Anna
1
I’ll start by saying this feature is very much a “Version 1” - super early days for the idea… but I thought you guys would get a kick out of the concept, so I wanted to share now, even though it’s still in its infancy
One of our wikiEngineers, Trevor, has been working with our product manager Matt and various other wikiHaus folks on another way to browse and learn from wikiHow: an option for watching all the Quick Summary videos. This early version is currently linked on our home page. You can find links to it in the right rail:
If you click on one of the videos, you’ll get taken to a page (like this one
) where you can watch that Quick Summary video and then several more, one after the other, to learn all sorts of things. You also have the option of going to the full article for each one, if you want to read more about the topic.
Again, this is a new baby feature, very experimental… If readers like it and use it, in due course, there’ll probably be V2s and V3s. Right now, it’s still rough around the edges, and our devs know it. But they’ve put it out there to see what kind of interest there is in it. If you have first impressions or thoughts about it, let us know! Happy to pass your feedback on!
Edit: Added screenshot of actual video browser
I noticed that today! I like it!
I loved this new feature. More so for its short duration. Videos of only a few seconds makes them load rather fast. I preferred reading over videos earlier. But this feature may change that because it’s comprehensive and easy. Wow! I’m using my phone. I am curious about a few things. *Does it affect the video adding tool option on articles that we have already? So we will have 2 videos. *I noticed, as the main video plays, the others on the left side bar would play too. Is that how it works? *If the title of the article would reflect in the screen as the video plays, that would be nice too.
Thanks. Well done!
SarahB
5
Well done Trevor and Matt!
1 Like
Anna
6
@Vishshua
Good questions!
These are ‘Quick Summary’ videos, which are present on just some articles so far, in the Quick Summary section - though Gavin and Bridget and the team are working on more all the time. They’re custom-created for the articles, so yep, it’s different from embedded YouTube videos (which may be longer and don’t always exactly match the article). More options!
Ah, sorry, I’m not sure what you mean by videos on the left… can you take a screenshot? Or do you mean right, the ones in the side bar? I don’t see the ones on the right side moving as I watch the main video, on my computer. But maybe it differs on a phone?
I actually do see article titles at the top already - are those missing on your phone? Or are you talking about in the video itself? Glad you guys dig the concept!
Hi, Thank you. I’m so sorry. Yes, I meant the ones on the side bar to the right. And yes, I mean, the title inside the video. There are two things. When I’m watching the video on the ‘full screen’ option, the article title does not reflect anywhere on the screen. It just says, Quick How to videos (on the left). However, I can see the title when I see it in the default screen (watching in the smaller screen, the default one where you see the sidebar as well). The title shows in black. The videos on the sidebar load and I see the animation, starting on its own. It’s not an issue. I was just wondering, if it’s needed for the sidebar videos to play on its own. It’s definitely the way to go. Really innovative and helpful. I’m guessing the views on wikiHow will increase many folds with this new addition.
Anna
8
@Vishshua
Ooh yes, that makes sense when going full screen - the title could provide that context to help you remember what you’re watching. They’d probably have to test and tinker to make sure it didn’t get in the way, but I’ll throw the idea into the mix for you - many thanks
Ah, that’s interesting about the sidebar behavior for you - perhaps it’s device-dependent. I’ll mention in case it’s unintentional and can be addressed.
Glad you think it’s innovative! Makes me glad we have a PM/engineering team that’s always thinking of what the future might look like for people seeking help. I tend to get a bit stuck in my ways and struggle to think outside the box of what I already know/see/use… that’s why I’m doing this and they’re doing that - Once they make new magic features appear, I always end up pleasantly surprised!
1 Like
Hmm may be the sidebar thingy is device-dependent. No big deal. Most people use wikiHow on a computer. You are very welcome. If something more pops up in my mind, I’ll definitely get back here. You are doing what you do best. Glad to have you, just the way you are. Kudos to the team. A very welcome feature it is!
Thanks a lot for looking into everything in the comment.
As long as I can keep my Mylinks bar at the top right of the right railing, I don’t mind what you add to that area. @Anna
Anna
11
@Byankno1
Not sure where it’ll go in the long run - it’s in the right rail on the home page for now, not on article pages and so on - mostly in one spot to get it some exposure and see how folks like it. We’ll see how it evolves over time!
I love the update! In fact, I found a useful video that I needed called “How to Get Rid of a Sore Throat”.
I am not using Mylinks much any more, but I think them highly useful for those that take the time to create them. Therefore, I would hope that Mylinks could be kept in the right rail.
I like the short video summaries. What a great concept and execution!
Anna
14
As far as I know, nobody except for Byankno1 has raised the idea of putting it where Mylinks is
- but thanks for the reminder that some people still rely on that feature
@Reem-Kam
Aw, I hope the quick vid helped - feel better!
Exciting changes! Thanks Matt, Trevor, and the rest of the team who brought this!
WF
16
I’m worried about the position!
@Anna
I see that it’s just on the home page for now. As it develops from the rough around the edges to the smoothed out version are there plans to put it on more pages or just the front?
Anna
18
The current location of the home page thumbnail links is not really the bit to check out, heh. That’s just a way to get readers into the browser so we can figure out interest and what to do in next versions. The feature to check out is the actual video browser, not the links to it ;)
I don’t know where it’ll end up linked or located in the long run, as it’s all still experimental and a WIP. But in order for the devs to see if people use and like the browser, people need to know it’s there, so the home page links are there to let people know it exists in this V1 phase. My guess is that, once the feature itself is further along, our devs may well test the links in lots of locations to see where readers find it most engaging, as they often do.
With no current plans concerning future link locations, I’d love to pass on your feedback if you have any thoughts about the browser itself :)
If you want to go there directly, here’s a link to one of the vids: https://www.wikihow.com/Video/Power-Nap
Cool feature! I will definitely be watching a lot of these. I have a suggestion or two: Have a “ See all
” link at the top right of the box across from the title. Also, shouldn’t https://www.wikihow.com/Videos
(plural) redirect to wikihow.com/Video
or be the title instead? The redirect I created
doesn’t work.
Anna
20
@Batreeq
This isn’t a typical MW page so I’m not super surprised if the redirect doesn’t work - as long as we don’t link to [[Videos]] anywhere, I don’t think that’ll be a big deal, though
Cool idea about the ‘See all’ link - I could see that coming in handy!