The visuals your users never saw…wait that’s most of them
summary
Claims that most documentation images go unread and that seductive detail (irrelevant, pretty images) reduces problem solving, and recommends concrete fixes based on Richard Mayer’s multimedia principles: use multimedia with words plus pictures, apply coherence (trim extraneous bits), use signaling (highlight critical parts) and keep labels close with spatial contiguity. Practical rules: screenshots for factual UI details, animated diagrams for step procedures when helpful, prefer evergreen visuals over brittle screenshots, and test contrast and motion for accessibility.
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chapters (7)
- 0:00Introduction to visuals
- 2:19Cognitive load basics
- 3:43Avoiding seductive details
- 8:40Principles of multimedia
- 15:54Selecting visuals by use case
- 19:16Closing and encouragement
- 21:07Q&A session
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