Eight Guidelines for the Design of Instructional Videos for Software Training

This article provides a comprehensive breakdown of how to produce a meaningful and effective instructional video. By using the tips laid out in this article, readers are able to understand how to have a more advanced understanding of software training and how to enhance the user's procedural knowledge. These particular guidelines focus on the design of the videos and how to create videos that promote the retention of information learned regarding software skills.

After carefully studying educational psychology and instructional design, the authors of this article have produced the following guidelines regarding instructional videos. I will present this information in a comprehensive breakdown of the most important aspects of each step.

1. Provide Easy Access

- One of the most important things when making an instructional video is to craft a title that will help the users easily find the video

- The title should describe the task that is being performed in the video

- Three ways to make information easy to find:

a. Arrangement is the structural organization of information. Information could be organized chronologically. alphabetically, or topically.

b. Pointers are ways to indicate content and presentation in order to assist the user in finding specific information by using things like a table of contents or and index.

c. Consistency means that the information in the video is always presented in the same place and in the same manner in order for the user to have an easier time navigating the video.

- This first guideline is important because an instructional video will not be able to serve its purpose if the user cannot find the video in the first place. The first step to success is to make sure the users will be able to find the video and successfully navigate through the information presented.

2. Use Animation along with Narration

- The importance of animation along with human narration is demonstrated through many thoroughly researched principles:

a. Multimedia Principle- this principle shows that people learn better from a carefully coordinated combination of pictures and words

b. Congruence Principle- this conveys the idea that the content and format of an image should correspond to the desired content and format of the users' internal representation-the meaning behind this principle is that learning is more likely to occur when the image presented in the video very closely resembles the actual object.

c. Modality Principle- this principle informs the readers that learning is enhanced when words are presented as a narration, not as written-out text.

d. Redundancy Principle- the reader can use this principle to avoid duplication when presenting information

e. Voice Principle- this principle states that learning is enhanced with standard-accented human voices, not machines or humans with foreign accents.

f. Temporal Contiguity Principle- finally, this principle says that words and pictures should be in synch. Narration and animation should be done in a simultaneous presentation.

- There is a great deal of information presented in this second guideline. The reader can use all of this information provided by various scholars and researchers in order to see how the combination of words and images is the best way to convey information to a reader so that it will be accurately remembered.

3. Enable Functional Interactivity

- This step makes sure that the user is able to actually use the information in the video

- A great way to do this is called system-based pacing. This means that the task execution in the video should be presented at the right speed for the user.

- The tone should be conversational, rather than formal in order to appeal more to the reader.

- The videos should all have the potential to have an aspect of user-control, meaning the user has the ability to project influence on the video through pausing, stopping, and replaying parts of the video.

- The apprehension principle says that animations should be readily and accurately comprehended. This means that learning could be advanced using this principle because the users are able to manipulate the video into manageable parts.

- I think that this step is important because it emphasizes the point that the users should be able to go at their own pace when watching these videos. The user is the primary focus of the video, so I think it is important that the user is able to manipulate the video according to his or her particular needs.

4. Preview the Task

- The preview is a strategy to promote the central goal of the video.

- It has the ability to orient the user and to illustrate the meaning of the forthcoming video.

- The goal of the preview is the increase interest in the task with the use of personal narration. This can be done by raising awareness in the user before he or she actually starts the task.

- The step also includes a great deal of scholarly principles regarding tactics that can be used while making a preview:

a. Pre-training principle- this principle states that users should be taught names and behaviors of system components prior to being instructed on how components are meant to interact with each other.

b. Personalization principle- the principle shows that instructional messages should be presented in conversational styles.

c. Just-in-time principle- the principle lets the readers know that learning is facilitated when prerequisite knowledge is presented at the proper point when the user needs that particular piece of information needed to perform the task.

5. Provide Procedural Rather Than Conceptual Information

- This guideline says that all information should be geared toward the goal of completing a particular task.

- The idea presented here is that conceptual information should be avoided because it is distracting and is typically not necessary for the task at hand to be successfully completed.

- I think that this step is important because it stresses the importance of simplicity in order to make sure the user can accurately navigate through the information provided.

6. Make Tasks Clear and Simple

- This step goes along with the information in step five because it also stresses the idea that all unessential information should be left out so that the user can complete the test as efficiently as possible.

- This step also says that the videos should be designed for usability using the following methods:

a. Simplicity- This can be achieved by using proper terminology suited to the particular audience and by keeping the instructions small and digestible based on cognitive capacities.

b. Concreteness- This idea is reflected in the use of appropriate examples in order to stress the specific aspects of a task, rather than more abstract ideas.

c. Naturalness- This is the method that shows a sequence of information matching that of the most efficient order of steps needed to complete the task. Naturalness suggests that the readers should also include checkpoints so the users can track their progress throughout.

7. Keep Videos Short

- This particular guideline follows its own advice by stating the information in a concise manner.

- Videos should be short and should have a defined beginning and end.

- Videos should also include a practice called segmentation. This means that the video can be broken down into smaller units using the methods of pausing and temporal cueing.

- Pausing allows the user to reduce cognitive overload, while temporal cueing allows the user to create meaningful boundaries or sections throughout the video.

8. Strengthen Demonstration With Practice

- This final step informs the reader of the importance of including practice along with instruction.

- With instruction, a problem and solution are explained to the viewers.

- On the other hand, practice allows users to actively solve problems themselves.

- With the opportunity for practice, viewers are able to see if they can effectively apply what they have learned from the instructional video.

- There are studies that show how practice after video instructions improve user performance and create an advantage for retention.