Exploring factors that influence the effectiveness of software screencasts for learning software applications

The project focused on factors that affect the effectiveness of screencasts for learning software applications. Despite the wide availability of videotutorials on software training, few empirical studies have addressed the problem. In particular, this research project experimentally explored whether the addition of visual cues on a videotutorial affects the way adults learn how to use a complex software application such as a Non-Linear Editor. The results indicated that cueing did not lead to significant learning gains for this specific user demographic (adults, novices in video editing).