App tutorials: intro tour slides or videos, how to educate users?
As part of the design approval for an app, I had the opportunity to conduct several usability tests to validate the design and user experience. I conducted 20-30 minute tests with 18 people from the target audience.
One on One usability test results provided a lot of in depth information and evidence what users get and what they can or can’t achieve. One thing however was particularly interesting — 15 out of 18 people didn’t understand the intro tour. They even didn’t understand what it was and it’s purpose. Three users who understood it, were more or less tech-savvy and have seen intro tours before. However they skipped the descriptions, scanned titles and moved on to explore the app themselves. Similar findings were explored in another case study here.
Intro tour slides didn’t work. An easy answer would be: “The design is wrong and confused users, changing the design would solve the problem”. I don’t think it is as simple as that.
Users scan what they see and skip text. Generally click everywhere trying to figure things out themselves.
Another option would be to create a more detailed hands-on visual manual with dozens of slides, approximately 21, showing what can you do in each section and ways to interact. This option would annoy users even more if placed in intro and they would search for “skip” or “close” button as soon as possible. Changing the design would not change the fact that people skipped the copy. So what to do?
Gamification.
Gaming industry has been continuously researching the best ways on how to educate users, and I think they have nailed it. Latest generation titles, like “Assassin’s creed 4 black flag” or “WATCH DOGS” are providing information to players as they need it. Introduce gameplay elements as they become important. Doing this player starts to play faster, it allows to give them information in digestible chunks and it means they will start practicing right after they learn it.
“Assassin’s creed 4 black flag” example below shows how movement controls are introduced at the very beginning. It is the first time user has to navigate around the game.
Further in the game weapon selector controls are explained. And it happens only when the player faces enemy for the first time.
“WATCH DOGS” gameplay uses similar approach, in the example below player receives a tip on how to hack devices and an objective on the top left corner. Other things, like, how to shoot, jump and accomplish tasks will be introduced as the game goes along.
These practices can be applied to apps, websites and other digital products. Our fingertips are smartphone controllers and we need to teach users how to use them with our digital products.
Just in time education.
UX guru Luke Wroblewski has recently addressed the same idea and why tour slides, pop-up manuals don’t work and what can be done:
What was so significant in the video above? It explained the problem and possible solution in less than 3 minutes and saved at least 5 page folds for me trying to explain it in my article.
Users learn from videos.
New industries are born because of this phenomenon. A generation of designers and developers have raised learning from Online Software Training Library Lynda.com
We all know the success of TED. It’s hard to imagine Mashable hands on articles without video demonstrations or TechCrunch reviews without videos.
YouTube already serves as the self-fuelling cycle of learning that could be as significant as the invention of print.
So why don’t we use video tutorials to explain ins and outs of our apps? We could, but then we would end up with multiple or long videos that are not suitable for an intro experience.
Purpose of an app intro.
The first time user downloads an app and faces intro, it should achieve 2 goals:
- Briefly introduce what this app can achieve for the user.
- Sell it once more highlighting essential app features, so the user is eager to explore them.
Research by Mobilewalla revealed that users eventually delete 90 percent of all downloaded apps.
It is important that users find a reason why they should NOT delete your app.
If the app crashed, was slow, didn’t function as expected, users will eventually delete it.
Here is a good example from Yahoo News Digest app intro tour:
How many of you have read or would read the small copy? This particular tour example continues to sell the app instead of providing guidance how to use or interact with it. Users will be able to get around the app even if they don’t read the small copy, but still they would have no clue how to activate reminders or change their location, they would have to explore it themselves.
This approach works for simple apps. If your app allows, for example, 1. Upload image 2. Apply filter 3. Share with friends. A simple slide tour intro is all you need to sell it and introduce to users.
If your app has specific tools or it’s an enterprise app with in-depth know-how, an intro video wold be a better solution.
For example, this revolutionary calculator with a truly modern experience: Tydlig. How many intro tour slides would be needed to explain what can be seen here within less than 2 minutes:
POWERFUEL app intro video example is very close to what would suit industry specific apps. It offers specific industry information. Without seeing the video, users have no clear direction about the fuel buying tools this app offers.
Thinking about smartphone context, It could be worth adding subtitles to intro videos as we never know when and in what circumstances users will open our app. Subtitles could be activated if viewed only on a mobile device, or even be country/language specific.
Making a video for your app allows it to be shared, reviewed and marketed by others. When Vimeo launched their new app, a lot of sites wrote a hands-on review and included their video. Here is an example from thenextweb.com
Making an intro video for your app kills two rabbits with one shot.
Recommendation.
- Educate users with surface tips and help in context.
- Allow user actions to trigger help.
- Communicate what’s possible.
- Provide the information as it’s needed.
- Intro tours should be used for selling and creating an interest.
- If project’s budget allows, make an intro video.
- Videos can sell better in and outside the app and make a more in-depth real time demonstration of some of the behaviour users will have to find and learn eventually.
Fixing the app
I have applied several new UX solutions — “just in time” relevant guidance specifically in areas where people in usability testing appeared to be confused or lost.
Making an intro video is the next step as it would achieve app intro goals once opened for the first time and put it on the world map of apps that can be shared, reviewed and easily marketed.
