Question

Best Practices for Formatting Images

  • 22 October 2021
  • 2 replies
  • 131 views

Though we’re practicing creating more concise cards, we’re still faced with some content that require a lengthier write up -- particularly cards detailing processes or instructions on how to complete a task. Adding screenshots add the the length of the cards. Has anyone found any tips on shortening instructional cards or ways to format imaging to help reduce card length (e.g., ability to show/hide images, specific info types can be on separate card, etc)? 


2 replies

Userlevel 2
Badge +1

I tend to put screenshots in a table two or three columns wide, which fits more in by both making them smaller, and having several next to each other.

Userlevel 7
Badge +3

Hey @Annie.Phan ! You’re not alone in this balancing act! Some hacks I’ve used in the past: 

  • Separating content out to multiple cards. Especially if it would be likely to be searched/makes sense standing alone and having folks work off a Guru index Card with Card links to guide their learning journey. 
  • Including a table of contents. If I do keep content on one card, I include a table of contents at the top with markdown links folks can jump to specific sections. This requires you to embed a Markdown block, but it’s worth it! Check out the steps here.
  • Swapping screenshots for a loom video, gif, embedded pdf or slide files. When I create a Guru Deep Dive recap card for internal stakeholders, I include the slides as a pdf or embedded slide that folks can click through while staying on the card. This isn’t right for every situation, but if you have a lot of images to walk through at a certain point, maybe recording a how-to loom or aggregating them into pdf form could support the learning journey of the card. I’ve also seen people screen record actions and turn that into a gif that replays in the card. These help center articles might offer inspiration—when to include files in Guru Cards for best practices for uploading a file into a Guru Card, and when to embed Google Drive assets in Guru Cards.

 

 @Jacob Touchette , you might have navigated this in the past with content creators (Annie, meet Jacob, Knowledge Management Specialist at Shopify and author of the Content Style Guide Card Template). Any recommendations for image heavy documentation? 

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