After over a decade working in web design and development, I’ve seen my share of productivity tools come and go. One of my favorites over the last few years has been Loom. This company has been steadily growing, and their service allows you to very easily record your screen. They offer a desktop app for Windows and Mac, a chrome plugin, and an iOS app. They have a generous free plan, as well as several paid options for individuals or teams. It was easy to roll out to the whole Twel team, and now we all use it regularly. Loom has such excellent usability and efficiency that some of our clients have even used it to communicate their website questions and requests back to us.
Just to share an example, here is a video of me creating the very blog post you’re reading now:
The most common ways we use Loom at Twel include:
- During requirements gathering, or when documenting project specifications, to show examples of different options for functionality. This helps clients take their time making informed decisions asynchronously, while still early in the development process.
- To create training videos for clients, so their content editors and other staff can quickly familiarize themselves with new features, and always have a recorded walkthrough to reference if they forget, or if they hire new team members.
- During QA testing, to clearly show the results of an issue as well as how to replicate it. This has proved invaluable for both front end themers and back end developers, and significantly expedites the process of remediation.
Although it’s possible to create silent videos where you just point at things on your screen, we’ve found that including a spoken explanation as you go along dramatically enhances communication. At first it might feel awkward to record yourself talking, even if you turn off the video and only record your voice, but you’ll get used to it quickly. It actually really helps the viewer understand what you’re trying to show, cutting out the need for further clarifications back-and-forth. You’ll end up saving time while preserving a more human connection—something we can all certainly appreciate lately.
Is there something about your Drupal or Shopify website that you’d like to change? Perhaps you could walk us through it in a Loom video and send us the link. We’d love to help you improve your workflow.
Perhaps you’d like to learn more about how to use your Drupal or Shopify site—just send us your questions and we’ll work with you to develop a tutorial video that you can save and share with your team members.