Prototyping for product ideas

Test your idea before you build it.

Protopilot helps you turn a product idea into a small working prototype. Let people try it, see where they get stuck, and decide what to build next.

Example: a study planner

Studyus is an example project for students preparing for exams. Follow how its creator uses Protopilot to test a simple question: can a student move a missed study session without losing an important review?

The result shown below is simulated. This example has 0 recorded participant sessions.

Browse all example projects

Read-only worked research

Reschedule a missed study session.

Start with the student's problem, make two prototypes, then try the task yourself.

For
University students preparing for high-stakes exams while managing changing schedules.
Decision
When a disrupted week removes planned study time, learners struggle to replan without sacrificing exam-critical review.
Sessions
0 recorded

Author · The problem

A student falls behind.

A student misses a study session before their Statistics final. They need to rearrange the week without dropping the review that matters most.

Author's workspaceStudyusExample scenario
Recover the exam weekReady to test
Example exam week

Statistics final

Fri, Sep 18
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12×
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Critical review at riskSat, Sep 12
Week disrupted
Start with the situation.Local demonstration
Question to holdWhen a disrupted week removes planned study time, learners struggle to replan without sacrificing exam-critical review.

Author · What to find out

Will the important review still happen?

The creator thinks a recovery planner will help students keep that review. Before making a prototype, they write down what would support that idea and what would count against it.

Author's workspaceStudyusExample scenario
Recover the exam weekReady to test
Example exam week

Statistics final

Fri, Sep 18
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12×
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Critical review at riskSat, Sep 12
Week disrupted
Choose what could change your mind.Local demonstration
Learners will keep an exam-critical review protected when replanning competing work.
Prediction
At least four of five eligible learners protect an exam-critical review on a feasible new date without assistance.
What would change your mind?
Three or more eligible learners leave the plan unresolved, remove the critical review, or require assistance.
Alternatives
Learners may prefer a ranked backlog over placing a protected block on a calendar.
Confidence before testing
70% before participant evidence
Show authored assumption questions
What breaks when the week changes?
The learner loses time but cannot tell which sessions must survive and which work can move.

Author · The prototypes

Try a calendar or a priority card.

One prototype lets students move the session on a calendar. The other puts the important review first in a card. Both test the same task.

Author's workspaceStudyusExample scenario
Recover the exam weekReady to test
Example exam week

Statistics final

Fri, Sep 18
7
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12×
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Critical review at riskSat, Sep 12
Week disrupted
Calendar: choose a dateRescue card: choose a priority
Different interfaces. The same test.Local demonstration
AlternativeRecovery calendarSame research question, a distinct route through the task.
AlternativePriority rescue cardSame research question, a distinct route through the task.
Show model relationships and queries
Commands
protectExamReview, leaveCriticalReviewUnprotected
Entities and fields

StudyPlan: examName, examOn, disrupted, protectedReviewOn, recoveryStatus

ReviewSession: planId, scheduledOn, protected

Events
examReviewProtected, criticalReviewDropped
reviewSessionPlan
ReviewSession.planId → StudyPlan (one)
listStudyPlans
StudyPlan
Show scenario definition
{
  "records": {
    "StudyPlan": [
      {
        "id": "example-studyus:scenario-record:StudyPlan:1",
        "examName": "Statistics final",
        "examOn": "2026-09-18",
        "disrupted": true,
        "protectedReviewOn": "2026-09-12",
        "recoveryStatus": "needsReplan"
      }
    ],
    "ReviewSession": []
  }
}
Show authored model questions
What action represents a credible recovery?
The learner chooses a new feasible date and explicitly protects the exam-critical review.

Tester · Try the task

Take the student's place.

Choose a prototype and move the missed session to a new date. Does the important review stay in the plan? You can try this below.

Tester's prototypeStudyusExample scenario
Recover the exam weekAction observed
Example exam week

Statistics final

Fri, Sep 18
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12×
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Critical review protectedMon, Sep 14
Kept in the plan
Watch the action, not the promise.Local demonstration
TaskRecover the Statistics final plan by protecting a review session on 2026-09-14.Participant

A university learner with an exam inside two weeks whose original study week was disrupted.

Show screening and observation criteria
  • Do you have an exam within two weeks and need to recover lost study time? (eligibility)

Support signal: examReviewProtected is recorded

Refute signal: criticalReviewDropped is recorded

Show authored prototype-test questions
What should the prototype ask the learner to do?
Recover one disrupted statistics plan while retaining a critical review on a concrete date.

Local simulation · not recorded

Author again · What happened

Check what happened.

In the example run, the review is kept on the new date. That's the action the creator planned to look for. They still need to test with real students before deciding whether the idea works.

Observation ledgerStudyusExample scenario
Recover the exam weekAction observed
Example exam week

Statistics final

Fri, Sep 18
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12×
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14✓
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Critical review protectedMon, Sep 14
Kept in the plan
Simulated action → support conditionNot research evidence

No participant evidence yet.

Show authored learning question
What did learners actually retain?
No learner sessions have run; retention remains an untested prediction.

The example command supports the authored observation rule. It is a local, runnable demonstration—not participant evidence.

Continue with protected replanning only if the usage threshold holds; otherwise test ranked recovery choices.Create a private editable full project

What would you like to try?

Bring an idea or a problem you want to solve. Start a project and work through your first test.