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Turn a usability study into three counted findings for execs

Practice: Keeping the AI to your sources. About 5 minutes.

About this exercise

Your VP wants the usability study results before Friday's roadmap review. You want at most 3 bullets in plain text, each one finding with how many of the 8 participants it applied to (like "5 of 8"), only findings seen in at least 3 participants. Use only the study notes and don't add recommendations.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • No counts. The AI writes 'several users' or 'most users', which execs can't weigh. Try: Say: "Give each finding as N of 8."
  • Promoting one-offs. A dramatic single moment, like one abandonment, can get treated as a finding. Try: Add: "Only findings seen in at least 3 participants."
  • Adding recommendations. The researcher's note pushes the AI to suggest a redesign. Try: Say: "Findings only, no recommendations."
  • Not capping the list. The AI lists everything it finds, so the few points that matter get buried. Try: Say: "at most 3 bullets."
  • Getting markdown back. AI defaults to bold labels and headings, which show up as stray symbols in a Slack message to your VP. Try: Ask for "plain text, no bold, no headings."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Asks for counts
  • Sets a threshold
  • Rules out recommendations
  • Caps the list
  • Asks for plain text

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