How to use this template

  1. Read the template. Inspect the full file below and decide which instructions match your project.
  2. Adapt it to your repo. Save it as research.md. Replace placeholders and update stack choices, paths and verification commands to match your repository.
  3. Check and commit. Review the diff. Test the listed commands and keep the file in version control so future changes can be reviewed.

Complete template

# Research: [Idea]

Write the kill criteria first, before you look.

## Kill criteria

If [I can't find 10 real complaints in 1 hour], I stop.

## Searches

- App Store and Google Play: [search words] -> [how many apps]
- Google Trends, 12 months: [rising, flat or one spike]

## Complaints

Real quotes, with links.

- "[quote]" ([link])

## Competitors

- [App]: one strength, one gap, the most common complaint in its reviews.
- [App]: ...
- [App]: ...

## What we do differently

The one thing none of the three does. You need this sentence again at App Review: Apple rejects apps that look like copies (guideline 4.3).