Feedback on tutorial video? (Especially the format)
 

Okay, I've been working on how to do some video tutorials for All About Maemo, and here's the first one. Think of it as a pilot episode... ;)

My retail N900's Extras repo was deactivated by default when I got the device, so this video explains why and how to activate it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMOCbEWQ1Jg

Feedback welcome, especially if you have general comments about the tutorial's format and style rather than this particular topic.

I'm experimenting with doing them "short and sweet" as opposed to the comprehensive approach on Tablet School.

Re: Feedback on tutorial video? (Especially the format)
 

That's excellen!. Good format, clear and easily followed. Not too fast, either. I was able to pause it and freeze a screen, if I was trying to follow on my own device. It worked.

To be really picky, the icon for 'app manager' doesn't highlight very clearly. (Probably due to its being mainly white) I wondered if a finger-poke would be clearer. Or there's some way you can brighten it. ;) The only other thing I'd change is purely personal - I have an aversion to the word 'nice' as in most situations it doesn't actually tell you anything: I'd use some other description for the extras apps. And yes, that is both personal and really, really picky!

Overall, great job. I look forward to more of them. These things are going to make n900 accesible to people who don't find their way around devices easily and don't like poking things to see what they do just in case of trouble.

Re: Feedback on tutorial video? (Especially the format)
 

Thanks for the reply! :)

Yeah, speed is always difficult because not everyone remembers they can pause videos.

I had people telling me to slow down on the older videos which is why I put a message at the start reminding them about the pause button, but I think people have got used to online videos now so it's no longer needed.


It is the most confusing thing I agree, there's no orange glow as there is for other selected links. But if I add a finger-poke people may wonder why there's no finger-poke for other links.

Maybe some subtle form of enhanced highlighting might be best?


Lol, there was an Alexei Sayle monologue where he raves about how terrible the word nice is when it's applied to anything other than biscuits. :)

But this is how tricky things can be: if I say "useful" it doesn't describe games, if I say "fun" it doesn't describe utilities, if I say "cool" it sounds like an advert...

Re: Feedback on tutorial video? (Especially the format)
 

I realised that after I'd typed it. I wonder if there's some way you could subtly enhance the way it lights up to make it more obvious?
My English teacher at school had exactly that issue about 'nice'. I use it to apply to some of my clients: I know people whose mental illness is best described as 'chronic niceness'.

Choosing an alternative is challenging, as you say. Could you reword to 'there's a wide selection...'? Or something like that? I'd avoid 'cool' - fashionable words go out of fashion.

Re: Feedback on tutorial video? (Especially the format)
 

Well then you get the problem of captions being too long to read quickly... :)

People think it's easy to write short captions for these videos, but it's not because you have to compress lots of important info into the shortest possible phrases.

Re: Feedback on tutorial video? (Especially the format)
 

Needs some kind of pointer to show where you are supposed to press on the screen. Like a fake mouse pointer. I could be pulled off really easily in After Effects or similar program. Otherwise, great vid! :)

Re: Feedback on tutorial video? (Especially the format)
 

It works well.
If you wanted to highlight App Manager, perhaps you could have an orange circle or square drawn on the screen to show where it is.

Re: Feedback on tutorial video? (Especially the format)
 

Most of the buttons already glow orange when you press them, but the ones that don't have a hand-shaped pointer pasted onto them.


Good idea, orange would fit in with the colour used by the other buttons and icons.

Re: Feedback on tutorial video? (Especially the format)
 

Another short-and-sharp vid, I did this because I was amazed at how useful and how hidden the built-in screenshot feature is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO28yX1Ehb0

Re: Feedback on tutorial video? (Especially the format)
 

This would have been a whole lot easier with a video - in fact I went and looked for one.

Re: Feedback on tutorial video? (Especially the format)
 

Yeah, I was just planning a vid on desktop customisation actually. I think it's one of the most useful things about Maemo 5, lots of desktop space and a lot of freedom to organise it according to your own tastes.

Re: Feedback on tutorial video? (Especially the format)
 

Anyone else have any feedback on the videos?

I'm just about to start doing these in greater numbers, so please post on this thread soon if you think there's something wrong with them.

Re: Feedback on tutorial video? (Especially the format)
 

Right, as no one seems to want to give any more feedback I'll go ahead with this format, possibly with some tweaks to take into account the suggestions already made in this thread.

I'll post a message in this thread whenever I add a new video, and there's a new vid in there today actually:

http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=39415