How to Brief a Developer When You're Not Technical (With Template)
You need to hire developers but don't speak the language. Here's exactly how to communicate your vision without technical expertise, including a copy-paste template.
January 8, 2025 11 min read
You Have the Vision, Not the Vocabulary
You know exactly what you want to build. You can see how users will interact with it. You understand the problem it solves.
But when you try to explain it to a developer, you get blank stares. Or worse, they build something completely different from what you imagined.
The gap isn't your vision. It's the translation.
This guide shows you exactly how to communicate what you want to build, even if you don't know what an API is or why databases matter. For more context on choosing the right tech partner, see our guide on what to expect in the first week with an agency.
What Developers Actually Need from You
Developers don't need you to know how to code. They need you to answer questions you're uniquely positioned to answer.
Stop planning and start building. We turn your idea into a production-ready product in 6-8 weeks.
The features:
What actions can users take?
What happens when they take those actions?
What do they see at each step?
What are the edge cases or exceptions?
The priorities:
What must work for version 1?
What can wait until later?
What's nice-to-have vs. essential?
What's the timeline and budget?
What developers DON'T need from you:
Technical architecture decisions
Specific technology choices
Database schema designs
API specifications
That's their job. Your job is painting the picture of what users need and why.
The Brief Template That Works
Copy this template and fill in the blanks. It gives developers everything they need to estimate and build.
Real Example: Filled-In Brief
Here's what a complete brief looks like for a fictional product.
Product Brief: TaskFlow
1. The Problem
Who has this problem?
Freelance designers and consultants who manage 5-15 client projects at once. They work solo or with a small team.
What problem are they trying to solve?
They waste 5-10 hours per week tracking time across projects, manually creating invoices, and chasing clients for payment.
How do they solve it today?
Spreadsheets for time tracking, separate invoicing tools (FreshBooks, Wave), manual follow-ups via email.
Why don't existing solutions work?
Existing tools require switching between 3-4 apps. Time tracking tools don't connect to invoicing. Invoicing tools don't track unpaid invoices well. Nothing is built for their specific workflow.
2. The Solution
What does this product do in one sentence?
TaskFlow helps freelancers track time and get paid faster by automatically converting tracked hours into invoices and sending payment reminders.
Success looks like:
Freelancer logs hours throughout the week. End of week, they click "Create Invoice" and it's generated automatically with all tracked hours. Invoice is sent to client. System reminds client before due date and after if unpaid.
3. Core User Flows
Flow 1: Track Time on a Project
User goal: Log hours worked so they can bill the client later
Steps:
User clicks "Start Timer" on a project
System shows running timer with project name
User does their work
User clicks "Stop Timer"
System saves time entry with project, duration, and timestamp
User sees list of all time entries for the week
Example scenario:
Designer Sarah starts timer at 9am on "Acme Logo Project." Works for 2.5 hours. Stops timer at 11:30am. Entry appears in her weekly timesheet under Acme.
Flow 2: Create Invoice from Tracked Time
User goal: Turn tracked hours into an invoice to send to client
Steps:
User selects date range of time entries
System shows all entries for that period grouped by project
User clicks "Create Invoice" for a specific project
System generates invoice with line items (date, description, hours, rate)
User reviews, edits if needed, and clicks "Send"
System emails invoice to client and marks it as sent
User sees invoice in "Sent Invoices" list
Flow 3: Get Paid
User goal: Know which invoices are paid and which are overdue
Steps:
User goes to "Invoices" page
System shows list with status: Paid, Sent, Overdue
For overdue invoices, user clicks "Send Reminder"
System sends automated reminder email to client
When client pays, user marks invoice as paid
System updates dashboard with paid amount
4. Key Features
Must Have (Version 1)
[ ] Time tracking with start/stop timer: Freelancer can track hours on specific projects
[ ] Manual time entry: For when they forget to start timer
[ ] Invoice generation from time entries: Automatically creates invoice from tracked hours
[ ] Send invoice via email: System emails PDF invoice to client
[ ] Invoice status tracking: Shows which are sent, paid, overdue
[ ] Payment reminders: Automated emails for overdue invoices
[ ] Basic project management: Create projects, set hourly rate per project
Should Have (Version 2)
[ ] Multiple clients per user: Organize projects under different clients
[ ] Recurring invoices: For retainer arrangements
[ ] Expense tracking: Add expenses to invoices
[ ] Reports: See revenue by client, project, time period
Nice to Have (Future)
[ ] Team collaboration: Share projects with other freelancers
Want help turning your idea into a clear brief developers can execute?
Book a free scoping call. We'll help you articulate what you're building, identify what's essential vs. nice-to-have, and give you a clear brief whether you work with us or someone else.
No jargon. No assumptions. Just clarity on what to build and why.
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# Product Brief: [Product Name]## 1. The Problem**Who has this problem?**[Describe your target user in specific terms: job title, industry, company size, current workflow]**What problem are they trying to solve?**[Describe the specific pain point or need in their words]**How do they solve it today?**[Describe current solutions, workarounds, or manual processes]**Why don't existing solutions work?**[Explain gaps in current options: too expensive, too complex, missing features, etc.]## 2. The Solution**What does this product do in one sentence?**[Elevator pitch: "[Product] helps [user] do [action] so they can [outcome]"]**Success looks like:**[Describe the end state after using your product]## 3. Core User Flows### Flow 1: [Name of main user action]**User goal:** [What they're trying to accomplish]**Steps:**1. User starts by [action]2. System shows [what they see]3. User does [next action]4. System responds with [result]5. User sees [final state]**Example scenario:**[Walk through a specific, realistic example]### Flow 2: [Second important flow][Repeat structure above]### Flow 3: [Third important flow][Repeat structure above]## 4. Key Features### Must Have (Version 1)- [ ] **Feature name:** Brief description of what it does and why users need it- [ ] **Feature name:** Brief description- [ ] **Feature name:** Brief description### Should Have (Version 2)- [ ] **Feature name:** Brief description- [ ] **Feature name:** Brief description### Nice to Have (Future)- [ ] **Feature name:** Brief description- [ ] **Feature name:** Brief description## 5. User Types**Primary User: [Role name]**- What they do: [Description]- What they can access: [Permissions]- What they can't do: [Restrictions]**Secondary User: [Role name if applicable]**- What they do: [Description]- What they can access: [Permissions]- What they can't do: [Restrictions]## 6. Integrations & Third-Party Services**Must integrate with:**- [Service name]: For [purpose]- [Service name]: For [purpose]**Nice to integrate with:**- [Service name]: For [purpose]## 7. Success Metrics**How we'll measure if this works:**- [Metric]: [Target]- [Metric]: [Target]- [Metric]: [Target]## 8. Constraints**Timeline:** [Launch date or timeframe]**Budget:** [Budget range or cap]**Must avoid:** [Deal-breakers or things that won't work for your users]## 9. Inspiration & References**Products we like:**- [Product name]: Because [what we like about it]- [Product name]: Because [what we like about it]**Products we don't want to be like:**- [Product name]: Because [what we don't like]**Screenshots/mockups:**[Attach any visual references, hand-drawn sketches, or wireframes]## 10. Questions for Developer**What we need help deciding:**1. [Question about approach or tradeoffs]2. [Question about feasibility]3. [Question about timeline or cost]
