Product Research
A Claude Code skill that takes a design brief and searches the web for matching FF&E products. Returns curated candidates with specs, pricing, and reasoning — save the winners to your master Google Sheet.
What it does
Type /product-research in Claude Code and describe what you’re looking for. Claude searches the web for matching products, evaluates them against your criteria, and returns a curated shortlist with specs and reasoning. Pick the winners and they’re saved to your master Google Sheet.
Works for any FF&E category — furniture, lighting, acoustic panels, planters, textiles, accessories.
Install
Claude Desktop:
- Open Customize → Browse plugins
- Click + → Add marketplace from GitHub
- Enter
AlpacaLabsLLC/skills-for-architects - Install the Product & Materials Research plugin
Claude Code (terminal):
claude install github:AlpacaLabsLLC/skills-for-architects/05-materials-researchUsage
/product-researchThen describe what you need — loose or specific:
# Loose
"acoustic panels for a tech office lobby"
# Specific
"round dining table, 48-54" dia, solid walnut or oak,
steel base, under $3,000, needs to ship in 6 weeks"Claude runs 3-5 web searches, fetches product pages, and returns 6-10 candidates.
What it understands
Give it whatever context matters — the skill works with whatever you provide:
- Category — table, chair, lighting, acoustic panel, planter
- Style — Scandinavian, mid-century, industrial, minimal
- Materials — solid wood, marble, steel, recycled
- Budget — under $3,000, $500-$1,000 range
- Dimensions — “48-54 inch diameter”, “under 30 inches tall”
- Sustainability — GREENGUARD, FSC, Cradle to Cradle, B Corp
- Lead time — in stock, under 6 weeks
- Brands — “I like Muuto and HAY”, “not IKEA”
How results look
Each candidate comes with specs and reasoning:
1. Alle Table Round — Hem
Designer: Staffan Holm · 59” dia × 29”H · Solid oak top, powder-coated steel base
$2,399 USD · 8-12 weeks · Natural oak, smoked oak, walnut stain
Why: Clean Scandinavian lines, strong scale for a lobby, within budget. Walnut stain option available.
Plus a comparison table for quick scanning across all candidates.
How it relates to Norma Jean
Two ways to build your product library:
| Product Research | Norma Jean | |
|---|---|---|
| Mode | You describe, Claude searches | You browse, you clip |
| Who drives | Claude | The designer |
| Best for | Discovery, alternatives, exploration | Known products, fast capture |
Both write to the same master Google Sheet with the same 33-column schema.
Pairs with
/product-spec-bulk-fetch— pull full specs from candidate URLs/product-spec-bulk-cleanup— normalize the sheet after adding products/product-image-processor— download and process product images