Prototype improvement
Big What If Test
Helps you express your solution as a short, inspiring statement that invites others to imagine a future where your idea exists. It’s not about details or features, it’s about clearly communicating why this idea matters and what changes if it succeeds.
Why Use this tool?
Create clarity, alignment and momentum
When you need to explain your concept to stakeholders, partners, or leaders, you often have very little time. The Big What If helps you cut through complexity and articulate the value of your solution in a way that is easy to understand, emotionally engaging, and easy to remember.
what you should know
Start With: A solution or concept that needs a clear narrative
End With: A short, powerful vision statement
Time Needed:
• Preparation: Medium
• Execution: 30–60 minutes
• Analysis: Medium
Difficulty: ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐ ☆ (4 out of 5 – requires synthesis and storytelling)
People: 1–5 people crafting or refining the statement
A quickguide to start
2. Fill the What if… with a vision of a future where your concept exists.
3. Fill the So that… with the impact on users, the organization, or society.
4. Free-write for a few minutes without editing to explore ideas.
5. Refine your best version into one clear statement.
6. Share it with others and adjust based on their reactions.
helpful tips
- Focus on outcomes, not features, describe the change, not the solution mechanics.
- Keep it human and concrete; avoid buzzwords or abstract language.
- Test it out loud: if people lean in or ask questions, you’re on the right track.
RACU meets AI
The Big What If 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.
