The Visual Steps Method

All of our products follow the same methodology known as the Visual Steps Method (or Visual Steps concept). This method distinguishes itself in a number of ways from traditional instructional methods. Attention is made to the special needs and requirements of the mature individual. Take a closer look at some of the features of the Visual Steps Method.

Take a look inside a typical book from Visual Steps

Here you can take a look inside a computer book from Visual Steps to get an impression of what it looks like. Below you can see an example of one of our books that is printed in colour.
Please note: some of the Visual Steps books are printed in full colour and others in black and white. When a book is printed in full colour, you will see the full colour image shown here in the product description for that book.

Just let the pages turn by themselves or click the "Previous page" and "Next page" buttons to view the next page in sequence. Press the button "Start or Stop" anytime to stop the pages from turning. To get a closer look, click on any page to zoom in.

These pages illustrate the Visual Steps method. Every Visual Steps book is made in the same manner, with clear explanations and many pictures.

[ top of page ]Additonal Screen shots

Each book that uses the Visual Steps Method contains step-by-step instructions. The instructions are written in bold letters and are accompanied by a screen shot. The screen shots in the books indicate which button, file or hyperlink you need to click on your computer or other device. The black line will point you to the right place on your screen. You see exactly what you need to do on your own computer, tablet or smartphone. It is almost impossible to make a mistake!

Symbols used in the books:
The following symbols (icons) are used in the Visual Steps books:

When you see the symbol you will need to use the mouse.
When you see the symbol you will need to use the keyboard.
When you see the symbol you will need to touch an area on the screen of your device.

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Each book using the Visual Steps method takes into account the questions that may arise by the user and offers help with common mistakes. The band-aid symbol indicates a helpful instruction.

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The lightbulb indicates a practical tip. For instance, there is often more than one way to carry out a particular action.

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The majority of Visual Steps books offer additional exercises at the end of each chapter. This helps to reinforce what you have learned. Each hand symbol points to a specific task to be performed.

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All of the Visual Steps books contain an appendix How Do I Do That Again? In this appendix you can quickly view the steps needed to perform a specific task. In each chapter there are places marked by numbered footsteps. These will correspond with the footsteps in this appendix.

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This symbol indicates that useful and practical background information is available. This is often found at the end of a chapter.

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[ top of page ]Research at the University of Twente

The Visual Steps books are written based on research studies done by the University of Twente. (Instruction Technology department of the Faculty of Applied Educational Theory).

“I can't think of a better book to familiarize yourself with the computer and the Microsoft Windows operating system. In a variety of ways the Visual Steps^TM instuctional materials take into account the manner in which you learn, what kind of things you want to know about and how to increase your knowledge. With a book from Visual Steps^TM, you can jump right in and start learning about the Windows environment. There is extensive use of special illustrations, screenshots and icons along with background information where needed.
With this pictorial method of instruction you can easily see if you have carried out a specific task correctly. Step-by-step instructions, accompanied by many illustrations will speed your way to feeling comfortable using your computer. If you make a mistake, there is a special help topic section provided for do-it-yourself correction. The form and size of the books are special, too. They are a little bit larger than most instructional materials. The illustrations and larger print are clearly a welcome advantage and are especially helpful for the mature individual. In short, these books are an excellent resource for people who have never used a computer before.”
Dr. Hans van der Meij
Faculty of Educational Science and Technology at the University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands

[ top of page ]The Studio Visual Steps authors

The author Addo Stuur was associated with Visual Steps Publishing from 2000 through 2006. He developed the renowned Visual Steps Method used in all of our computer books.
Since December 2006, a dedicated team of Studio Visual Steps authors who previously worked with Addo Stuur are now responsible for each new Visual Steps book. This team consists of different professionals, all thoroughly experienced in their subject field. The authors write each computer book using the Visual Steps Method as described above.

The authors work together on the development of Visual Steps books along with a team of editors. The name Studio Visual Steps stands for the excellent quality found in every Visual Steps product. Whether that is a book, booklet or software guide, you can be sure that they are always written and constructed according to the Visual Steps Method.

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