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People Find How-To Videos Boring

According to TubeMogul, the audience drop-off rate for how-to videos is faster than general videos.

People Find "How-To" Videos Boring

Bad news for the many venture-backed "how-to" video startups such as eHow and Howcast,: People find their genre less engaging than the average Web video.

Keeping tabs on some 23 million video streams, Web video services firm TubeMogul says that how-to videos lose 15.21% more viewers after 10 seconds and 16.81% more viewers after 20 seconds than the average video.

When we started Instructables, one of the key features was our step-by-step format. As a human, you really can only do one thing at once, and multi-tasking is just quickly switching between tasks. So, we figured any complex process could be broken down into a series of steps that followed what its creator did.

Video is perfect for showing techniques or motion that are difficult to describe in text and pictures. However, when video is used to show things better seen as text and still images, it gets boring. I've always felt that video plays a role within a full step-by-step set of instructions, but can never eclipse them.

So, the take-home from the graph should be clear to future Instructables authors: keep your videos short and to the point if you want anyone to watch them. Save the rest for text and images, and the whole Instructable will be greater than the sum of its parts.

howto_videos_less_engaging-0.99x0.99.jpg
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22
KentsOkay says: Jan 13, 2009. 1:54 PM
If I find a video uniteresting, poorly made, or just plain anoying, I turn it off. I watch IndyMogul's videos OVER AND OVER due to entertainment value...
38
Goodhart in reply to KentsOkayJan 16, 2009. 9:27 AM
The AppDev training CD I spoke of, I HAD to go through for work...over and over again...
33
Plasmana in reply to KentsOkayJan 14, 2009. 12:56 PM
IndyMogul? Never heard of it...
22
KentsOkay in reply to PlasmanaJan 14, 2009. 3:39 PM
SEARCH 'EM ON HERE.
33
Plasmana in reply to KentsOkayJan 15, 2009. 10:52 AM
Cool! Some funny videos they made!
22
KentsOkay in reply to PlasmanaJan 15, 2009. 11:18 AM
INdeed, and awesome projects to boot!
33
Plasmana in reply to KentsOkayJan 15, 2009. 2:45 PM
Yeah, on the giant sandwich video, the most funniest bit was a person in the giant sandwich protesting and starts chasing a guy who was busy eating a sandwich!
33
Plasmana says: Jan 14, 2009. 12:35 PM
You mean people are bored of kipkay's videos too??? This is very surprising, I really enjoy kipkay's videos...
173
fungus amungus in reply to PlasmanaJan 14, 2009. 1:59 PM
Kipkay's videos are typically one minute long. If you're going to make a video, try and keep it under one minute in general. You'd be surprised how much fluff and slow footage can be cut out of a 5 minute video. As you can see by the chart, half your audience is likely to be gone after a minute.
33
Plasmana in reply to fungus amungusJan 15, 2009. 10:56 AM
I see, you just need to cut out 'boring' bits to make a video interesting...
9
kelseymh in reply to PlasmanaJan 15, 2009. 5:40 PM
That is such a wonderfully simple way to put it. It's true and accurate. I think it was Michelangelo, when asked how he created sculptures like David, explained that he "just took away the unnecessary stone."
33
Plasmana in reply to kelseymhJan 16, 2009. 3:09 AM
Haha! That is interesting..
173
fungus amungus in reply to PlasmanaJan 15, 2009. 11:13 AM
Pretty much. Cut to the quick and keep it flying like a bullet. When you're making a video it's easy to think that people really need to see the setup to understand what's going on. So people will show the scene for 5-10 seconds (or more) before anything happens. In truth you can get away with as little as half a second sometimes if it's set up with other footage first.
33
Plasmana in reply to fungus amungusJan 15, 2009. 2:43 PM
Hmm, interesting, so, on the videos, I should show the action and just explain the setup on the video description... Thank you for that useful tip! :-)
173
fungus amungus in reply to PlasmanaJan 15, 2009. 3:19 PM
well, it varies from video to video. By "setup" here I meant what the scene in the video is. If the pieces are more complex or require explanation then you can still include it. Just edit the footage down.

That was my goal on the christmas cannon video. Have a quick sequence showing what's going on and then move right into the action.
.

