There are four different ways that users assimilate video based training information. They are:
- - visual
- - auditory
- - auditory digital
- - kinesthetic.
While all users will process information utilizing all four of these approaches at any one time, each user will individually tend to rely on one of these approaches more than the other three.
Visual
These people memorize and learn by seeing pictures and are less distracted by noise than others. They often have difficulty remembering and are bored by long, verbal presentations because their minds will wander. They are interested in how your video presentation looks. They like it when you use words like “see, look, envision, imagine, and picture” in your presentation voice over as these words encourage them to make pictures in their minds.
Auditory
These people are easily distracted by any background noises occurring during your video modules. Typically these audience members learn by listening. Your vocal tone and vocal quality will be very important with these people. Words that work well with people in this category include “hear, listen, sound, resonate, and harmonize.”
Auditory Digital
These users spend a fair amount of time in their heads talking to themselves (I mean that in the nicest possible way 
). They memorize and learn by steps, procedures, and sequences. They think of themselves as being logical and rational. They want to know that your presentation makes sense, is well structured and comprehensive and has credible information. Words that are effective with these people include “sense, experience, understand, think, motivate, and decide.”
Kinesthetic
These people often speak very slowly. They learn by actively doing something and getting the actual feeling of it. They are much more oriented towards their feelings than people in the other three categories. They are interested in a presentation that “feels right” or gives them a “gut feeling.” Words that are effective with these audience members include “feel, touch, grasp, concrete, get hold of, and solid.”. Adding in scenario based learning, or any other “active listening” methods, such as follow-along workbooks, can help make your video material more accessible for these people.
Approximately 40% of the population are primarily visual, approximately 40% are primarily kinesthetic, and the remaining 20% are primarily auditory and auditory digital in how they process information.
Practical note
I am in the final stages of completing a home study usability e-learning course. So far I have created video, software, puzzles and scenarios and paper-based materials to make sure all the learning styles are catered for. After all it’s in my interest. The more the course caters for the different learning styles, the more enjoyable it will be for my students which will help my long-term success and theirs.
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While we cover visual and auditory quite good with our online-lectures (see examples at http://www.lecturio.de/e-vorlesungen/themen/anzeigen/thema/entrepreneurship.html), it is obviously hard to integrate the kinesthetic approach.
We try to do that with chapters and “social learning features” which help users to share their learning experiences with others.
Now that we looked at these four categories it would be interesting to hear suggestions on how to improve learning experiences!
I was asked to do a usability study for a client for a training scheme for 65,000 users, so they could learn how to use a new electronic point of sale system.
I did some research into learning styles – and found some excellent resources here: http://www.learning-styles-online.com/, which made me think with that amount of users, there was going to be a good mix of styles.
I did the online questionnaire about learning styles, http://www.learning-styles-online.com/inventory/questions.asp, to reveal my own preferences. It was quite good fun.
I decided I would prototype different types of training materials, to do some user testing with. I also took some of the old materials and asked people what they liked and disliked about them. I registered with http://www.memletics.com so I could ask testing participants to complete the survey so I could get some sort of idea about the mix of preferences amongst the staff.
The clear winner with that group was a demo model of the new system where they could practice helping customers with their transactions, followed by computer based learning with some quizzes. The least popular – I’d go so far to say “most hated”
learning method was using documentation of the features of the system. As this had been the method used last time, the users dreaded the arrival of tons of dull paperwork to wade through – they’d prefer the stress of struggling in front of real customers than reading 1000 pages of manual.
With the website usability course I am writing at the moment, I catered for all the learning styles and for my kinesthetic students, I created a dummy site that had a lot of problems. The bad site comes with a few brief notes saying what they have to do with the site to fix it, to give it a bit of structure, but the exploration and analysis is up to them. They’re given the option to pick and choose parts of the course as they work through making improvements (either prototyping, or using HTML coding skills, it’s up to them).
This dummy site could also be a “case-study” for people who didn’t have a website before they purchased the course, or something “neutral” and low-risk people could learn with before enhancing their own websites.
Hope this stuff helps and thanks for the question
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