Why video instruction manuals suck
Having been in the market for some new software recently I've come to the conclusion that video manuals are crap, and really just an excuse for not being arsed to write a proper instruction manual. SENuke seems to be the worst culprit I've found recently (no, I'm not on a crusade against SENuke).
What I really want to see as a software buyer is this:
1) A really awesome, well-organised PDF manual with screenshots - Incansoft does this well, for example
2) A few short (i.e. less than 1-2 minutes) videos that reinforce more complex concepts, or give specific strategies that are difficult to explain in writing. But only if they're needed. If they have to be longer then so be it, but give me decent support documentation. Commission Junction 2 did a reasonably good job of this.
What I absolutely don't want:
1) Lots of 10+ minute videos that have very little explanation of what they are before I click on them and that show a really old version that looks nothing like the current version (hello SENuke)
2) A poorly written, typo-laden PDF which only contains version 4.3 info when the latest release is 7.3 (yes, I'm talking to you again, SENuke)
The reasons:
1) A video of 10 minutes can often be explained quite simply in 2-3 pages which can be read in 2-3 minutes, thus saving me enough time to load a couple more articles
2) I'm in New Zealand and we don't have super cheap, super fast internet access anywhere you roam - Telecom makes sure that you really don't want to use too much by keeping the prices high, so to have to download 400Mb of videos not only takes ages, but uses a reasonable chunk of my monthly quota. Yes, I know I can buy more, but it's as much a speed issue as a cost issue
3) I can't print a video out, and if you've saved it using Camtasia, I can't even save it to my computer
4) If you have a whiny, irritating voice (which I probably have as well), I'm going to end up hating you, in which case you probably won't get any more of my money
So, when you're thinking about making some 'useful' videos to either sell your products, or explain how they work, think again. There's more than one product that I've not bought specifically because the only way I could find out about it was to watch a video, and more than one product I've wasted time over because the written manual was less than average.
What I really want to see as a software buyer is this:
1) A really awesome, well-organised PDF manual with screenshots - Incansoft does this well, for example
2) A few short (i.e. less than 1-2 minutes) videos that reinforce more complex concepts, or give specific strategies that are difficult to explain in writing. But only if they're needed. If they have to be longer then so be it, but give me decent support documentation. Commission Junction 2 did a reasonably good job of this.
What I absolutely don't want:
1) Lots of 10+ minute videos that have very little explanation of what they are before I click on them and that show a really old version that looks nothing like the current version (hello SENuke)
2) A poorly written, typo-laden PDF which only contains version 4.3 info when the latest release is 7.3 (yes, I'm talking to you again, SENuke)
The reasons:
1) A video of 10 minutes can often be explained quite simply in 2-3 pages which can be read in 2-3 minutes, thus saving me enough time to load a couple more articles
2) I'm in New Zealand and we don't have super cheap, super fast internet access anywhere you roam - Telecom makes sure that you really don't want to use too much by keeping the prices high, so to have to download 400Mb of videos not only takes ages, but uses a reasonable chunk of my monthly quota. Yes, I know I can buy more, but it's as much a speed issue as a cost issue
3) I can't print a video out, and if you've saved it using Camtasia, I can't even save it to my computer
4) If you have a whiny, irritating voice (which I probably have as well), I'm going to end up hating you, in which case you probably won't get any more of my money
So, when you're thinking about making some 'useful' videos to either sell your products, or explain how they work, think again. There's more than one product that I've not bought specifically because the only way I could find out about it was to watch a video, and more than one product I've wasted time over because the written manual was less than average.
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Tsnyder -
Thanks
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