“Do you read user manuals?” Most people, who I have asked this question to, have answered that they don’t read manuals. Either they try to figure out the application on their own or turn to the manual only when they get stuck or when they want to learn more about advanced features. Why is this so? Users don't read documents and manuals, because they don’t like to. Reading the manual and following the steps is a daunting task. The engineers writing these documents don’t make it easy for the users to follow. Besides, engineers don't like to write documents and manuals. But things are changing.
There is a solution. I have worked on many projects which required collaboration. Like many engineers, I dislike writing documents and manuals for collaborators and users. We engineers are passionate about doing the work, not documenting it. For us, writing documentation is like re-doing our work all over again. Due to our specialized training, documents that we write tend to be too complicated for other people. When we make a conscious effort to make them simpler, they end up being tedious. And as mentioned above, users don’t even read our hard work, and so there's no feedback that we can use to improve. A vicious cycle.
But now, there is new method of documentation that is good for both engineer and end user: videos. The growing popularity of YouTube and similar services shows that everybody is familiar with sharing videos. Also, using the video capturing software is becoming easier by the day. Now, whenever I feel the need to share my knowledge, the first thought that comes to my mind is sharing a video. It's really that simple - All I have to do, is start the video recording, do what I need to do, stop the recording, do a little editing such as cutting video clips and adding captions. And voilà, my video, in other words, my documentation is ready. Can’t believe documenting is that easy? Here's a video on how to install testing environment for Motorola Z10 phones.
It is easier for users to follow the steps by watching the video than by reading the manual. A video is straight forward, because viewers don't need to translate text back into actions. A video has fewer things missing. A video has less ambiguity to guess. Besides, easy video making helps the engineer to create documentation by recording the processes directly. The users’ feedback can also be used to make the documentation effective. The video capturing software that I use is called Adobe® Captivate®. Adobe describes this as the software that "enables anyone to rapidly create powerful and engaging simulations, scenario-based training, and robust quizzes, without programming knowledge or multimedia skills." Adobe Captivate enables virtually anyone to create videos or presentations. Many people, including learning professionals, educators, and business and enterprise users use this software for collaborations. The usage by the counselling department at Pleasant Grove High School (Pleasant Grove, Utah) to create a tutorial to help parents and students registering for the upcoming year is one such powerful example. This shows you can do easy documenting using videos.
A picture means a thousand words. How about a video? It will be a new age for documents and manuals.