Oct

20

Apple instructional videos continue

Filed Under Apple, Technology 

It looks like Apple will continue to make instructional videos whenever a new product is introduced to the market. The latest is a guided tour of Leopard given by John, an Apple Store employee. These videos not only draw more interest to Apple’s products, but also act as a great alternative to traditional printed material. They really just make sense, especially with the rapid growth of online video tutorials in general.

Leopard Guided Tour

Here are a few trends that are noticeable with these videos so far:

1. Demonstrator has clean cut, professional appearance

The dark, non-distracting clothing usually worn in these videos really keeps you focused on the product. I also think the dark clothing is chosen to show the attention to detail given to the design of Apple products and software. You are not distracted by what the person is wearing, just focusing on what he is saying and demonstrating. Both demonstrators so far have also been middle aged men (my guess) with eyeglasses. We will see if this continues.

2. Environment has similar feel to Apple stores

In the new Leopard video, you may have noticed that similar tables to the ones used in Apple stores are used in the video. Apple is strictly sticking to the same theme and environment that everyone is familiar with if they have ever visited a store in the past. You should find the same setup in any store once Leopard is out. Again, white or black backdrops relates to the same purpose behind the dark clothing, non-distracting.

3. Well organized with smooth transitions between breaks

The Leopard video is broken into segment’s focusing on the key new features of Leopard. Each segment is introduced with a title and a smooth transition leading into the demonstrator’s segment of the feature and how it’s used. I can see this becoming the norm for all these videos unless separate segments are not necessary at all.

4. Speaking tone, vocab, and hand gestures

The demonstrator speaks very gently in a slow, but consistent pace making him easy to understand (maybe a little too slow). The words chosen are simple, and never too complicated. Although some might disagree with me on this, I think the demonstrator also does a good job at speaking in a very inviting and friendly manner. The hand gestures are subtle but add to the inviting tone of the speaker. People have to realize these videos are made to target a large audience therefore most of the technical and geeky lingo is left out not to alienate potential users who have never used a Mac before. Sure, advanced users might find it a little condescending, but just take it for what it is, a general tour of the basic new features that will appeal to anyone using or interested in Apple computers.

In Conclusion…

Who knows if this will be adopted by other companies but it can certainly work for any product or service if done right. Apple is very good at teaching people how to use their products and software. I can go into this in more detail another time since I am a former Apple Store employee myself and witnessed how a store is run first hand. They have been incorporating tutorials and beginner videos into training for their products for a long time, but this is a new trend of releasing these videos exclusively online in line with major product and software releases. Let me know if there is anything I missed which stood out to you.

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Comments

  • I can't agree with you more. Apple does a great job bringing its users up to date and in doing so earns good will. Great post!
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