How do I make an interactive explainer with AI?
Quick answer
Some ideas resist being explained in prose. They have moving parts, or a relationship between inputs and outputs that a reader has to feel rather than read. An interactive explainer lets the reader poke at the idea directly — and an AI assistant can build one quickly.
What is an interactive explainer?
It is a small web page that pairs a short explanation with something the reader can manipulate. A diagram with a slider. A chart that updates as you drag a point. An animation you can pause and step through. The reader does not just read the explanation — they operate it.
Why does interactivity beat static text?
A static diagram shows one case. An interactive one shows every case the reader cares to try. When someone moves a slider and watches the result change, they are running their own small experiments, and the understanding that comes from that sticks far better than a paragraph describing the same relationship.
How do I prompt for one?
Describe the concept, the control, and the format in one request: "A single self-contained HTML file that explains compound interest, with a slider for the interest rate and a chart that updates as the slider moves." Be specific about what the reader changes and what they see change in response. That cause-and-effect pair is the whole explainer.
How should the explainer be structured?
Lead with one or two sentences of context. Put the interactive piece next to the text, not buried below it. Label every control. End with a line that tells the reader what to notice. Resist adding a second concept — when an explainer covers two ideas, it usually teaches neither well.
How do I publish it?
Test the file in a browser, then paste it at arcadelab.ai/publish for a permanent URL with no signup. You can share that link directly or embed the explainer in a blog or course page with an iframe. For the explorable tradition this style comes from, see how to share a Bret Victor-style explorable.
Made an explainer? Publish it at arcadelab.ai/publish.
Ready to publish? Paste your HTML file and get a URL.
🚀Publish your thing