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Open PracticePRACTICAL AI ENGINEERING
EARN BY DOING · BUILD 12 · SMALL AI TOOL

Validate a one-problem micro-tool

Most first software products solve a problem nobody pays for. Before you write code, talk to five people with the problem, deliver the result by hand for one of them, and only then plan the smallest tool that does that job. You will log interviews, design the manual prototype and write a test plan with a clear rule for stopping.

⏱ About 20–30 minutes to draft · the real-world steps take days · Works with or without AI · No signup

You will make

  • Interviews
  • Manual prototype
  • Test plan

You will practise

  • Interviewing users about past behaviour
  • Delivering the result manually before automating it
  • Writing a test plan with a stop rule

Download the practice pack (.zip)See a finished exampleOffer contract (.md)

No AI key needed. The guided template works for everyone.

  1. 1Brief

    Specific answers make better results — with or without AI.

  2. 2Make

    Pick a route. The template gives you a structure with [[blanks]] to fill in yourself. Your own key drafts it for you — then you still check it.

    See the exact prompt — copy it into any AI chat you already use
  3. 3Check
    The same rules run on every draft, human or AI. Most first drafts fail something — that is the point.
      Self-check — judgement no checker can make
    • 4Improve
      Fix one item at a time, then check again. Notice which fixes made it better — that is the skill.
      1. Run the check first.
    • 5Ship
      Use it for real: send it, post it or save it. Record what happened — that is your evidence of learning.
    A finished example
    The business, people and numbers are invented. It passes every check above, so you can see what “done” looks like before you start.
    Show the worked example
    > Worked example. The business, people and numbers are invented to show the shape of a finished deliverable.

# Micro-tool test: a tool that turns a voice note into a printed quotation

## Interviews
For: plumbers and electricians who quote on site
1. Tell me about the last time you had to deal with this: write quotes by hand at night.
2. How long did that quote take, from the site visit to sending it?
3. Have you ever lost a job because the quote arrived late?
4. What have you tried: templates, an app, asking someone else?
5. Who else sees the quote before the customer does?

Log (no names):
- plumber · 6 November · quote: “I lose about one job a week because the quote is late” · pain: 5
- electrician · 7 November · quote: “My daughter types them on Sundays” · pain: 4
- plumber · 7 November · quote: “Customers just want a number on WhatsApp” · pain: 2

## Manual prototype
For one user, by hand:
- Step 1: he sends a voice note after the site visit
- Step 2: I type the items and prices into a quote template and check the maths
- Step 3: he receives a PDF on WhatsApp within 2 hours
- Measure: whether he sends me a second voice note within a week, and hours saved per quote

## Test plan
- Smallest tool: voice note in, draft quote out, nothing else · built with a web page, a free AI key, Cloudflare free tier
- Success measure 1: 3 of 5 tradespeople use it at least twice in two weeks
- Success measure 2: a quote takes under 10 minutes from voice note to PDF
- Success measure 3: no price errors in 10 checked quotes
- Stop rule: if fewer than 3 of 5 use it twice, stop or change the idea
- Timebox: 14 days

## Data and safety
Voice notes and quotes contain customer addresses. They are deleted after 30 days and never used to train anything.

## Boundary
- Interview results are real and recorded without names. No invented users or demand.
- It drafts quotes; a person checks every price before sending.

    Pro moves
    Methods this build practises
    Each method in the directory has a starter kit: the offer prefilled, first-sale steps, proof checks and the offer contract.
    METHOD 39One-problem micro-toolBuyer: a niche calculator, formatter, checker, estimator or generator solving one repeated task.METHOD 40Browser extension or spreadsheet add-on for one workflowBuyer: professionals repeatedly copying, formatting, checking or summarizing non-sensitive data.METHOD 32Local information/data productBuyer: consumers or businesses needing a maintained directory, price comparison or verified opportunity list.
    Questions people ask
    Why not just build it and see?
    Because building is the most expensive way to learn that nobody wants it. Interviews and a manual version cost days, not months.
    Can I build it for free?
    Usually yes: a static page, the learner’s own free AI key and a free hosting tier cover most micro-tools. The Open Practice builders can generate the first version.
    Will this make me money?
    Nobody can promise that, and Open Practice never does. This workshop helps you make work that is worth paying for and keep the evidence. Whether anyone buys depends on your market, your outreach and your work.
    Do I need an AI key to use this?
    No. The guided template teaches the same skill with no AI at all. If you add your own free key (Groq, Google Gemini, OpenRouter, Mistral or Cerebras), the tool can also draft and revise. The key stays in your browser and requests go straight to that provider.
    Where is my work saved?
    In this browser only (local storage), until you copy or download it. Nothing you type is sent to Open Practice.
    Keep building
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