Too much distraction?

When I create or select resources to use as teaching aids I often look for things that I consider “child-friendly” or “visually appealing”. This often means sites or presentations that are bright and colourful, maybe use cartoons and striking visual images. When I make a screen cast I usually add a voice over and think that seeing my mouse move, or being able to zoom in on one area will help the learner. I just might be wrong! I found this set of very clear pictorial tutorials. They are in black and white, task based and very easy to follow. I liked them instantly. I decided to have a look at the reasoning behind their approach and found that it was research based. They started off designing tutorials for people with special needs and then were surprised to find that other people found them easier to use too.

In Pictures Approach to Computer Learning
# The simpler, the better.
Tutorials should be as simple as possible. Multimedia animations may look nifty, but they can be hard to follow. Thats why these tutorials use static screenshots.

# Black-and-white is better than color.
Color screenshots can create a “kaleidoscope” effect that makes it difficult to focus. Black-and-white doesnt. That’s why these tutorials use black-and-white screenshots.

# Tasks are more important than features.
Most computer learning aids concentrate on features—the things a program can do. But most people care about tasks—the things they want to do. That’s why these tutorials focus on common tasks.

So maybe these are things to keep in mind when we are designing or choosing materials for students. What do you think?