Prototype improvement
Explainer Video Test
An Explainer Video Test uses a short video published online to show how your idea would work and invite people to react on their own terms. You observe what people choose to do: watch, comment, share, sign up, or ignore it. The goal is to understand whether the idea generates enough interest to deserve further investment.
Why Use this tool?
Get clarity before diving in
This test helps you move beyond “sounds interesting” to observable behavior. By putting the story of your idea out into the world, you can see if people care enough to take a small step,like leaving their email, sharing the video, or asking for more. It’s especially useful for digital, service, or experience-driven ideas.
what you should know
Start With: A concept that can be explained visually or through a simple story
End With: Evidence of interest (or lack of it) based on user behavior
Time Needed:
• Preparation: High
• Execution: 1-2 weeks live
• Analysis: Medium
Difficulty: ⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 out of 5 – requires coordination and interpretation)
People:
• 8-20 users interacting with the content
• 2-5 coordinators (video, publishing, analysis)
A quickguide to start
2. Publish it publicly. Share it on a platform where people can discover it naturally (e.g., YouTube, social media).
3.Invite a response. Encourage viewers to comment, react, or click for more information.
4. Ask for a small step. Include a clear next action (waitlist, email sign-up, early access, pre-order).
5. Observe behavior. Track views, drop-off points, comments, and follow-through actions.
6. Make sense of the signals. Look for patterns in who engages, how deeply, and where interest fades.
helpful tips
- Actions matter more than attention. A few committed users teach you more than many passive views.
- Don’t over-produce. Authentic and clear beats polished and promotional.
- Treat it as a signal, not a verdict. This test shows interest, not long-term adoption or product success.
RACU meets AI
YouTube Test
How Can AI Make RACU Easier ?
AI can be your creative partner and research assistant, ready to help you move faster and think deeper at every step of the RACU process.
For each RACU tool, we’ll share a ready-to-use AI prompt. Just copy the prompt into your favorite AI tool (like ChatGPT or Copilot) and it will guide you through the method step by step.
The AI becomes your facilitator, asking the right questions so you can build your thinking as you go. No need to fill out a blank form, the prompt starts the conversation and adapts to your answers in real time.
PROMPT – COPILOT, CHAT GPT
You are a facilitator helping me complete a Research & Discovery Card for a design thinking challenge.
Guide me step-by-step by asking the following questions one at a time, and wait for my answer before moving on. You can ask follow-up questions if needed to clarify or improve my responses.
Start with general context:
1. What is the challenge, project, or topic you’re working on? (Briefly describe the scope or goal.)
Then go into Research (existing data):
2. What existing information do we need to gather to better understand this challenge?
3. Where can we get that information? (e.g., internal reports, dashboards, previous research, public sources)
4. What specific questions will this data help us answer?
5. Who on the team will be responsible for gathering this information?
Then move to Discovery (new research):
6. Who should we learn from? (e.g., users, clients, collaborators, stakeholders)
7. Where can we find or reach them?
8. What topics, needs, or behaviors should we explore in the research?
9. What discovery methods could work best for this challenge? (Examples: interviews, shadowing, observation, journaling, immersing yourself in the experience, etc.)
10. How many people should we involve or study?
11. When will this research happen?
12. Who on the team will lead or coordinate this discovery work?
At the end, summarize my answers as a Research & Discovery Plan with two sections:
- Research (existing data)
- Discovery (new fieldwork)
Use bullet points and keep it simple enough to copy into a worksheet.
