In creating In Pictures tutorials, we:

Employ simple screenshots.
Instead of video, our tutorials employ screenshots. This enables people to proceed comfortably at their own speed, click by click.

Choose substance over style.
Our research showed that black and white screenshots are the most user-friendly. Color make look snazzy, but black and white makes it easier to focus on what's important.

Emphasize pictures over words.
How-to books on office applications typically contain around 50,000 words. Our tutorials contain only around one-tenth as many, while including hundreds of screenshots.

Focus on real-world tasks.
In taking one of our tutorials, you work through common tasks: the things you're most likely to do with the application. These tasks build on each other in real-world scenarios.

Research-based tutorials

We conducted a three-year study for the U.S. Dept. of Education on computer learning materials.

What was most effective? Step-by-step instructions illustrated with lots of large screenshots.

Download the research report