The Power of Video

Instructional videos are a powerful way to reach developers, especially younger developers who have grown up in the video age. These short, screencast videos present information in an engaging, easily accessible fashion.

The challenge with creating instructional videos for SDK and API documentation is that no one wants to watch long stretches of someone typing on the screen. SDK Bridge creates visually-engaging videos that combine screen capture footage with simple, clear diagrams and animations.

Video Overviews

A very effective use of video is to provide overviews. Through diagrams, animations, and examples, video overviews can orient developers to what your API can do and how to use it.

SDK Bridge creates video overviews that inspire developers to use your API and lower the barrier to getting started. We avoid both stilted technical discussions and flashy marketing-style material. Instead, our videos act as informal, virtual instructors who can help your developers understand what your API does.

Examples:

Microsoft Kinect for Windows, Developer How-To Videos.
Getting Started with VBA Development in Office 2010.

Note. The Microsoft Developer Network website does not always display the full width of the video.

Step-By-Step Instructions

SDK and API documentation can benefit greatly from instructional videos, as long as there is a strong visual component to what needs to be learned. Examples include:

    • Setting up the developer environment for an SDK.
    • Using a web API that also involves configuration using a web GUI.
    • Using an SDK that has a large GUI component, so you can demonstrate what the UI looks like.
    • Demonstrating what sample code can do.

Examples:

apiGrove Authentication and Authorization
Merging Data from Multiple Workbooks into a Summary Workbook in Excel 2010
Note. The Microsoft Developer Network website does not always display the full width of the video.