Some of the best explanations of technical ideas aren't in docs. They're in a two-minute video where a stick figure mails a letter to explain how packets travel, or two characters fight over the last slice of pizza to explain a race condition.
If you write docs, do developer relations, teach, or just want to share what you know, short explainer videos are worth adding to your toolkit. And the stickman style is one of the easiest ways to make them.
Real frames from AI-generated stickman Shorts. Notice how little detail each scene needs. Source: sticktale.com
Why stick figures work for technical topics
- Analogies need characters. Most good technical explanations are analogies: a waiter for an API, a librarian for an index, a bouncer for a firewall. A stick figure can play any of those roles.
- Less visual noise. Detailed animation competes with the concept. Simple drawings leave the viewer's brain free for the idea.
- Fast to update. Tech changes. A simple style is cheap to remake when your API or best practice changes.
- Works without a face. Not every developer wants to be on camera.
Topics that work well
Concepts that involve actors doing things translate best:
- How DNS resolution works (someone asking for directions)
- Race conditions and locks (two people, one bathroom key)
- Caching (keeping snacks on your desk instead of walking to the kitchen)
- OAuth (a valet key for your car)
- Load balancing (a host seating guests across waiters)
- Public-key cryptography (a padlock anyone can close but only you can open)
- Git branches (parallel timelines)
Concepts that are mostly syntax (how to write a for loop) are better served by screen recordings.
A script template for technical explainers
This structure works for 45-second Shorts and five-minute videos alike:
- Hook with the pain. Start with the problem, not the definition. "Your site loads in 50 ms for you and 8 seconds for users in Sydney. Here's why."
- Introduce the analogy. "Imagine the internet is a postal system."
- Walk through the steps with the character. One step per scene. Each scene should change the picture.
- The twist or gotcha. The thing beginners get wrong. "But the letter doesn't go straight there. It hops through a dozen post offices."
- Map the analogy back to the real thing. Briefly name the actual technical terms (resolver, TTL, CDN) now that the viewer has a mental model.
- Payoff. Return to the opening pain and resolve it. "That's why a CDN puts a copy of your site in Sydney."
Accuracy still matters
Developers love correcting videos in the comments. Before you publish:
- Have someone who knows the topic review the script.
- Watch out for analogies that break in important ways, and say where they break if it matters.
- Link to real docs in the description for people who want depth.
Where to use them
- README and docs: embed a short explainer at the top of a concept page.
- Release notes: explain a new feature's why in 60 seconds.
- Onboarding: give new team members a series of short videos on your architecture.
- YouTube Shorts and LinkedIn: short concept videos are great for developer audiences scrolling between meetings.
Making them quickly
You can draw scenes yourself in Excalidraw and record a voiceover, which works well but takes time per video. For faster production, AI tools now handle most of the pipeline. I use StickTale, an AI stickman video generator: give it a question like "How does DNS work?" and it researches the topic, writes a script with this hook-to-payoff shape, draws each scene with a consistent character, and adds narration and captions.
You can then rewrite any line or redraw any scene before exporting, which is where your technical review comes in.
Try one
Pick the concept you've explained most often in code reviews or Slack threads. Write the hook as the pain it causes, pick an analogy, and make a 60-second version. It'll probably get more views than the doc page it summarizes.
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