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The Limits of Videos
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In the world of education and training, videos are great for certain situations, but not for most everything else.
They are great for communicating “feel” e.g. “Welcome to our company.” They also work well for tasks that require three-dimensional understanding, such as tying a knot. They are poor for communicating specific information e.g. “How to assemble and test a Model XYZ-3a widget.” In most videos, that information is spoken by the narrator. But recall the old saying. “We remember only 10% of what we hear.” 
Videos are hard to scan for information. How many times have you watched a video—only the find at the end that it did not have the information you were seeking?
Videos force users to proceed at the pace determined by the producer. Printed styles such as the Depict Format™ method...
...allow users to proceed at their own pace. They can scan parts that are familiar,
but stop to dwell on points that are interesting or difficult. |
Videos show only the here and now. Printed styles show context. While considering one step in a process, users are visually aware of steps that preceed and follow.
It is very difficult for video viewers to try a new task while watching its training video. With printed instructions, users can look at a single step, do it, then look at the next step, and do that.
Videos can be expensive and time-consuming to produce. The Depict Format™ method requires only a simple camera and inexpensive software. There are no sound track or timing considerations. Most edits are quick and easy.
Depict Format™ materials are:
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