Pictures vs. illustrations vs. instructional video – when to use what to make our instruction effective

Imagine you are sitting comfortably on a plane, reading a book. Suddenly you feel turbulence that is much stronger than usual. You start to get anxious, especially since you see people around you panicking.

Then you hear the captain’s voice from the speakers: “Please remain calm and read our safety card in silence. We will be preparing for a water landing”.

With trembling hands, you grab the card and try to figure out what to do. But all you see are a few pages written in tiny text that you can’t decipher as people cry and scream in the background.

Absurd, right?

Less than 100 years ago, that’s exactly what it looked like – the first safety cards contained only text. Only later did pictures and illustrations come along. [1]

Less than 100 years ago, boarding passes contained mostly or only text, and were less readable than today’s pictorial instructions. Source: link

Illustrations are not always understandable

Today, of course, it is enough that you look at the illustrations and immediately know where the life jacket is, what position to take during contact with the ground and how to exit the plane if instructed.

At least in theory.

In 2008, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FFA) conducted a survey on the understanding of safety instructions.

Passenger interpretations were surprising.

For example, some respondents thought the woman depicted in one illustration was wearing a parachute, not a life jacket. From another illustration, they concluded that passengers should strip naked before evacuating.

The following illustration also posed a problem for the researchers.

How would you interpret this image? There were a variety of responses to the FFA survey, including “something about falling luggage” and “ask a fellow passenger where you can put your luggage to fit”.
The correct answer is “be ready to catch falling items by opening the baggage compartment”. [2]

So what can be done to avoid causing such misunderstandings?

 

Features of effective illustrations

The cause of misunderstanding illustrations is lack of context. In a previous article on medical instruction, we talked about this in more detail using the example of putting on a bandage.

This is somewhat reminiscent of the game of puns.

In puns, you are given a slogan and you need to convey it to your team using an illustration. The challenge is to capture the characteristics of the item. That is, for example, drawing a life jacket so that it does not resemble a parachute. The whole trick is to create an illustration so that it is 100 percent understandable.

If the illustrations in the puns were captioned, it would be too easy to guess what they meant. That’s why words are not allowed in the game. But in the instructions, we want to make it easy for the reader to understand!

The conclusion is that if we want to make our visuals easier to understand, we need to add an adequate caption.

life jacet with and without caption, confused and enlightened man

Sometimes an adequate caption next to a picture helps to understand it.


This is not just a colloquial observation. In 1982, Levie and Lentz reviewed studies comparing reading comprehension without and with illustrations. They concluded that pictures increase comprehension of text only if they relate to the text.

If the pictures have no connection to the text, they will not affect comprehension. Similarly, if the pictures contain too many details, the reader does not know what to pay attention to.

Levie and Lentz cite a study that solved this clearly by marking key elements in illustrations, e.g. with a different color or arrows. [3]

good and bad visual instructions, computer instructions

Clearly marking key elements in instructional illustrations, e.g., with a different color or with arrows, facilitates comprehension.

It follows that illustrations, to be effective:

  1. they must be well matched to the text;
  2. they cannot be too detailed;
  3. they should draw attention to the most important elements specified in the text.

Increasingly, airlines are taking this into account. While no doubt illustrated boarding passes are not the ideal solution, they are the best currently available.

On the one hand, the lack of captions makes them more universal – everyone should understand them, regardless of language or reading skills.

On the other hand, however, this advantage is also a disadvantage. Text accompanying more complex illustrations reduces the danger of misinterpretation and makes it easier to understand the meaning of the illustration.

This is why it is such a challenge to choose the right visualization.

Drawing instructions for peeling a mango, which we created for a fruit importer.


Photos vs. illustrations

Before illustrations replaced text on boarding passes, photos were used.

However, as numerous studies on boarding card design, such as those by Dwyer (1967), have shown, they show the advantage of boarding cards with illustrations over those with photographs. The same conclusions were reached by FFA in the aforementioned study testing the understanding of security cards. [2]

Why do photographs perform worse?

