Deck craft2 / 5
In this guide
Deck craft
Ask, don't display
A card is a question, not a slide — make the learner retrieve, not read.
What & why
Memory grows when you retrieve something, not when you re-read it. A card whose front just names a topic lets the learner nod along — “yes, I know this” — without ever pulling the answer out of their own head. That feels like studying but teaches almost nothing. A card that asks a real question forces the recall that actually moves knowledge into long-term memory.
The rule
Write the front as a question the learner must answer from memory, not a label they can simply recognise.
Bad → good
A real fact from the Science Facts catalog deck. Tap a card to reveal its answer.
A heading. The learner reads it, feels familiar, and learns nothing.
A question with one clear answer — the learner has to retrieve it.
When it applies
Every card front. If you can imagine a learner reading the front and thinking “yep, familiar” without producing an answer, it’s a display, not a question — rewrite it as something they have to finish, name, or choose.
The quick test: cover the back and read only the front aloud. If there’s nothing to say in reply, the card isn’t asking anything yet.