Online Tutorial Creator: How to Create Engaging and Effective Online Tutorials

All users love a good tutorial for their favorite software. Professional tutorials are like little treasure maps that help us unearth the hidden value of software, websites, or apps. And when we say “all users,” we mean just about every user out there—even people who are otherwise pretty tech-savvy. 

There are tricks, techniques, and strategies for making your online tutorials engaging and effective. Use these tips to create your guide to maximize the potential of your users and your software or website (whichever one you’re working on).

Define your goals

Why are you creating tutorials? Do you have specific goals in mind? Whether you’re an entrepreneur launching a new application, a programmer creating documentation, or a marketing manager looking to promote a new product, the first step in creating your guide manual is to define the goals you have in mind. 

To create a genuinely engaging tutorial, you need to know what you want it to accomplish. Keep in mind that tutorials come in various forms and can be used for several different purposes. Most common examples include: - Help and user manuals for software, websites, or apps - How-to guides for specific tasks and processes - Marketing and sales tools that walk users through your product and what it does - Training for user groups, teachers and educators - Tutorials for new users to learn the process of getting started with a new product.

Research and ask questions.

Doing some research is one of the best ways to get a clear picture of what you’re working with (and what your users need). Pay special attention to the questions that get asked over and over again. When you see frequent and recurring questions, you know that an online tutorial might be the best way to address them. User groups, forums, and other social media forms are great places to start your research. 

You can also try primary surveys or polls or talk to friends and family members who use your product or service. If you’re creating a tutorial for an existing product or service, you can also speak to the people currently using it. 

Ask them about challenges, pain points, and ways a tutorial might help. Above all, remember to listen. When you actively listen to your users and potential clients, you better understand their needs and how you can best serve them

Use visual

Visually engaging tutorials are more effective than only text-based ones. If you have images that can improve your content, use them. If you’re creating a tutorial for a website or online application, use screenshots to illustrate different screens and processes. 

Screenshots are also a great way to show other user interface elements and additional options to which a user has access. Whatever visuals you use, make sure they’re on-brand. In other words, make sure your visuals look like they belong in your product or site. So, if you’re creating a tutorial for an online store, use screenshots of products that look like they’re from your store. And if you’re creating visuals or a tutorial for an app, make sure they belong to the app.

Be conversational

While visuals are essential, don’t forget the power of conversation. Above all, Tutorials are a form of communication. Therefore, stay away from “textbook” language. 

Tutorials are not dissertations. They’re meant to be consumed and interacted with. Your training manual is a chance for you to reach out to your users and for them to get to know you. Make sure that your tutorial sounds like you and not like a textbook.

Be interactive

Using visuals and being conversational, your tutorial should also be interactive. Ensure you’re asking questions, encouraging users to participate, and getting them engaged. 

To create a fully interactive online tutorial, you can incorporate mini-quizzes, interactive elements, and more. Make sure that your writing is helpful, though. If they’re just there for show, they’re not helping anyone. Interactive tutorials are great because they get users actively involved in the process and help them retain information better.

Create a guide, not a manual

Remember that you’re creating a tutorial, not a manual. A tutorial is a guide and an interactive experience, not just a long list of “do this” and “don’t do that.” So. 

While your users will appreciate clear instructions, they also need a human connection. They need to feel like they’re being guided through the process and helped out, not just given a manual and told to “sink or swim.” Online tutorials are a great way to help new and existing users get the most out of your product or application. They’re also a great way to help people get started and make the most out of new software, websites, and apps.

Summing up

Tutorials are a great way to help new and existing users get the most out of your product or application. They’re also great for assisting people in getting started with new software, websites, and apps. 

When creating a tutorial, remember to define your goals, research and ask questions, use visuals, be conversational, be interactive and create a guide, not a manual.