“Realistic photographs may be effective in drawing attention, but because the camera captures so many details, the details may interfere with comprehension”, writes Peter S. Houts. [4]

Imagine that you want to change the settings on your radio.

In the picture illustrating the first steps, you see a bunch of buttons. It takes you a while to figure out which button to press and in what order. What if you removed all the unnecessary elements from the picture and clearly marked, for example with a color, the button you are looking for? Wouldn’t that make your task easier?

 

Drawing illustrations have the advantage over photos in that they focus our attention on what we should work on at the moment. That is why they are more effective.

The key to a well-chosen illustration lies in its simplicity and clarity. As Antoine de Saint-Exupéry said:

“It seems that perfection is achieved not when nothing more can be added, but rather when nothing can be taken away.” [5]

At one time, photographs were also used on boarding passes, but cartoon illustrations proved more effective and replaced photographs. Source: link

 Illustrations vs. instructional video

Few companies understand the creation of illustrated instructions better than IKEA.

In 1956 Gilis Lundgren, one of the brand’s designers, designed a three-legged table in the shape of a leaf. He wanted to pack it in his car, but it wouldn’t fit.

The designer went to great lengths, trying to squeeze the table inside. It was no use. Finally, he found a solution – he filed down the table legs. “Folded” furniture easily fits into a car.

Thanks to the instructions added later, assembling IKEA furniture became possible for everyone. [6]

Illustrated instructions have surrounded us since childhood – toddlers use illustrations to assemble a toy from Kinder Surprise. Older children look at an illustration to build an airplane out of LEGO bricks. Adults  use instructions to assemble furniture from IKEA.

child kid adults with different instructions

Toddlers use illustrations to assemble a toy from Kinder Surprise. Older children look at an illustration to build an airplane from LEGO bricks. Adults  use instructions to assemble furniture from IKEA.

But instructions are not all the same!

While assembling a three-legged table should not pose any problems, a closet can turn out to be a challenge. After all, furniture has undergone quite a metamorphosis over the years and, consequently, the instructions of its assembly have also become more complicated.

Of course, assembling IKEA furniture is easier than assembling furniture without pictorial instructions.

This is how Paul Ballard, CEO at 3di, a company that specializes in creating technical documentation, explains it:

– It’s not because the manual itself is poor. It’s because the product itself is too complicated. [7]

Up to a certain point, pictorial instructions work better than instructional videos, such as the aforementioned boarding passes or hand bandaging instructions. As the level of difficulty and complexity of the instructions increases, instructional videos perform more favorably.

Explainer videos are ideal for this purpose. For example, to provide instructions on health and safety rules in a company or plant.

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Cultural factors

Joe Navarro, a former FBI agent, once recounted how someone alerted the agency to an alleged foreign spy. They watched the suspect for a long time, but found no leads on him. One day, the agents were watching a video that showed him leaving a flower shop.

At one point, Agent Navarro said “stop!” He noticed a small detail that turned out to be crucial to solving the case. The man was holding a bouquet of flowers upside down, which is typical of Eastern Europeans; in America, you always hold the bouquet the other way. This was enough to convince the spy to betray his profession during interrogation. [8]

Probably without an explanation of the reason for the holding, we would not see anything strange in this story. This is because in our cultural circle, holding flowers in this way is normal.

On a daily basis, we don’t realize how much the culture we grew up in influences our understanding of different messages. In business, however, it can make a difference.

 

Dowse and Ehlers studied how black Africans reacted to standardized illustrated medication instructions produced by the U.S. Public Health Service.

They contrasted these with drawings created by local black South Africans, where low levels of literacy were reported.

Respondents preferred the drawings prepared by local residents.

When we were developing this animations for Time4Tea, we had to take into account the subtle cultural differences as the animation is shown in a few different countries across the globe.


