Any time your IT department implements or creates a new software or app, it’s helpful if there’s tutorial content to guide users through the process of using and mastering the new solution. And if tutorials don’t already exist, you can create them in-house.

When to Use Tutorial Content

Your IT department is only as good as the people you have running it. And if you want to maximize the talents and capabilities of each employee, you need a robust knowledge center to train, educate, and prepare them for everything that comes their way.

A deep knowledge center will have a variety of content, but certain types are more effective than others. In particular, you’ll want to focus on tutorial content. This type of content is designed to proactively teach specific skills. It’s especially useful for the following purposes:

·      New software or application. Any time you introduce a new application or piece of software into the company, it’s a good idea to create your own tutorial content that walks users through the different features and workflows they’ll be using. These tutorials can either be used to supplement or replace the tutorials that come from the vendor (which tend to be very basic and ineffective).

·      New hardware. The same goes for new hardware and technological infrastructure. Good tutorial content will help employees make sense of significant changes so they can operate efficiently and effectively.

·      New processes. There’s a time and place for changing internal processes, tweaking strategies, and making improvements to how different aspects of the department are handled. An intuitive tutorial ensures everyone in the organization is prepared with the knowledge they need to excel within these new parameters.

·      Employee onboarding. Finally, there’s a dire need for effective tutorial content in new employee training. This training content sets the stage for everything else and should be thorough, yet unintimidating. 

7 Tips for Creating Tutorial Content

Understanding the need for tutorial content is one thing. Actually developing high-quality tutorial content that trains, educates, and informs is much more time-consuming and challenging. Here are some tips you might find helpful:

1.     Consider the Audience (News - Alert)

The first step to any content creation – tutorial or otherwise – is to consider who your audience is, what they need, how they learn, etc. These details will dictate the type of content you create, how it’s structured, and even how it’s delivered.

If you’re creating content for new hires who are just starting out in the industry, you’re probably going to need to be more basic, yet thorough. If the content is designed for experienced professionals, a basic and thorough approach could be deemed offensive/belittling. There’s a lot to think about!

When developing content, it’s best if you write with one specific person in mind. This will enable you to write articulate content that resonates with the audience in very explicit ways.

2.     Establish Goals

Go ahead and make a list of your goals. In other words, what’s the primary purpose for creating tutorial content? Most of the time you’ll have between one and three goals. If you have any more than this, you may consider creating multiple pieces of tutorial content to avoid any confusion.

3.     Brainstorm Possible Tutorial Mediums

Tutorial content comes in all shapes and sizes. This includes written guides, graphics and screenshots, interactive content, quizzes, audio lectures, and video. The latter option is arguably the most effective teaching medium. It also happens to be the most difficult and intensive to create.

If you’re going to create video content, it has to be high-quality. Otherwise, you’ll simply frustrate users and distract them from their learning objectives. Either purchase the proper equipment yourself – including a good camera, sound equipment, and proper editing software – or hire someone to handle it for you.

Sometimes a multimedia approach is best. Here’s a good example from Lumion, a leading provider of architectural visualization software, that uses a combination of video, screenshots, and text.

4.     Keep it Short and Simple

Tutorial content should never drag on. As soon as the user becomes fatigued, their ability to absorb and retain knowledge goes out the window.

It all depends on the type of content, the subject matter, and the audience. The general rule of thumb is that content should be segmented into blocks of no more than 10 minutes. Anything longer should be broken up into multiple segments so that instructors and users can decide when to proceed versus when to take a break.

Simple doesn’t have to mean “dumbed down.” It’s another way of saying you need to use short sentences, clear language, and good illustrations. The more you focus on clarity and brevity, the more transformational the content becomes.

5.     Pay Attention to These Essentials

Creating powerful tutorial content requires you to pay attention to a number of elements, including essentials like:

·      Flow. Your content’s flow refers to how smoothly ideas flow from one section of the tutorial to the next. You want there to be clear differentiation in some parts, but your audience shouldn’t feel like they’re constantly starting and stopping.

·      Pacing. The content’s pacing is all about the speed of delivery. Too fast and people feel anxious and miss key information. Too slow and they’ll tune out. If you’re recording video, consider writing a script and pay careful attention to your inflection and tone.

·      Cognitive load. Think of your audience as drinking glasses and the tutorial content as a pitcher of water. You can only pour so much water into these glasses before they fill up and spill over. And anything that spills over doesn’t get consumed. The concept of cognitive load says that working memory is limited and can easily become overwhelmed. Stick to the essentials and strip away anything that suppresses your audience’s ability to learn.

Details matter. Focusing on essentials like these will take your tutorial content to the next level. Don’t gloss over them!

6.     Develop Supplemental Resources

In addition to the tutorial content itself, you may find it helpful to develop supplemental resources. This includes things like worksheets, quizzes, printouts, and anything else that helps bridge the gap between knowledge consumption and execution.

7.     Gather Feedback

When it’s all said and done, you need a good feedback loop to ensure you get honest and transparent reporting from your team members. They should feel comfortable enough to tell you what does and doesn’t work. Anonymous surveys are ideal. You may also want to interview some of your more confident and independent team members in person. (They’re more likely to tell you the truth.)

Adding it All Up

An educated team is a powerful team. And no matter how skilled and experienced your employees are, there’s always more they can learn. Tutorial content is just one way you can educate and train your team. Combine it with other elements – like manuals and on-the-job training – and you’ll notice a significant, positive shift.