3
Sandisk1duo in reply to fungus amungusJan 18, 2009. 10:06 PM
very funny!
33
Plasmana in reply to fungus amungusJan 16, 2009. 2:58 AM
Okay,I get your point, very funny video BTW! :-D
16
Lithium Rain in reply to fungus amungusJan 15, 2009. 3:21 PM
THAT WAS THE BEST! Hahahaha...Eric getting shot with tinsel...
173
fungus amungus in reply to Lithium RainJan 15, 2009. 4:21 PM
Recommend going to YT and selecting the high-quality option. Looks much better.
16
Lithium Rain in reply to fungus amungusJan 15, 2009. 8:38 PM
Wow, it sure does! It's almost as though you enjoyed shooting Eric or something! :D

May I make a GIF using still images from the video?
173
fungus amungus in reply to Lithium RainJan 16, 2009. 9:11 AM
It was fun. We all got shot the same amount of times, but Eric's reactions were the best.
173
fungus amungus in reply to fungus amungusJan 16, 2009. 9:11 AM
and a GIF is fine
16
Lithium Rain in reply to fungus amungusJan 16, 2009. 10:57 AM
:D It looks like a blast (no pun intended). Thanks!
1
cybergap says: Jan 14, 2009. 5:59 PM
If a video is well done, and just highlights the steps instead of droning on, I think it can work. Especially if you are interested in picking up some build tips or building the actual project. I can watch Norm on the New Yankee Workshop all day. But if you are not a DIY type person, you are not likely going to be interested in a How To video. This graph is not accurate because the audience is not defined.
1
cybergap in reply to cybergapJan 15, 2009. 6:00 PM
Excellent point! LOL Obvious now. It would be interesting to know how many of the people clicking were true die hard Tinker types willing to put up with low production value for a few juicy build tips, or simply the "just surfing" crowd. It would be tough to break that out, I'm sure. And your point is not missed, it's got to be compelling, short and sweet to keep the eyeballs, and the emphasis should be on the write up. Which is good, because at a 300:1 Production:Final time ratio for good video, it's a big time saver to keep it short! BTW - Absolutely love the way you have laid out Instructables.com, the step by step panels, and ability to embed a video as well is just fantastic for learning and teaching.
143
ewilhelm (author) in reply to cybergapJan 15, 2009. 4:59 PM
The audience is perfectly well defined. The audience is self-selected by definition: it's people who were interested enough in the video's title to click on it.
1
Skyfinity says: Jan 15, 2009. 5:59 PM
Personally, I think we can all prove those goofballs down at TubeMogul wrong. Forget the statistics' effect on what most people chose to do and continue to do what you want to do. If everyone did that, we wouldn't be hearing about statistics like this! Skyfinity---away!
17
CameronSS says: Jan 13, 2009. 10:32 PM
And oddly enough, there's a certain video that's been floating around for over a year now, which is 17 minutes long, and I have literally watched it over and over again...mostly because it gives me project ideas.
11
chiok in reply to CameronSSJan 15, 2009. 8:16 AM
That is analagous to a moth to a flame. I wasn't sure why, but I couldn't stop watching. A plethora of jigs and fixtures and FIRE! Good find!
17
CameronSS in reply to chiokJan 15, 2009. 5:00 PM
I didn't find it, westfw did.
3
unklstuart in reply to CameronSSJan 15, 2009. 12:28 AM
Amazing video, but I sure would like to fix the music loop.
33
Plasmana in reply to CameronSSJan 14, 2009. 12:54 PM
That is an really interesting video...
10
gmoon in reply to CameronSSJan 14, 2009. 6:47 AM
Seconded for that vid. It's inspirational for me, too.
38
Goodhart says: Jan 15, 2009. 4:30 PM
I remember trying to sit through (and work with) AppDev training CD's I kept falling asleep and really had a great deal of trouble with the VBScript section (I kept replying it and falling a sleep....not recommended practice at work, thankfully I am behind a locked door ;-)
38
Goodhart in reply to GoodhartJan 15, 2009. 4:30 PM
replaying it *sigh*
18
Labot2001 says: Jan 14, 2009. 11:25 AM
I agree. I don't like videos that document a full-length step-by-step; time lapses are fine... What I really like are videos of the final product.
32
=SMART= says: Jan 13, 2009. 3:01 PM
LOL @ 10%-25% of people leaving after 5 seconds
9
kelseymh in reply to =SMART=Jan 13, 2009. 4:24 PM
That's what I'd do. See something that looks like it might be interesting from the snapshot, start playing, and see what utter crap it is pretty quickly...
32
=SMART= in reply to kelseymhJan 14, 2009. 9:55 AM
yea lol
25
Honus says: Jan 14, 2009. 5:40 AM
For me, the video should always enhance written instruction- not be a substitution. I'd much rather have a video that shows a project in its final working state than have a video that shows me how to build the project.
4
teamcoltra says: Jan 14, 2009. 5:11 AM
I hate those people who listen to 20 seconds of a song and turn it off/switch the song, watch the first few minutes of a movie/show and then change it... To me, if you change it that fast your are going to probably miss the good part, if I turned off WALL-E in the beginning because I thought it was incredibly lame, I would have missed out on the rest of the really good movie.
5
comodore says: Jan 14, 2009. 3:45 AM
Well, KipKay is not boring me, for now... :P It depends, some How to videos are very cool, and you can see that the guy did a lot to make the video as best as he can, and then there are those that just don't know what the hell are they talking bout...those hosts are the worst to me....
237
jessyratfink says: Jan 13, 2009. 7:10 PM
I admit I find them boring and irritating. Then again, this applies for most things I watch online. ;) People either go all crazy radio announcer for how-to videos or they don't speak at all - that bothers me. Or they'll pull the "here's an attractive girl, tis a shame we hired her for her breasts to get views and she doesn't actually know what she's doing!" trick, which is just as bad. I just wish people would be honest and to-the-point with their projects. I think videos would be better off showcasing something for 30 seconds and then linking to text instructions.
9
kelseymh in reply to jessyratfinkJan 13, 2009. 10:35 PM
:-) You mean like this video, which correlates to this animation, demonstrating the implementation of this project?

Yeah, I see what you mean ;->
10
gmoon says: Jan 13, 2009. 7:33 PM
Videos are at best a supplement to written / pictured information. I almost never watch instructional videos--what, I'm gonna take notes? I gotta draw my own pictures? That's what webpages are for...

They're great for demonstration purposes, though. Seeing a project in action is a real asset--and it's much missed if omitted.

But build instructions... :-P
41
Weissensteinburg says: Jan 13, 2009. 4:47 PM
This doesn't surprise me at all. Most how to videos are poor quality and ramble on and on. The other advantage to written instructions is that you can skip to exactly what you want to see. No waiting to get to the right spot.
44
Bartboy says: Jan 13, 2009. 3:53 PM
So nobody watchs the whole video if it's more than 5 minutes long? Wow, I'm pretty sure I've seen some that are longer than that.
9
kelseymh in reply to BartboyJan 13, 2009. 4:23 PM
Not nobody, but less than 10% of the initial audience sample. They probably cut off the plot at 5 mins.
169
Kiteman says: Jan 13, 2009. 12:56 PM
To me, it's a sad reflection on modern culture that over half the viewers that chose to watch a video get bored and switch off after only one minute. IMO, it's a lack of patience engendered by an excess of video games and music videos.
173
fungus amungus in reply to KitemanJan 13, 2009. 1:34 PM
It's not that sad. Most videos are bad.
9
kelseymh in reply to fungus amungusJan 13, 2009. 2:02 PM
Sturgeon's Second Law, "90 percent of everything is crap."
4
whatsisface in reply to fungus amungusJan 13, 2009. 1:57 PM
Not to mention the community on YouTube is *appaling*.
32
=SMART= in reply to whatsisfaceJan 13, 2009. 3:00 PM
youtube + people = EPIC FAIL
173
fungus amungus in reply to whatsisfaceJan 13, 2009. 2:08 PM
This isn't just YT. TubeMogul covers a couple dozen video sites.
4
whatsisface in reply to fungus amungusJan 13, 2009. 2:10 PM
See the reply to K'man below.
169
Kiteman in reply to whatsisfaceJan 13, 2009. 2:04 PM
It doesn't say YouTube was the only site they looked at.
4
whatsisface in reply to KitemanJan 13, 2009. 2:06 PM
Yeah I was just giving it as an example, I can't speak for other sites.

Youtube has a good deal of "OMG IT WORKED I TRIED IT JUST NOW LOL!!!111!!" when it's the typical onion+gatorade=ipod charger video.
41
Weissensteinburg in reply to whatsisfaceJan 13, 2009. 4:48 PM
Same with metacafe. Too many people there are just trying to get page views for the cash. They see the successful how-to's and try to replicate...but fail.
44
Bartboy in reply to whatsisfaceJan 13, 2009. 3:52 PM
Onion+gatorade.... Right......
10
11010010110 says: Jan 13, 2009. 1:59 PM
doesnt the chart show exactly the opposite ?
173
fungus amungus says: Jan 13, 2009. 1:15 PM
It's interesting that there is a sharper dropoff for the how-to videos initially, but at about the 1:30 mark it evens out. I don't find this to be a huge surprise since I personally want a lot more from a how-to video and if the style or the quality rubs me the wrong way early on I'll stop it. Nothing worse than hearing someone mumble instructions when you want to follow along. When it comes to a typical failblog video where the focus is on someone making a huge mess of things the quality is usually crap, but it doesn't matter since the content is so bizarre.
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