Cultural sensitivity plays an important role when creating cartoon instructions and instructional videos.

Dowse and Ehlers noted that illustrations of people who are similar to us and objects we are familiar with help us follow instructions better. We do not focus on looking for differences between what we know and what the illustrations represent, and we do not get distracted. We identify more easily with an illustration.

“Because we acquire our ability to interpret pictures largely without intent or awareness, we may be misled into supposing that our mode of picturing is truly the universal language. In fact, pictures are heavily laden with culture-bound conventions that must be learned if they are to be understood.’’, wrote Levie in a summary of research on the use of illustrations in education. [4]

Even seemingly small elements that we don’t pay attention to when looking at materials that are part of our culture have significance. Such as furnishings, placement of store signs, the distance between characters, etc.

When we were developing an animation series for Nestlé  about a weight-loss cure for the Saudi Arabian market, we had to take these subtle differences into account.

The heroine of the animation needed to be modern to get the message across to young women, the company’s potential customers. On the other hand, it needed to be kept within certain limits, so as not to shock too much.

The talent’s outfit, the size of her eyes, and her weight were all important factors and were discussed with the client.

The goal was for the viewer to identify with her so that attention was focused on the product, and not on the specific appearance or behavior of the character. This allows the video to fulfill its role.

4 different rules when creating instructions

When creating an instructional video: 1. show the most important points of the instructions in illustrations. 2) Limit elements that may be distracting. 3) Sign the drawings or attach written instructions. 4) Keep cultural aspects in mind.

Summary

Adding simple pictorial illustrations to instructions increases the recipient’s interest and influences the amount of information they remember.

Whether you want to explain to someone how to implement a new procedure in your company, fix a printer, treat a wound, or fold a chair – remember to use illustrations as well as words.

1) Use illustrations to show the most important points in the instructions.

Think about what is complicated and needs to be illustrated.

2) Limit elements that can be distracting.

Illustrations work better than photographs. Simple drawings are more effective than complex ones because they contain only the necessary elements and minimize the likelihood of misinterpretation

3) Sign the drawings or include written instructions.

A combination of text and pictorial illustrations usually produces better results than using illustrations alone.

4) Keep cultural aspects in mind.

Remember that people will understand instructions better if they see familiar characters and situations in the illustrations with which they can identify.

If you are interested in how we use this knowledge in practise and how we can help You, contact us

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Bibliografia

 

[1] Those Safety Instructions in Your Airplane Seat Pocket? Nobody Understands Them: https://www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/cards-180950298/

[2] Federal Aviation Administration, Effective Presentation Media for Passenger Safety I: Comprehension of Briefing Card Pictorials and Pictograms, 2008

[3] W.H. Levi, R. Lentz, R., Effects of text illustrations: a review of research w: Educational Communication and Technology Journal 30(4), 1982

[4] Peter S. Houts, Cecilia C. Doak, Leonard G. Doak, Matthew J. Loscalzo, The role of pictures in improving health communication: A review of research on attention, comprehension, recall, and adherence w: „Patient Education and Counseling” nr. 61, 2006

[5] Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Ziemia, planeta ludzi, 1939

[6] Paul Leinwand, Cesare R. Mainardi, Strategy That Works: How Winning Companies Close the Strategy-to-Execution Gap Hardcover – February 2, 2016

[7] Inside the world of instruction manuals: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180403-inside-the-world-of-instruction-manuals 

[8] Former FBI Agent Explains How to Read Body Language: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jwUXV4QaTw

 

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About the author

Oscar Krysik

With over 10 years of experience working with renowned brands such as Lipton, Listerine, and Ben & Jerry’s, I have developed comprehensive communication plans, executed brand launches, and devised effective brand strategies. I am committed to understanding key messages and ensuring they reach the right audience. My experience also includes brand creation, exemplified by the launch of Benji’s Planet, a premium dog food brand. As a brand and marketing consultant, I help businesses craft their brand identity and communicate their value propositions effectively. I regularly update my skills with new certifications and stay abreast of marketing trends to ensure my strategies are cutting-edge. Outside of work, I am passionate about design, graphic arts, and enjoy bouldering in my free time. Contact me for expert brand and marketing consultation.

