Step-by-step guides
There are several ways to present step-by-step guides. On this project, I was requested to update a video on one of our pages.
Because of our nature of public transparency in the public service, we have millions of web pages that we have to maintain. There are many web pages our team doesn’t have a chance to review every year. The video that I had to update was last updated in 2009. The request was easy, but I proposed a new strategy instead.
We use video differently than we did in 2009. The old video was around 2-3 minutes long. It explained complex step-by-step guides, and the video includes several links.
before 
after
A video is not an effective communication material when it contains links. Links can be embedded into videos on some video platforms such as YouTube. The system in the government is limited – it can’t include links on videos.
Instructional videos can also be complicated. Our audiences are people who reside in Canada. They can have a different level of literacy. A person who has a visual impairment and who doesn’t speak/read English fluently will have difficulty understanding the video. However, others might find the video is frustrating because it’s too slow.
As a solution, I proposed a new layout for the webpage to include a step-by-step guide in text with icons as visuals. With this layout, the audience can access the links on videos and take their own time reading the instruction.
Check these webpages: