Video or written content? How do you prefer to read product help guides/documentation? ๐
Neri Raanani
65 replies
You're trying out a new product and need some help, so you turn to the company's help center. Do you look for how-to videos or written instructions?
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Dylan Merideth@dylan_merideth
Demo videos for quick help and thorough product docs for deeper explanation
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@dylan_merideth Hey, nice seeing you here too, i noticed you from indiehackers. Love the vapour wave aesthetic btw.
@dylan_merideth Probably the best strategy, I agree. Thank you! :)
For detailed information I prefer written instructions over video. I tend to get bored by videos while text allows me to go to any section easily. Additionally most of the time I need to copy/paste samples or search for a specific topic.
For a presentation or features introduction, video is probably better.
You mentioned interesting scenarios, some of which I had not thought about and should be taken into consideration. Thank you for sharing!
I prefer both videos and written instructions. This allows me to understand as accurately as possible what the new product is like.
@new_user_11620223ff4de5436 My thought exactly. Thanks!
@brad_fusion Thank you for sharing! ๐ช
I prefer the video! I find it more fun and faster
@fares_aktouf I appreciate you sharing this!
Both. Written content will probably give me more information, but a page with video content would be more interesting.
@selman_babayigit That's what we're aiming for! Thanks for your comment! ๐ช
I prefer to watch if there is any how to videos rather than written content. But for more detailed information I'm looking at documents.
@sergul_sungur1 Same here ๐ช
I'd take both of them.
Both? Haha it really depends on the topic. If it's a quick guide or questions answerable by 1 or two words/sentences, I'd go for text. But if it's more about technicality, I usually prefer video. But if it doesn't work, I resort to written content.
I think that's why both video and written content is important and a valuable factor for Google algorithm.
@iyamendoza01 I definitely agree with you! Thanks for sharing!
Both. Loom is great for doing short guides, and then doing a transcript (not word for word but a guide following the video) once you've recorded it is easy.
Then you have two pieces of content to publish instead of one :D
@andrew_isherwood1 Definitely, Loom is a good approach here. I'll look that up. Thank you!
For me both. It depends on how my attention span is on the day. I like video for an overview if it's short and sweet.
It really depends on the complexity of the product! I generally prefer text describing steps with screenshots of the product's interface. But when I was figuring our Google Analytics back in the day, I was grateful to have video tutorials:)
@katyaveremeichik Amazing, loved your comment. Thank you!
I like video content.
Video content is always easy to understand and more appealing.
I prefer both. Video with written instructions
I prefer written instructions over video for detailed information. The text allows me to quickly jump to any area. Furthermore, I frequently need to copy/paste samples or search for a certain topic.
@bhumikhokhani Important note! Thank you
Attractive videos capture the audience's interest and keep them engaged throughout the video. That's why I'm all for videos!
@evgeniyyakubovckiy Videos do attract attention, but for help guides/documentation it's less about hooking the audience and more about being helpful and efficient to a user in need. Still, videos are indeed a good fit here as well - probably both written and video together. Thanks for sharing!
Usually both. A video that is under 10 minutes followed up with a bullet point explanation step by step.
Check out Scribe! It's great for explaining stuff
@joekattan Thanks! I'll definitely check it out.