An Approach to Develop Video Tutorials for Construction Tasks

Abstract Effective communication between parties involved in a project is always considered a vital factor for a successful project. The construction industry's driving workforce i.e. the workers on site is mostly reliant upon verbal instructions for task execution due to limited capacity and resources of contractors. The existing construction labors are usually instructed verbally on the site which at times makes it more difficult for the low-skilled category workers to comprehend the task due to factors like less education and language related communication barriers. This reliance on human-variable verbal instructions causes ineffective communication which might leads to situations like inadequate productivity, workface questions, rework and unsafe conditions on the site. In order to overcome the shortcomings lying under the typical verbal instructional methodology, studies have surfaced with the objectives to make human variable process uniform with written instructions alongside relevant construction drawings. However, this paper-based instructional methodology can also be less impactful among less-skilled construction workers due to their lack of knowledge and visualization capabilities about particular tasks. Instances of multiple languages in this globalized construction world also result in increasing communication barriers. With an intention to make communication more effective with the on-site workers, the study proposes the formulation of visual task instructions with BIM innovation. This study presents a model for developing virtually animated video tutorials of construction tasks with an easy and comprehensible instructional content. These video based task instructions following how-to- do thematic design will create ease in elaborating sequential steps to workers for easy following on the ground.