TL;DR:
A good question has three parts: what you want, which part of the screen, and what you already tried.
Pointing at the exact spot beats describing it, and saves a round of back and forth.
A vague question gets a vague answer. A specific one gets help that fits.
You are stuck on a spreadsheet and you say to your assistant: "This is broken." It looks at your screen, which holds forty rows, six tabs and a chart, and has to guess what "this" means and what "broken" means. It will probably guess wrong, or give a generic answer that helps no one.
A screen-aware assistant sees what you see, which helps a lot. But seeing the screen is not the same as knowing your question. The better your question, the better the help. Here is a simple way to improve it.
The three parts of a good question
What you want. A result, an explanation, a hint, a check? "Explain" and "fix" are different requests.
Which part. Point at it, circle it with your cursor, or name it: "the formula in cell D7", "the second paragraph".
What you tried. One sentence on what you did and what happened. It rules out the obvious and shows where your thinking is.
You do not need all three every time. A quick question can be one clause. But when an answer misses, adding a missing part is nearly always the fix.
Walk-through: rewriting a vague question into a specific one
Start with the vague version and improve it in steps. The situation: a budget sheet where a total looks too low.
Version | What you say | What is missing |
|---|---|---|
1 | "This is wrong." | Everything: which part, what you expected, what you want |
2 | "The total at the bottom is wrong." | What it shows, what it should show, what you want done |
3 | "The total in D20 shows 840 but I expected 1,040. Why?" | What you tried, and whether you want an explanation or a fix |
4 | "The total in D20 shows 840 but I expected 1,040. I checked that D7 to D19 have numbers. Can you show me why it is lower, without changing anything?" | Nothing important |
Version 4 is only two sentences, yet it tells the assistant the cell, the actual value, the expected value, the check you already did, and the kind of help you want. The numbers are an example. The gap is 1,040 − 840 = 200, which is already a clue: one entry worth 200 may be stored as text and left out of the sum.
Notice what happened in that last sentence. A specific question helps you think too. Writing the numbers down is what turned "wrong" into a gap of exactly 200.
Point instead of describing
With a screen-aware tool, pointing is often faster than words. Putting your cursor on the cell and asking "why is this one different?" replaces a paragraph. Words are useful for the things you cannot point at: your goal, what you tried, and what you do not understand.
The same rewrite works outside spreadsheets. "This paragraph is confusing" becomes "In the second paragraph, I do not follow how the author gets from the first claim to the second. Can you explain the link?" Same screen, same assistant, a much more useful reply, because the question now says where the confusion starts.
Say what kind of help you want
"Explain" if you want to understand it.
"Show me where" if you want to be pointed to the spot.
"Give me a hint" if you want to work it out yourself.
"Check my work" if you already have an answer.
"Do it" only if you really only need the result.
Tip: If the first answer is off, do not repeat the same question louder. Add one of the three parts you left out.
Also mention the level you are working at. "I am in ninth grade algebra" changes how an explanation should sound, and costs you five words.
What it cannot tell from the screen
A screenshot misses some things: what is hidden in other tabs, what you meant, what the assignment asked, or what happened five minutes ago. If the answer depends on something off screen, say it. Also keep in mind that anything visible may be seen, so close private windows first.
Privacy and control
DuckyHelper looks at your screen only while the pill is open and for that answer. It can see your work and draw on it to show you the spot, so you can ask things like "what does this part do?" while pointing. See the blackboard for working a problem out together.
Try it yourself
The next time you ask for help, stop before you start and fill in the three parts in your head: want, part, tried. If one is missing, add it. After a week of this habit you will find that you solve a good share of problems while forming the question.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a question be?
As short as it can be while including what you want and which part. One or two sentences is usually enough.
Do I need to explain what I tried if it was nothing?
Say so: "I have not tried anything yet." That tells the assistant to start from the beginning.
Should I paste text or just let it look at the screen?
If it can see the screen, pointing is enough. Paste text if it is long, hidden or off screen.
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