design-with-blocks

Turning an app idea into an architecture plan requires decomposing features into task primitives, storage primitives, and external entities. The 7 Universal Building Blocks framework enforces this canonical decomposition before selecting technology, yielding a structured design doc.

The 7 Universal Building Blocks are canonical primitives for app architecture mapping, categorizing system elements into users, external services, time influences, task primitives, and storage primitives. This framework prevents inventing primitives during product design sessions.

To map technology choices to a system design, you first decompose features into the 7 Universal Building Blocks. The framework then provides pattern-first per-block technology recommendations, suggesting Docker for services and Postgres or Redis equivalents for storage.

You can generate an architecture diagram for product design by applying the 7 Universal Building Blocks framework. It outputs a labeled architecture diagram as a PNG renderer, with a Mermaid fallback, alongside a structured markdown design doc.

Yes, this app planning framework supports designing for AI agents. During the guided app intake and clarification process, you define what you are building and specify whether your users are humans, AI agents, or both before outside-in decomposition.

The best way to document app architecture for a startup is using the 7 Universal Building Blocks to enforce design discipline. It produces a reusable, structured markdown design doc with per-block technology mapping to align early technical decisions.