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About the project:  “Więcej niż LEK” is a Medical Information Portal which is used to run high quality e-learning courses for students and graduates of medical colleges, which prepare them for, among other things, for the Final Medical Examination and the Final...

How to calculate if the explainer video will pay off?

As we wrote earlier in the text about explainer video, the production of such an animation usually costs from 2 000 to 7 000 EUR. How to calculate whether this expense will pay off? And how to estimate the explainer video's possible results?   In this text, we...

7 examples of explainer video, which provided companies with leads and increased sales

Rypple, which provides cloud services, wanted to show that its solution increases the efficiency of managers and employees. The B2B business was showing more and more interest in modern ways of storing data, but the competition was not idle and more and more similar...

Product videos—types, prices, advantages and disadvantages (classic film, whiteboard animation, vector animation, and 3D animation)

Product videos are becoming more and more popular because they help to tell about the product in a few minutes. Thanks to them, the customer does not have to read a wall of text on the website or in the brochure. Sellers also feel relieved because they don't have to...

11 tips and tricks that will make it easier for you to make an explainer video

You want to commission a explainer video production. It is an important project because you need to talk about a strategic initiative, generate more leads, or implement a new procedure. You gave the company a general idea and...wait until they hit your vision? This is...

Our Team

Claudia Together with the late Michael (my fiancé at the time), I am a co-founder of ExplainVisually. At the beginning of the company's existence, I was a creative 3-in-1: I wrote scripts, storyboards, and drew films. This was the case with the first 84 films, but in...

The cooperation between TESCO and ExplainVisually has been extended to the Czech Republic and Slovakia

The shelves of supermarkets bend under the food. But what happens to food that is not bought? The last project in cooperation with TESCO brought us the answer to this question. We got a call from Gosia Tokarz, who asked us if we can prepare 7 by 2 meters infographics...

How did Millenium Bank educate its employees on standards of customer service? [Case Study]

About the company: Millenium Bank – one of the main banks in Poland, part of Banco Commercial Portuges. Department: Department of Quality–responsible for providing equal and high level of customer and sales service in the bank’s facilities.   Problem: Keeping the...

4 unobvious reasons that make your offer land in the basket

Thank you for the offer, we have decided to cooperate with another supplier;At this point we have suspended the project, we will contact you when we get back to it;Unfortunately, we are not interested. Every salesperson has heard these answers. Often, the reason for...

Our video telling a story about the most creative Polish School

Among dozens of projects that we have carried out this year, the film for the Kornel Makuszyński Elementary School in Radowo Małe is one of our favourites. And not only our favourite: the video scored over 1300 shares on Facebook. Why this project is so important to...

How did Orange tell their employees about the Continuous Improvement? [Case Study]

About the company: Orange – the biggest telecommunication operator in Poland and one of the main companies in the world, made it to the Fortune Global 500 list. Department: Customer Experience, trying to design the ideal customer experience and supporting the...

What is Graphic Recording (and Graphic Facilitation)?

When the lecturer starts his speech on the stage, the atmosphere of concentration fills the lecture hall. It is his name that brought the crowd to this conference. The slides complete his words, and hundreds of people are focused on him and try to remember as much as...

What is whiteboard animation (and how your business can benefit from it)?

Whiteboard animation is becoming more and more popular in business because of the clear and transparent way it provides information. Research shows that it has an advantage over text messages, and often also over static images and ordinary films. That is why it is...

What is explainer video (and how your business can benefit from it)?

  Explainer videos are short movies which explain complicated issues in an easy way. Typically they deliver information about companies, products and services. Today, explainer videos are used by thousands of companies around the world, including the largest...

