Turn viewers into participants…

Here’s something that may (or may not) shock you. YouTube is the second most popular search engine today. That’s right, the video hosting platform is more popular than Bing or even Yahoo, second only to Google.
But why is this? It’s because people like to receive information quickly and be able to consume it with minimal fuss and effort. Rather than reading text, they want to watch moving images and listen to someone’s voice. Whether you’ve dropped your phone down the toilet and are searching for ways to fix it, or just topping up on your French. YouTube is more often than not most people’s first port of call for learning something new.
But just how much do people like watching videos to learn?

This much:
People watch 4 billion hours of YouTube video every day
300 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every minute
There are 1 billion YouTube views on mobile per day
YouTube has over 1 billion active users

And it’s not only in our private lives that video is such a close acquaintance. Findings from a study by Brandon Hall in 2011 suggest that more and more professionals continue to implement video in training because it is highly effective for colleagues to consume the information and remain engaged with it throughout.

So videos are excellent for learning, but what comes after? With video, you simply watch and listen; there is no room for the viewer to interact and choose the option which says “put your phone in a bowl of rice” or “blast it with a hair dryer” to see what happens next.

That’s where the interactive bit comes in…

Interactive video has been around for a while, but only in recent years has it really started to take control in a learning environment. And rightly so! Interactive elements of video increase engagement, enhance satisfaction and improve recall for the user. It enables the user to consume the information and double-check what they’ve learnt without ever having to switch environments. Many organisations (large & small) are already breaking through learning barriers by using interactive video. simpleshow and eduCanon both enable users to transform online video into interactive learning experiences via a simple-to-use online tool. Even TedEd now offers users the opportunity to build their own courses using their prestigious library of videos.

But what exactly is Interactive Video?

Picture a video where you can click on elements and move things around on-screen, without ever having to leave the player. Rather than having to watch another ‘follow-up’ video to understand what comes next, you simply answer questions or perform activities about the content you’ve just watched from inside the platform itself. The player then provides you with an indication of how well you’ve performed via instantaneous feedback.
It can be used to convey information and make understanding any topic much easier than with text, images or just stand-alone video, even the difference between Busy Ants and Lazy Sloths in the working environment.

At simpleshow we believe that video is fundamental to explaining complex, delicate or even just mundane subjects. The combination of sound and image stimulates the senses and makes the content memorable and enjoyable. Add some interactivity and there’s nothing you can’t explain or learn about!

(Peter)