Tutorial Planning Prompts: Teach One Task Clearly
A tutorial should help someone complete a task, not merely watch you do it. Start with the result a beginner should achieve, list what they need and show the points where mistakes are likely. These prompts concern instructional structure; the general video-script guide covers presentation and pacing.
A small workflow
- Define one result the viewer should be able to reproduce.
- Record prerequisites and demonstrate the task in an order a beginner can follow.
- Add a way to check completion and handle the most likely mistake.
Worked example
A tutorial about organising receipts needs a sample folder structure and a clear rule for naming a file. ‘Save it somewhere sensible’ leaves the main decision unexplained. Show one fictional receipt, name it according to the stated rule and point out how the viewer can check where it was saved.
Define the learning outcome
You get: One reproducible result and its prerequisites.
Bring: task, audience and starting level, idea
I want to teach [task] to [audience and starting level]. My draft idea is [idea]. Define one observable result a learner should produce. List the prerequisites and identify what the tutorial should leave for another lesson. Do not imply the learner will master an entire skill from one demonstration.
Follow-up
Rewrite the outcome as a simple title that accurately describes the task.
Build the demonstration sequence
You get: Steps with an action and a visible check.
Bring: process, audience
Turn this verified process [process] into tutorial steps for [audience]. For each step, show what the learner does, what they should see and a short completion check. Define unfamiliar terms before using them. Keep prerequisites separate and flag actions that depend on a tool version rather than inventing interface controls.
Follow-up
Where would a beginner most likely need a close-up or a slower explanation?
Prepare troubleshooting guidance
You get: Likely mistakes tied to the demonstrated steps.
Bring: steps, mistakes
Using these tutorial steps [steps] and mistakes I have actually observed [mistakes], draft a short troubleshooting section. For each observed mistake, give the visible symptom, a check and a corrective action supported by the process. Label other possible issues as suggestions to test. Do not claim a fix is verified unless I supplied that evidence.
Follow-up
Choose the one troubleshooting example most useful to show in the main tutorial.
Test whether the tutorial is complete
You get: A checklist for a trial run.
Bring: outline, outcome, prerequisites
Review this tutorial outline [outline] against its promised outcome [outcome] and prerequisites [prerequisites]. Identify missing actions, ambiguous instructions and points where a learner cannot tell if they succeeded. Give me a trial-run checklist, then suggest one small learner exercise with a clear expected result. Do not claim users have tested it.
Follow-up
Reduce the checklist to the essential checks I should run before publishing.
Check the result
- Try the steps as a beginner using the stated prerequisites.
- Show the same result that the title promises.
- Use sample files or fictional data and verify tool-specific steps before recording.
