For What Purpose is Your Content Designed?

When I first started providing and crafting explanatory videos around 12 years ago, some folks needed to be sold on the "why" and ROI for creating videos before they would commit resources to creating one. In the past few years, many more potential clients are reaching out, convinced of their need for videos before having thought through the intended end for which their videos might be designed. It seems the perceived need for videos has become so "self-evident", due to their ubiquitous use in our digital age, that some forget to ask what the videos are actually for.

Which reminds me of a term I learned in a philosophy course as an undergrad, telos. Telos was a term used to describe a final end or purpose for which a thing is designed. The example our professor gave was that of her coffee mug. She said the mug's purpose or telos, was for drinking coffee. That meant that if a mug for whatever reason could not hold coffee, it was not a "good" coffee mug as it did not fulfill its ultimate purpose. Even if the mug were beautifully adorned or made of pure gold, if one could not effectively drink coffee from it, it was not a good coffee mug.

 At Scope & Sequence , we want to deliver "good" work to our clients/partners, so we always attempt to explore the teleological function of a project before we begin. We start by asking our clients,"What do you want your audience(s) to know, feel, and do after having engaged with your content/ideas?

This Know, Feel, Do conceptualization provides an ultimate aim for each project which allows us to evaluate its success or failure. Does the audience need to become aware of an injustice like sex trafficking? (Know) Upon learning of injustice do we want them to be angry or outraged? (Feel) Now that they know and are outraged, do we want them to contact lawmakers, donate towards the cause, or share the video with all their family and friends? (Do)

I encourage anyone still reading and desiring to make "good" content to ask, what do I want my audience(s) to know, feel, and do after their encounter with my content?