The article “Eight Guidelines for the Design of Instructional Videos for Software Training”

 by Hans van der Meij and Jan van der Meij articulates a set of eight guidelines that are essential when creating and designing an instructional video about software tasks. The eight tasks are as follows:

 

1. Provide Easy Access

2. Use Animation With Narration

3. Enable Functional Interactivity

4. Preview The Task

5. Provide Procedural Rather Than Conceptual Information

6. Make Tasks Clear And Simple

7. Keep Videos Short

8. Strengthen Demonstration With Practice

 

Each section is broken down into further description below. Not one step is as simple as it may appear in this list.

 

 

 

 

Provide Easy Access

 

In order to provide your audience with easy access, it is recommended that you carefully select the name of your video. To increase your chances of being found, the authors suggest using a title with a verb and an object in order to illustrate your video is performing an action with a certain object of interest. Additionally, the video title needs to encompass all of the goals that are being accomplished in the tutorial. It helps to include a summary of your video, make sure the majority of the words you use in your title and description will “appear in the table of contents and in the index, and will yield a hit with a keyword search” (p. 208). Meaning, make sure the words you choose are key identifier words, this is how you optimize the number of individuals who view your video.

 

Use Animation With Narration

 

This instruction refers to using “screen capture animation with narration” (p. 210). This allows the viewer to see the sequential actions performed and hear background information about the task. The animation should demonstrate, to its best ability, what the viewer will see when they attempt to execute the same task and the video should visualize these steps clearly. Additionally, the narrator of the screen capture should not a computer-generated one, but rather, a real person. It is noted that using multimedia, like a screen capture with narration, is the most effective way to communicate information.

 

Enable Functional Interactivity

 

In order to “optimiz[e] the production of a video for its processing by the user,” the article notes that it is essential to have steady and slow pacing, similar to the speed of a conversation (p. 212). Furthermore, Van der Meij and Van der Meij explain that having “controlled actions for video starting, pausing, stopping, and re-playing,” or user control, allows the viewer to review your video or pause the film to attempt their own execution of the task (p. 213). User control helps to retain information and allows the view to continuously be engaged through their interactivity.

 

Preview The Task

 

This is something to perform at the beginning of the video. A quick preview that describes the goal of the video, as well as gives background on the task at hand, will provide the viewer with a minimal knowledge that can help them get started with the process. This reduces the “cognitive load,” meaning it reduces the stress of retaining so much information articulated in an instructional video all at once (p. 215). Additionally, presenting the preview of the task should be articulated in a conversational tone. This is responsible for raising interest and making the task appear more manageable.

 

Provide Procedural Rather Than Conceptual Information

 

The purpose of an instructional video is to give a step-by-step illustration of the task at hand. Therefore, providing a conceptual view of information does not apply, nor does it make for an effective informational video. Instead, present your information with commands in the first person, this articulates the point quickly and in a procedural fashion. If there is time at the end of the video, after the completion of the task, presenting conceptual information can be applicable.

 

Make Tasks Clear and Simple

 

An instructional video should be easily comprehended and, therefore, developed to illustrate the most basic method for solving a problem or performing a task. Simplicity in the form of demonstration and narration are important in articulating your video’s point. Information should be presented in a short, yet informative manner, any information that is not crucial in explaining a task should be taken out. The easiest way to write short, cohesive sentences is by using an imperative verb and follow it with an object. The article gives the example of “Click Home” (p. 219). Additionally, it is the author’s job to create a video that connects the viewer’s action with how the system works – this can be articulated by using a highlighter in certain areas of the demonstration to pin point important areas of knowledge.

 

Keep Videos Short

 

As the title of this task notes, it is important to keep your video as short as possible. The article notes that between 15 and 60 seconds is the ideal time limit for an instructional video because it is more likely to keep the viewer engaged. Other research notes that 3-minutes in an acceptable amount; however, the primary purpose of this section is to create a definitive beginning and ending. This can be clearly accomplished by breaking up the video with transition changes that articulate a minor goal has been completed or that the user has almost completed the task. More than just the arbitrary number of seconds your film is, this task asks the author to create a video with proper formatting that will guide the viewer throughout the video in an effective and clear manner.

 

Strengthen Demonstrations With Practice

 

As they say in school, practice makes perfect. This same logic applies to effective instructional videos. It is more likely that information will be retained if the viewer can practice what they’ve learned. Although it may be difficult to provide practice in a video, the article suggests “facilitated or guided reflections” (p. 223). Debriefing what was articulated in the video is an effective way of communicating the message and establishing applicable use of the video.

 

 

 

Each of the eight steps articulated in this guideline for effective instructional video design were incredibly insightful. This information clearly articulated the way a video should be structured differently from a paper, especially in the format of an instructional piece. Although each piece of information appears as common sense, I have never analyzed these aspects very thoroughly and now that I have, I feel much more confident in my ability to create an instructional video.

 

I thought the manner in which the article was broken down into eight manageable parts made this piece very simple to go through and allowed the information to pool into my head as a sequential to-do list. I did, however, not fancy the sub-sections of the guidelines, which were “description,” “support,” and “design examples.” I found the design examples section to be redundant and unnecessary after going through the support section. Instead, these two sections could have been combined and synthesized to shorten the article. I also think adding sub-guidelines mad the article less effective. Instead, they could have formatted this information as bolded information within the larger body of text. The secondary guidelines made it appear aesthetically unappealing and made me feel as though I needed to remember each secondary guideline before reading further.

 

Altogether, though I found this article extremely insightful and useful in laying out the order in which you should design a video. Like when you create a website, you need to create your videos in the same interactive and engaging manner that will make your viewer stay on your information. Something I had never considered, however, in an instructional video is including practice. I always assumed the instructional video would be the practice for the user, but it definitely makes more sense to include additional examples in order to make the information stick.

 

 

 

References

 

Van Der Meij, Hans & Jan van der Meij. "Eight Guidelines for the Design of Instructional Videos for Software     Training." September 22, 2016.