Pretectal
The problem worth solving
For healthcare professionals and students
Professionals and students need a manageable way to practice reasoning. WhatsTheDx packages that need into a daily task: inspect the available information, choose an answer, and continue as the case unfolds. The product gives a useful activity a clear beginning and end.
The product decisions
01Let information arrive in stages
In Hard mode, a wrong guess or a skip reveals another clue. The learner can reconsider an interpretation as more information becomes available.
02Offer more than one way into the case
The product includes free-text guessing and an easier multiple-choice mode. Today's cases can be explored before creating an account.
03Give repeat practice a place
Daily cases, an archive, and account history organize the experience beyond a single visit. A saved record lets learners revisit earlier cases alongside the new daily challenge.
What the evidence shows
More than 1,100 sign-ups, with practicing healthcare professionals and students around the world in the community.
Founder-reported on October 2, 2026. The figure describes cumulative sign-ups, not active users, verified professional credentials, or measured learning gains.
The capability this demonstrates
Taking a specific audience need, turning it into a working interaction, and bringing the product to a global community. Sign-ups show reach; repeat use and learning outcomes would need separate measurement.
The lesson for your next product
Start with one useful action a person can finish in a short visit. Build the complete loop around it: a starting point, a decision, feedback, and a next step. Add accounts and an archive when they support that loop. For your own product, measure completed sessions and return visits separately from registrations.
My building workflow has evolved from MVPs with Lovable, Cursor, and Windsurf to Claude Code and ChatGPT Astra with skills. Choosing an AI assistant is one decision; choosing the tools that build and run your app is another. Explore the roles of Vite, Next.js, and backend services →
Suggested exercise
Try a small version with AI.
Use this brief to explore the product pattern in a prototype of your own. This suggested exercise adapts the interaction in WhatsTheDx into a small, reviewable build.
A brief to adapt
Build a single-case prototype from a supplied, reviewed case. Show one clue at a time, accept a guess, and reveal the next clue after a wrong answer or skip. Keep the answer and explanation fixed to the supplied content. Include an obvious restart action and a finished state. Use sample data only.
Check the result with a person.
- Check a correct guess, a wrong guess, a skip, and the final clue without an answer.
- Confirm the interface does not reveal the answer early or alter the reviewed explanation.
- Complete the whole case using a keyboard and on a small screen.
For the educational content in your prototype: build an interactive case presentation →