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Video Tutorial Best Practices

What Is This Guide?

This guide will help you complete your tutorial video. The best practices listed will ensure that your tutorial, which represents the Library organization as a whole, is of the highest quality.

Each tab on the left covers the basics of a single facet of creating a video tutorial: 

  • Instructional design
  • Writing a script
  • Audio recording
  • Video recording and visuals
  • Aesthetics
  • ADA compliance
  • Training

Before You Begin

​​​​​​If this is your first video, please contact a member of the Digital Learning Objects team. They will help you with all parts of the production process. Members of the DLO team are:

  • Danielle Evans
  • Liz Holdsworth
  • Marlee Givens
  • Jordan Moore
  • Gabe Nagel
  • Alison Reynolds

The DLO team will review your material throughout the production process, but feel free to ask other colleagues for their feedback, as well! 

Things to Remember

​​​​​​Throughout your process, keep the following essentials in mind:

  • Think of what you want the audience to learn or accomplish, then design backward from that end goal. (See the Instructional Design tab for more information).
  • Maintain focus on what information the audience needs. Remove any digressions, and if you must include a policy, simplify it.
  • Tell the user what the video is about at the beginning and remind them of what they learned at the end.
  • Keep it simple! Use uncomplicated instructions, graphics, and everything else that impacts the viewer's cognitive load.
  • Aim for a 3 - 5 maximum duration for any tutorial. Viewership for instructional videos usually plummets after the 6 minute mark.
  • If your tutorial needs to be longer, chunk it out into a series of videos or timestamp different steps/concepts. Each chunk should accomplish a specific task or goal.
  • Include contact information at the end of the video so the viewer can get further assistance.
  • Ensure that your tutorial follow ADA compliance guidelines, as this is a requirement for all Georgia Tech Library DLOs. (See the ADA Compliance tab for more information.)

When Should You Make a Video?

Describes the decision tree to make a video