Date: 10/2/2023

To: Content Director

From: YouTube
Subject: How To Upload a YouTube Video instructional document
Action Required: Revise the “How To Upload a YouTube Video” instructional document

Dear Content Director,

Hello, I hope this memo finds you well. I have had an opportunity to review the “How To Upload
a YouTube Video” Instructional document and test it on a few peers to make sure that it is
comprehensive and simple enough for our user base to understand. We were able to test this
on Tuesday the 3rd (10/3/23) with two people. There are a few things I wanted to touch up on
that could make your document more user friendly and help users understand some of the
details in your document. This goes through everything you need to fix; such as files that can be
added and limits to the system.

Summary:
This Memo summarizes the data found within the usability studies done with the “How to Upload
a YouTube Video” document and gives descript information on how to fix issues. The issues are
as follows: inadequate information on acceptable video formats, browser compatibility problems,
a lack of clarity on thumbnail size limits, confusion surrounding phone number verification, and
vague button descriptions. It also points out the need for improved instructions regarding the
optional settings. There are a few areas of improvement that we found within the document that
could help enhance user understanding and to help streamline the YouTube video upload
process.

Findings:
This is the data we found while testing your document with our test users.

Video File Information

We found there was a lack of video file information. Such as the participants frequently
struggled with the understanding of which formats would work and what files are considered
video files. This lack of clarity resulted in some users attempting to upload files that were not
usable on our platform.

Browser Compatibility
Some users encountered some issues while using browsers other than chrome. Specifically, a
user was using Firefox which had different formatting. This made it difficult for the user to
understand the images provided in your document. We need to emphasize and explicitly state
the browser compatibility of our instructions.

Highlight thumbnail size

Many participants were unaware that the size limit for thumbnails on our site is 2MB. This led to
a user uploading a file that was unusable on our site. This caused the user to be confused and
upset that they could not upload the file they wanted. It also led to errors which could lead to
creators needing to revisit or resize their thumbnails causing inefficiency in our creators’
workflow.

Phone number verification

Two users identified issues inputting thumbnail images because of the need to have a phone
number attached to their account. This requirement caused confusion because there was
nothing inside the document stating this.

Button Description
Some users had to guess the functionality of some of the buttons on the site because there
were no clear images or instructions within the document showing what their usability was.
Specifically with the tabs above. These tabs being the details, video elements, checks, and the
visibility tab.

The Optional tab

Under the optional category in your document. It gave many options you could customize your
video with but there is a lack of instructions. A user could get lost or misunderstand the usage of
some of these options.

Resolutions:
These are what we need changed in the final document.

Video File Information

A good way to fix this would be to provide more information about file formats. Such
as; .MOV, .MPEG-1, .MPEG-2, .MPEG4, .MP4, .MPG, .AVI, .WMV,. MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP,
WebM, DNxHR, ProRes, CineForm, HEVC (h265). Giving these exact examples will make sure
that there are no unusable files attempting to be uploaded to our platform. This also helps the
end user from having to backtrack on content already made by being informed on the formats
we support..

Browser Compatibility
The best way to fix this is to provide guidance or warning about what these instructions are
clearly for. The other option would be to have separate categories for each browser. With, we
are owned by google and our platform does work better on this browser. The instructions need
to clearly state the importance of having an optimized browser such as chrome.

Highlight Thumbnail Size Limit

The best way to fix this would be to emphasize the 2MB file limit and provide information on how
to compress image files. This will help creators upload their larger files and have their content
lost because the file was too big.

Phone Number Verification

The best way to do this would be to write a disclaimer at the top. You could also have a
separate guide showing how to add phone number verification to their account. The importance
of phone number verification should also be stated.

Button Descriptions
These could be better clarified using images or adding extra steps to guide the users through
each section of the table. These should be added right before the optional step within this guide.
Since our site has four distinct tabs at the top of the page. Categorized as Details, Video
Elements, Checks, and visibility.

Optional Tab
You need to add information on why these optional settings are important and what they add to
the video uploading process. The descriptions of what is possible are very good but you do not
explain how to do these steps. They should be more descript with matching images to show
users how and where to press.

Conclusion:
Overall, there were some strong and weak points within the document presented to us. This test
highlights a lot of the specific areas that needed to be worked upon in the final draft. This also
proves that there are many things we can do as a company to enhance user understanding and
to streamline the YouTube upload process. I hope these additional details help your team
ensure that we have a more satisfying user experience and help the people that are new to
begin their content career.

Recommendations:
1. Provide a comprehensive list of supported file formats within the document, such
as: ; .MOV, .MPEG-1, .MPEG-2, .MPEG4, .MP4, .MPG, .AVI, .WMV,. MPEGPS, .FLV,
3GPP, WebM, DNxHR, ProRes, CineForm, HEVC (h265).
2. Clearly state the browser compatibility and emphasize that with Google Chrome the
client will get a better experience.
3. Include a disclaimer at the top of the document that they need a verified phone number
to add a thumbnail.
4. Clarify the buttons that need to be clicked with names and images.
5. Add more information to the options tab detailing the importance of each setting with
detailed instructions about how to use them.
From: YouTube
To: Content Director
Date: 10/04/2023
Subject Line: Usability Test Report on “How to Upload a YouTube Video” Instructional Manual.

Dear Content Director,

We have conducted a usability test on your “How to Upload a YouTube Video” instructional
manual. The tests were successful in identifying some key strengths and flaws within your
document. We had two users test the manual in conjunction with the YouTube website to see
how well your manual would teach the new users how to upload a video. The subjects enjoyed
the images and how in depth some of the information went. There were just a few weak points
we needed to adjust. Included in the attached memo are certain categories that we found the
users had issues with. The list below incorporates everything that needs to be changed within
the document.

● Video File Information

● Browser Compatibility
● Highlight thumbnail size.
● Phone number verification
● Button Description
● The Optional tab

Overall, the document succeeded in the goal of uploading the YouTube video, but we believe
that adding more specific information will help the users achieve the goal of uploading a
YouTube Video. There could also be more images to assist users in navigating the process.

We look forward to your response and eagerly await your reply.

Sincerely,
YouTube