The curse of knowledge: How it affects managers & marketers

Klątwa wiedzy jest efektem psychologicznym, który w ogromnym stopniu wpływa na naszą pracę oraz życie osobiste. W wielu wypadkach niestety negatywnie. Szczególnie narażone na jego skutki są osoby odpowiedzialne za komunikację w firmie – managerowanie, marketerzy,...

Goodbye to the best boss I’ve ever had

“I heard that you quit your job,” the words echoed in my ears. It was a call from Michał. How on earth did he already know?, I thought. It must have been our Lebanese friend who told him. He was the only person who knew. “Yes, that’s true. The message was being...

Klaudia Tolman of ExplainVisually in the jury of 50 Top Creative list

Klaudia Tolman, our Creative Director, is going to be one of the jurors in the 9th edition of the ranking of 50 Top Creative in Business. The ranking aims to honour companies and people: put their money on innovations and out-of-the-box solutions in their businesses,...

We got the results of the first nationwide research on Visual Thinking

Last year we co-created the very first nationwide research on Visual Thinking. Why did we decide to take part in reliable research on the effectiveness of visual thinking? For years now we have been hearing from our clients, that what we do, works. But it’s one thing...

Maciej Budkowski and Klaudia Tolman to host an “Expert” cycle meeting for Brief.pl

For the last 5 years, we have been building and developing our know-how. During that time we’ve carried out over 200 projects in 19 languages for dozens of corporations, startups and GOs. But never before have we publicly spoken about our agency experiences. This time...

Maciej Budkowski and Klaudia Tolman in the #agencja podcast

Just released, there’s an #agencja podcast featuring our managing team, Klaudia and Maciek. In the podcast we’re telling about our daily work. Link to the podcast –...

ExplainVisually’s film about European Funds submitted to Camerimage

In 2015 we made a film with the Mazovian Unit of EU Programmes Implementation in Warsaw. Its aim was to tell in a simple way how to gain European Funds. The project went very well and many organisations associated with European Funds considered it to set a good...

ExplainVisually’s infographics to support Polish Football Association

Maciek, our Managing Director, has been a huge fan of football for over 20 years and he’s always been dreaming about cooperation with the Polish Football Association. So when they actually called us to say that they needed to explain to football coaches complex...

ExplainVisually a laureate of the competition 50 Most Creative in Polish Business!

We are a laureate of this year’s ranking of 50 Most Creative in Business. 50 Creative is the biggest competition in its field in Poland. The ranking is carried out each year by Brief.pl. Amongst former laureates are CD Project, Brand24, iTaxi, LifeTube, Booksy or...

How to spend money to be happy? Our infographic in “Głos Mordoru” (“Voice of Mordor”)

“Money doesn’t bring happiness” or “You cannot have too much of a good thing”? Turns out, it depends on what you do with it. Those are the conclusions of Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton, Professors of British Columbia University and Harvard University. In their book...

Summary 2017

Christmas time has passed, so it’s time for some summary. We can’t describe this year with one word. 2017 was demanding, tragic, developing, successful, sad and joyful. In the period of 12 months we made over 70 films, which means we scored almost 200 total since the...

Our video helped to win 1,000,000$ in a Israeli’s startup competition

A week ago Seegnature, an Israeli InsurTech start-up, used our whiteboard animation during a pitch - presentation to the investors. The stake was high. Pitch is a key moment for a start-up. Several minutes of presentation may determine the company’s future. Especially...

HR Case Study: recruitment video

It was the end of May 2016, when we realized we could not put it off any longer. Everybody took their place, and we started the meeting. “We have to recruit new drawing artists! I can’t do it by myself any longer! We won’t manage when the new projects come…!” Klaudia...

Explainer video production process

Explainer video production process typically takes a few weeks (3-8). The production time depends on the film's duration, its complexity, the flow of works, communication between both parties (or three parties if an Agency also takes part in the discussion), work...